Don't know if anyone is reading this anymore, but I'm back home... yay! I'm ready to return to being a productive member of society. After 5-7 months of traveling (depends on whether or not you count domestic travel... I think that I've had my fill for now! All together the past year saw trips to Arizona/New Mexico, New York, Miami, Portland/Seattle/Vancouver, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Qatar, India, China, and Thailand.
Just a brief rundown on Thailand (I'll keep it short, because it seems like most people have already been to Thailand)... beautiful beaches and the blueest water I've ever seen. I was hesitant to go at first, because it was monsoon season, but we found a really cheap ticket and 4 star hotel right on the beach for only $65 a night. I wasn't disappointed though... even at the end of this 1/2 year traveling saga I still managed to find something that I've never seen before. The waters of Ko Phi Phi were unbelievably blue. Almost unnaturally blue and the cliffs and the mountains crashing into the water were really impressive. I wish I was better with words so that I could describe it to everyone.
We spent most of the trip sitting on the beach of Phuket. Although Phuket was not terribly scenic, the beaches were relatively empty because of off season. We did take a canoeing trip, which was kinda fun... but the highlight was the end of the trip, when the entire boat crew put on a show for us. Not to sound like a teeny bopper... but OMG... that was crazy stuff. The first guy came out and did an entire MC hammer routine... and he completed the entire song and he was like dancing and high fivin everyone... madness. Then the next two guys came out and started break dancing, and they were GOOD. Let me tell you, they could give little kids in Central Park some good competition. Then the headliner came out... in true Thai fashion MC hammer transformed himself into a tranvestite showgirl/beachgirl and pranced around singing and blowing kisses to the crowd. The best part was that his face was painted white with that life-guard sunblock and his lips were a nice deep red... quite the sight that dude. He somehow managed to pick me to start the conga-line (spelling?) with him... and I whole-heartedly obliged... I must say he did have really REALLY REALLY nice legs...
We also managed to make a trip out to Ko PHi Phi to see the most amazing water in the world and do a little snorkeling. Unfortunately the on-again-off-again rains didn't permit for any diving. Oh well....
Well... that's it for this trip. I'll post my pix when I finally sort through them. Thanks for readin
Jeff
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Hong Kong
*** Warning... there are no horror stories or funny moments in this post... so you can just skip it if you want. Next week will be a Thailand post full of exploits and exploitation.
PICTURES:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157606362249789/
yes... that's an octopus in my mouth.... mmmmmm
After India our next stop was China! We spent the first few days in Shanghai... recovering from our mysterious Indian stomach ailment and cooking at Steph's uncle's apartment. When we did leave the apartment, we spent most of our time wandering around the city and eating everything in sight. I think that Shanghai must have the best street food ever... Xiao Long Bao (dumplings), Sheng Jian Bao (more dumplings), and the Xinjiang style BBQ meat (see the above pix)... mmmmmmmmmm. When we weren't eating, we spent most of our time walking around the city and noticing that Shanghai has turned into a very interesting place. Having been several times over the past 10 years, I can definitely see how the city and the country is changing. There is a new shopping mall on every corner, high rises everywhere, tons of expats, and loads of non-chinese restaurants. 8 years ago when I lived in Beijing I could count the coffee shops on one hand... now there is a starbucks, illy, or costa coffee on every corner (and yes... they are American prices too). It sounds cheezy to say, but its so interesting watching a nation like China (or at least part of China) go through such a drastic economic change. My favorite scene was downtown on Nanjing Lu during a random workday when we saw a live band playing and a bunch of old couples dancing the afternoon away. One woman was particularly funny... she was soooooooo into it. Even though her husband didn't look so happy... she had this loook on her face that just said, "look at me... I'm fabulous." She kinda looked like an Chinese shirley temple... with curly bob haircut and she bounced around with a cheezy, showbiz smile tatooed on her face.
After Shanghai we went to Hangzhou and Suzhou. Hangzhou is famous for the West Lake (but not westlake soup) and the tea houses... so we spent most of our afternoon at these traditional tea houses where for $5-$10 you could get some tea and have a little buffet lunch. The tea was excellent and the vibe was really cool. Each table has a separate little booth and you just sit, relax, and drink tea all afternoon... very cool. I felt like an old chinese philosopher just sitting and drinking tea all afternoon while pondering life. The only think missing was my long wispy beard.
Suzhou is famous for the waterways (think mini Chinese Venice) and the gardens. We went to one garden called the "lingering garden" and we spent a couple of hours just lingering... even though it was like 100 degrees.
The one thing that you do notice in all Chinese cities is the Olympics and the Olympic propaganda. The entire country is mad with Olympic fever... and if you watch TV every night you would think that swimming, gymnastics, and womens volleyball are the 3 biggest olympic sports. And of course the country is in love with Yao and Yi (the other chinese NBA player) and their faces (especially Yi) are plastered all over buildings. By then end of my China stay I started thinking, "hey... that Yi guy is kinda cute". Total brainwashing...
After Suzhou we were off to Hong Kong were we spent more time.... EATING. I must have lost 5-10 pounds through heat and diarrhea in India and gained about 10-15 from fat and sugar in China. But it was mmm mmmm mmmm good.
The best part of our China trip was spending time with family. In Shanghai and Hanghzhou we spent most of our time with Steph's aunts, friend and cousin, and my cousin. In Hong Kong we were with my family the entire time. I was especially happy to see my THREE new nieces, who I nicknamed rambutan, lychee, and longan (lychee and longan are twins... but don't look the same... get it.. .almost the same but not really?).
The crazy part was that we actually had two conversations (one with Steph's aunt and one with my aunt) about the cultural revolution. Aside from meeting a holocaust survivor, I think that hearing about the cultural revolution is the most significant event a person could hear about first hand. I can't believe that we got to hear stories from two separate people... and both were just spur of the moment conversations that started as we talked about Shanghai, Hong Kong etc. What an amazing experience.
Well... like I said, I hope this post wasn't too boring. Next Stop: Thailand
PICTURES:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157606362249789/
yes... that's an octopus in my mouth.... mmmmmm
After India our next stop was China! We spent the first few days in Shanghai... recovering from our mysterious Indian stomach ailment and cooking at Steph's uncle's apartment. When we did leave the apartment, we spent most of our time wandering around the city and eating everything in sight. I think that Shanghai must have the best street food ever... Xiao Long Bao (dumplings), Sheng Jian Bao (more dumplings), and the Xinjiang style BBQ meat (see the above pix)... mmmmmmmmmm. When we weren't eating, we spent most of our time walking around the city and noticing that Shanghai has turned into a very interesting place. Having been several times over the past 10 years, I can definitely see how the city and the country is changing. There is a new shopping mall on every corner, high rises everywhere, tons of expats, and loads of non-chinese restaurants. 8 years ago when I lived in Beijing I could count the coffee shops on one hand... now there is a starbucks, illy, or costa coffee on every corner (and yes... they are American prices too). It sounds cheezy to say, but its so interesting watching a nation like China (or at least part of China) go through such a drastic economic change. My favorite scene was downtown on Nanjing Lu during a random workday when we saw a live band playing and a bunch of old couples dancing the afternoon away. One woman was particularly funny... she was soooooooo into it. Even though her husband didn't look so happy... she had this loook on her face that just said, "look at me... I'm fabulous." She kinda looked like an Chinese shirley temple... with curly bob haircut and she bounced around with a cheezy, showbiz smile tatooed on her face.
After Shanghai we went to Hangzhou and Suzhou. Hangzhou is famous for the West Lake (but not westlake soup) and the tea houses... so we spent most of our afternoon at these traditional tea houses where for $5-$10 you could get some tea and have a little buffet lunch. The tea was excellent and the vibe was really cool. Each table has a separate little booth and you just sit, relax, and drink tea all afternoon... very cool. I felt like an old chinese philosopher just sitting and drinking tea all afternoon while pondering life. The only think missing was my long wispy beard.
Suzhou is famous for the waterways (think mini Chinese Venice) and the gardens. We went to one garden called the "lingering garden" and we spent a couple of hours just lingering... even though it was like 100 degrees.
The one thing that you do notice in all Chinese cities is the Olympics and the Olympic propaganda. The entire country is mad with Olympic fever... and if you watch TV every night you would think that swimming, gymnastics, and womens volleyball are the 3 biggest olympic sports. And of course the country is in love with Yao and Yi (the other chinese NBA player) and their faces (especially Yi) are plastered all over buildings. By then end of my China stay I started thinking, "hey... that Yi guy is kinda cute". Total brainwashing...
After Suzhou we were off to Hong Kong were we spent more time.... EATING. I must have lost 5-10 pounds through heat and diarrhea in India and gained about 10-15 from fat and sugar in China. But it was mmm mmmm mmmm good.
The best part of our China trip was spending time with family. In Shanghai and Hanghzhou we spent most of our time with Steph's aunts, friend and cousin, and my cousin. In Hong Kong we were with my family the entire time. I was especially happy to see my THREE new nieces, who I nicknamed rambutan, lychee, and longan (lychee and longan are twins... but don't look the same... get it.. .almost the same but not really?).
The crazy part was that we actually had two conversations (one with Steph's aunt and one with my aunt) about the cultural revolution. Aside from meeting a holocaust survivor, I think that hearing about the cultural revolution is the most significant event a person could hear about first hand. I can't believe that we got to hear stories from two separate people... and both were just spur of the moment conversations that started as we talked about Shanghai, Hong Kong etc. What an amazing experience.
Well... like I said, I hope this post wasn't too boring. Next Stop: Thailand
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Photos from India
Just some random pictures from the train station, bodhgaya, and varanasi!
I'm sure you will all enjoy the one of our bathroom (btw this was not the nastiest bathroom... just the only one that I photographed) and the butcher.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157606026157687/
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Udaipur and Varanasi
Even though I've been in China for over a week... I still have one more post for India. I thought I would end on a positive note, since my previous posts were rather negative. Once again, I would have to say that India is by far the most captivating place that I've ever been to. Just taking the train from one big city to another can be a complete adventure. The two most exciting cities for me were Udaipur and Varanasi. I won't say that they were both "nice" experiences, but definitely interesting.
For all three of us, Udaipur was the consensus "best" stop in terms of relaxation. We stayed at an awesome Havelli (renovated historical house) with a family that operated the hotel. It had a nice courtyard and three levels of rooms with a roof top deck. Since no one is stupid enough to travel through India in the summer... we got the off-season price which was basically $12/night/person. Our room had a great view of the water and a day bed and sitting area that overlooked the water. I spent hours just watching people do their laundry and bathe on the ghats (steps that lead into the water) right outside of our hotel. I was so interested in watching people bathe and do laundry side by side in horribly poluted water, and little did I know that this was just a taste of what we would see in Varanasi. During the evening we sat on the rooftop deck and watched the sun set over the water in one of those iconic kodak moments that makes you forget that the water actually smells like sewage and is filled with unknown waste and funk. After sunset we had dinner at my favorite restaurant through our entire India trip. It was a little mom and pop restaurant called Queen Cafe. The mom (actually more like grandma... or great grandma) did the cooking and the pop (grandpa) did the serving and entertaining. Seeing as how there were only two tables... his job was pretty easy and he sat and chatted with us while we ate. It definitely gave us that "home-cookin" feeling complete with that crazy relative that just wont leave you alone while you are trying to eat. The food was totally unlike anything we had anywhere else... I can still taste it weeks later... banana curry, coconut rice, stuffed eggplant curry... geez that was an amazing meal... FOODIE HEAVEN. Steph claims that they had the best mango shakes in India as well, but seeing as how I hate mango I can't confirm. The next day was a little more of the same sitting, watching, and relaxing but for dinner we took our second cooking class in India. This one was a little more structured, because it was at a spice shop instead of at home. We learned a variety of different dishes and I'm definitely stoked to go home and try them out. FYI... this is an open invitation to anyone who wants to come to NY and try out my authentic Indian cuisine (complete with 4 cups of oil... read the previous posts if you don't get that joke). Hopefully you all make it before I lose interest!!!
Varanasi was my absolute favority stop in India. I know Steph disagrees with me but I think that Ariele is leaning towards my side. I would have to say that it was a little funky with the rain. As I described earlier... many of the streets are not paved and filled with cow, pig, dog, goat, and buffalo excrement... so when it rains the streets get really funky and when it pours it just creates a brown mystery mush that you have to walk through to get anywhere. Walking just a block away was a complete "mess"... and we spent a lot of our time washing off our feet. Just thinking about the mystery mud makes me kinda shudder. In any case... the highlight of Varanasi is, of course, the Ganges River. This was very high on my list of things to see when coming to India... and it did not disappoint. First, you have to imagine this scene... people from all over India come to Varanasi to die, because its close to the Ganges river, which is holy. So they are hundreds of public funerals all day right on the water. The funeral is a long ceremony with the body colorfully wrapped and dressed and sitting next to the water while the family lines up to scoop water from the river and pour it on the dead body. Meanwhile the funeral pyre is burning a few feet away. After the ceremony the funeral conductors (is that the right word?) put the body on the pyre and do a public cremation... YES, we actually watched a body burn. I don't know about Steph and Ariele, but that was an eery experience for me. It gets crazier though... I guess the locals end up sending the bodies along the river or spreading the ashes along the water. Other backpackers told us that they saw dead, bloated bodies floating in the river. Even more crazy (yes... more crazy) is that this is all happening right next to the rest of the Ganges river action. Within 100 feet there was a herd of water buffalo (maybe like 20) swimming around. The water buffalo even came up to the dead body and started eating the flowers decorating the corpse. Can you imagine having a public funeral and having to swat away animals trying to nibble at the corpse?!?!? Of course there were also the resident bathers and laundry workers doing their business. Imagine this scene... a line for bathing standing next to a half dozen men and women doing laundry... 20 feet upstream dead body burning and another corpse waiting to be burned with buffalo nibbling at the corpse... another 20 feet upstream kids swimming and playing in the water. Could you imagine learning to swim next to dead bodies and a herd of buffalo. Whether one likes the funk or not, I think that everyone has to agree that Varanasi and the Ganges is a uniquely Indian experience that can't be found anywhere else. I had read many articles about the Ganges and I was hyped to see the action... and my traveler's curiosity was more than satisfied. No matter how hard I try to describe it... its just one of those things you have to see for yourself.
For all three of us, Udaipur was the consensus "best" stop in terms of relaxation. We stayed at an awesome Havelli (renovated historical house) with a family that operated the hotel. It had a nice courtyard and three levels of rooms with a roof top deck. Since no one is stupid enough to travel through India in the summer... we got the off-season price which was basically $12/night/person. Our room had a great view of the water and a day bed and sitting area that overlooked the water. I spent hours just watching people do their laundry and bathe on the ghats (steps that lead into the water) right outside of our hotel. I was so interested in watching people bathe and do laundry side by side in horribly poluted water, and little did I know that this was just a taste of what we would see in Varanasi. During the evening we sat on the rooftop deck and watched the sun set over the water in one of those iconic kodak moments that makes you forget that the water actually smells like sewage and is filled with unknown waste and funk. After sunset we had dinner at my favorite restaurant through our entire India trip. It was a little mom and pop restaurant called Queen Cafe. The mom (actually more like grandma... or great grandma) did the cooking and the pop (grandpa) did the serving and entertaining. Seeing as how there were only two tables... his job was pretty easy and he sat and chatted with us while we ate. It definitely gave us that "home-cookin" feeling complete with that crazy relative that just wont leave you alone while you are trying to eat. The food was totally unlike anything we had anywhere else... I can still taste it weeks later... banana curry, coconut rice, stuffed eggplant curry... geez that was an amazing meal... FOODIE HEAVEN. Steph claims that they had the best mango shakes in India as well, but seeing as how I hate mango I can't confirm. The next day was a little more of the same sitting, watching, and relaxing but for dinner we took our second cooking class in India. This one was a little more structured, because it was at a spice shop instead of at home. We learned a variety of different dishes and I'm definitely stoked to go home and try them out. FYI... this is an open invitation to anyone who wants to come to NY and try out my authentic Indian cuisine (complete with 4 cups of oil... read the previous posts if you don't get that joke). Hopefully you all make it before I lose interest!!!
Varanasi was my absolute favority stop in India. I know Steph disagrees with me but I think that Ariele is leaning towards my side. I would have to say that it was a little funky with the rain. As I described earlier... many of the streets are not paved and filled with cow, pig, dog, goat, and buffalo excrement... so when it rains the streets get really funky and when it pours it just creates a brown mystery mush that you have to walk through to get anywhere. Walking just a block away was a complete "mess"... and we spent a lot of our time washing off our feet. Just thinking about the mystery mud makes me kinda shudder. In any case... the highlight of Varanasi is, of course, the Ganges River. This was very high on my list of things to see when coming to India... and it did not disappoint. First, you have to imagine this scene... people from all over India come to Varanasi to die, because its close to the Ganges river, which is holy. So they are hundreds of public funerals all day right on the water. The funeral is a long ceremony with the body colorfully wrapped and dressed and sitting next to the water while the family lines up to scoop water from the river and pour it on the dead body. Meanwhile the funeral pyre is burning a few feet away. After the ceremony the funeral conductors (is that the right word?) put the body on the pyre and do a public cremation... YES, we actually watched a body burn. I don't know about Steph and Ariele, but that was an eery experience for me. It gets crazier though... I guess the locals end up sending the bodies along the river or spreading the ashes along the water. Other backpackers told us that they saw dead, bloated bodies floating in the river. Even more crazy (yes... more crazy) is that this is all happening right next to the rest of the Ganges river action. Within 100 feet there was a herd of water buffalo (maybe like 20) swimming around. The water buffalo even came up to the dead body and started eating the flowers decorating the corpse. Can you imagine having a public funeral and having to swat away animals trying to nibble at the corpse?!?!? Of course there were also the resident bathers and laundry workers doing their business. Imagine this scene... a line for bathing standing next to a half dozen men and women doing laundry... 20 feet upstream dead body burning and another corpse waiting to be burned with buffalo nibbling at the corpse... another 20 feet upstream kids swimming and playing in the water. Could you imagine learning to swim next to dead bodies and a herd of buffalo. Whether one likes the funk or not, I think that everyone has to agree that Varanasi and the Ganges is a uniquely Indian experience that can't be found anywhere else. I had read many articles about the Ganges and I was hyped to see the action... and my traveler's curiosity was more than satisfied. No matter how hard I try to describe it... its just one of those things you have to see for yourself.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
When travelin' goes bad
Well... it was bound to happen sooner or later. I've been bragging about how I never get sick. In the past two years, I've been to Peru, Bolivia, China, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Doha, and Israel and had zero stomach problems. Street food... no problems. Dirty dishes... no problems. Tap water in Jordan... no problems. Three weeks in India... no problems. Then... disaster hit. On the morning Steph was supposed to depart for China and I was supposed to head to the meditation stay, we both woke up with a massive case of travel sickness. Not your run of the mill runs... I'm talking fever, chills, stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomit... the works. The kind of sick when you are stuck in the bathroom and your only worry is which end the sickness is gonna come out of next... up top or down bottom... and you spend the entire day alternating between sitting on the porcelaine throne and praying on your knees to the porcelaine god. The best part was that both of us were sick and had to take turns in the bathroom. When I wasn't in the bathroom I was in the hotel room, curled into the fetal positioning, sweating, shivering, and wimpering (yes, literally wimpering) from the stomach cramps. Can't remember the last time I've had stomach cramps that bad. When I was in the bathroom, I could hear Steph waiting at the door desparately trying to hold it all in.
Damn you India...YOU WIN... I was cocky and thought my stomach was invincible, but you proved me wrong. You defeated me and left me crying like a little girl. Next time I go to India, I'm only going to eat street food... I figure if I'm gonna get sick, I might as well go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe next time I'll end up getting Giardia or some other glorious travel ailment.
So my trip has changed once again. I didn't get to do the 2 weeks in silence that I planned, because I wasn't able to leave my bathroom to get on the train. Perhaps it was a good thing. I was already having second thoughts about staying at the ashram during the summer. When the coordinator emails you to specifically remind you that the temperature is 110 during the day and 90 at night, it kinda makes one have doubts about "finding yourself" while you are battling dehydration and various other heat related ailments. So, of the three top things that I wanted to do on this trip - dive the Red Sea, meditate at an ashram, and see Tibet - only one came through.... but not for a lack of effort or good intentions. I guess I'll just have to save the spiritual stuff for another trip when Olympic protests blocking the way to Tibet and my stomach isn't exploding.
Obviously, there are no pictures for this part of the trip, but if are curious I can give you a very detailed description of what everything looked like and you can create your own in mental images.
Damn you India...YOU WIN... I was cocky and thought my stomach was invincible, but you proved me wrong. You defeated me and left me crying like a little girl. Next time I go to India, I'm only going to eat street food... I figure if I'm gonna get sick, I might as well go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe next time I'll end up getting Giardia or some other glorious travel ailment.
So my trip has changed once again. I didn't get to do the 2 weeks in silence that I planned, because I wasn't able to leave my bathroom to get on the train. Perhaps it was a good thing. I was already having second thoughts about staying at the ashram during the summer. When the coordinator emails you to specifically remind you that the temperature is 110 during the day and 90 at night, it kinda makes one have doubts about "finding yourself" while you are battling dehydration and various other heat related ailments. So, of the three top things that I wanted to do on this trip - dive the Red Sea, meditate at an ashram, and see Tibet - only one came through.... but not for a lack of effort or good intentions. I guess I'll just have to save the spiritual stuff for another trip when Olympic protests blocking the way to Tibet and my stomach isn't exploding.
Obviously, there are no pictures for this part of the trip, but if are curious I can give you a very detailed description of what everything looked like and you can create your own in mental images.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
India Travel - Text
(sorry for the lame pix on the other post... having a hard time finding USB ports around here... and the computers are annoyingly slow!!! I had better photos, but no time to search for them).
I hate to get too cliche, but the best way to describe India is "different". Its completely different from anywhere else I've ever been... including China. It can be the most vibrant and energetic place on earth... with people and action humming on every street corner for hundreds of miles. That activity, however, makes it the most chaotic place on earth as well. I guess one way to put it is that its both travel heaven and travel hell. Just some examples of what I mean...
TRANSPORTATION
Heaven: For the bargain price of $15/day, Steph, Ariele, and I were able to afford a car and driver to take us throughout Rajasthan... that is less than the cost of taking the trains, rickshaws, etc around. Our driver took us everywhere for the first 10 days, waited for us while we visited the different monuments, and gave us itinerary suggestions. It was a little bit (just a little) of luxury during our otherwise difficult trip.
Hell: After we ditched the driver for the more local experience, we had the joy of taking the train. Our first overnight train was 5 hours late, and we spent the 5 hours waiting in the train station... in the the 100+ degree heat and humidity, which created a general layer of funk over everyone. We passed the time swatting away flies, mosquitos, and crickets and watching the rats run around the tracks. I was truly amazed at the sheer quantity of rats running around the tracks... but not surprised after seeing everyone throw their trash onto the tracks and realizing that the train toilets empty out on the tracks. There were people all over the train station... a sea of humanity, flesh, and sweat. Most people brought blankets to lay down on, and the three of us shared the two seats that we could find. After 5 hours, I wasn't sure what smelled worse... the funk from all the bodies or the stink of fresh urine on the tracks. After fighting the funk, we finally got on to our sleeper train, which luckily was air conditioned!!! Unfortunately... the Japanese guy that was sharing our berth was also waiting in the heat for 5 hours... and his foot funk clogged up our compartment and I had to sleep with the curtain open for fresh air.
Conclusion: I don't think that I could travel by train for 6 months straight, but it is an experience. The sights and smells are unreal... I can't begin to describe the chaos we saw during some of the other train trips we've taken... monsoons pouring down on hundreds of people with bags and sacks strapped to their heads and necks, naked kids running around, dogs and cows everywhere, food carts running for cover, and kids and men urinating everywhere. I'm not saying that all of India is like this... the train station is definitely its own little world... and I'm glad to get a taste of it.
PEOPLE
Heaven: Everything about the people here is bold and vibrant. I am constantly amazed to see how bright the saris are. Even the poorest women in the villages have bright pink, yellow, and blue saris. We can't quite figure out how they keep the colors so bright... especially the women that wash in the river. The ganges is a nasty, funky mess with cremated bodies, water buffalos, and bathers floating everywhere... I can't understand how the women wash their clothes in there and still walk away with bright, almost fluorescent, colored outfits. That's some definite skill. My blue tshirt turns brown from the dust and sweat after being out all day... and their bright colored outfits never seem to change. The men and children are all so friendly. You can't walk down the street without someone coming up to talk to you... and the little boys are the best... they always want their picture taken and are so eager to meet the tourists. With the amount of tourists that India gets, I would think they would be tired of seeing us, but they never seem to lose interest.
Hell: That same outgoing nature leads to some of the worst touts on earth. You can't walk down the street without someone talking to you... but unfortunately that someone is usually trying to sell you something. Also the amount of people is just overwhelming... Its just people everwhere... the bazaars are absolutely packed and the streets are ALWAYS crowded. India seems like New York City Times Square on New Years Eve... but everyday and in every city.
Conclusion: I like it. The crowds and touts are frustrating and I find myself getting really feisty (Yesterday I screamed at a driver over 10 rupees, which is the equivalent of 25 cents), BUT I think that's part of the experience. It just created this energy and excitement that is different from anything else I've ever experienced.
FOOD
Heaven: India is amazing when it comes to food. This is the first place that I've visited that I really feel like I'm able to get a taste of the local food... without the locals! Even more amazing is that after two weeks, I'm still finding new dishes every meal. The variey here is incredibly... its definitely foodie heaven.
Hell: We took two cooking classes - One with a woman during a home stay (very very cool experience) and the other at a small school in Udaipur. The first thing we discovered was that our stomachs were not hurting from the "new" bacteria... but from the oil. When the recipe starts with 4 CUPS (not tablespoons) of oil, you know its gonna be pepto time baby. The Lonely Planet always has a section on travelers diarrhea... but I think they should include a section for oil diarrhea... gross but true. Side note: Daily 100 degree heat mixed with hot, heavy, spicy Indian food is the ultimate recipe for food coma.
Conclusion: I loved Indian food before I came... and I love it even more now. I can't wait to get home to try out some of the stuff I learned in cooking class. I'm still not sure how people are able to eat this style food everyday, but its tasty as hell... its probably the 4 cups of oil they use.
HOTELS
Heaven: During our first two weeks we made an effort to stay at some havelis... which are historical homes/buildings. Our most unique stay was at a private home with a woman named Bhavana. We hung out with her and her son and learned to cook... and she had the most beautiful guest rooms ever. My favorite spot was at Udaipur... where we stayed a historical haveli turned guesthouse with a beautiful view of the lake. I'll write more about that later, so I don't want to spoil it now, but we unamimously agree that was our best stop. The price for these stays... about $12.50/night/person.
Hell: We also stayed at a haveli for $2.50 per person... which probably wasn't worth the $2.50 we payed. We stayed at several places where we had to use our mosquito nets... and not just to keep mosquitos out. We've grown accustomed to picking up crickets and escorting them out, showering in stank prison-esque showers, and hoping that we can't see won't hurt us.
Conclusion: I could really do without the $2.50/night guesthouses. Its part of the adventure now... but not a positive memory.
ANIMALS
Heaven: India is just teeming with animals. I know I've mentioned this already, but it just blows my mind how many cows are out on the streets. Its crazy to be stuck in traffice behind a cow who is moo-ing at a rickshaw to "hurry up already with that left turn". Monkies can easily be spotted near any market (where they usually steal food), wild pigs near the trash pile, dogs anywhere you look, and goats are almost anywhere you see cows.
Hell: I've also said this before, but its worth mentioning again... animals make waste. Lots of animals make lots of waste. Not picking it up makes a huge mess... enough said.
Conclusion: Animals are cool, but the city governments should assign more people to picking up that crap.
I hate to get too cliche, but the best way to describe India is "different". Its completely different from anywhere else I've ever been... including China. It can be the most vibrant and energetic place on earth... with people and action humming on every street corner for hundreds of miles. That activity, however, makes it the most chaotic place on earth as well. I guess one way to put it is that its both travel heaven and travel hell. Just some examples of what I mean...
TRANSPORTATION
Heaven: For the bargain price of $15/day, Steph, Ariele, and I were able to afford a car and driver to take us throughout Rajasthan... that is less than the cost of taking the trains, rickshaws, etc around. Our driver took us everywhere for the first 10 days, waited for us while we visited the different monuments, and gave us itinerary suggestions. It was a little bit (just a little) of luxury during our otherwise difficult trip.
Hell: After we ditched the driver for the more local experience, we had the joy of taking the train. Our first overnight train was 5 hours late, and we spent the 5 hours waiting in the train station... in the the 100+ degree heat and humidity, which created a general layer of funk over everyone. We passed the time swatting away flies, mosquitos, and crickets and watching the rats run around the tracks. I was truly amazed at the sheer quantity of rats running around the tracks... but not surprised after seeing everyone throw their trash onto the tracks and realizing that the train toilets empty out on the tracks. There were people all over the train station... a sea of humanity, flesh, and sweat. Most people brought blankets to lay down on, and the three of us shared the two seats that we could find. After 5 hours, I wasn't sure what smelled worse... the funk from all the bodies or the stink of fresh urine on the tracks. After fighting the funk, we finally got on to our sleeper train, which luckily was air conditioned!!! Unfortunately... the Japanese guy that was sharing our berth was also waiting in the heat for 5 hours... and his foot funk clogged up our compartment and I had to sleep with the curtain open for fresh air.
Conclusion: I don't think that I could travel by train for 6 months straight, but it is an experience. The sights and smells are unreal... I can't begin to describe the chaos we saw during some of the other train trips we've taken... monsoons pouring down on hundreds of people with bags and sacks strapped to their heads and necks, naked kids running around, dogs and cows everywhere, food carts running for cover, and kids and men urinating everywhere. I'm not saying that all of India is like this... the train station is definitely its own little world... and I'm glad to get a taste of it.
PEOPLE
Heaven: Everything about the people here is bold and vibrant. I am constantly amazed to see how bright the saris are. Even the poorest women in the villages have bright pink, yellow, and blue saris. We can't quite figure out how they keep the colors so bright... especially the women that wash in the river. The ganges is a nasty, funky mess with cremated bodies, water buffalos, and bathers floating everywhere... I can't understand how the women wash their clothes in there and still walk away with bright, almost fluorescent, colored outfits. That's some definite skill. My blue tshirt turns brown from the dust and sweat after being out all day... and their bright colored outfits never seem to change. The men and children are all so friendly. You can't walk down the street without someone coming up to talk to you... and the little boys are the best... they always want their picture taken and are so eager to meet the tourists. With the amount of tourists that India gets, I would think they would be tired of seeing us, but they never seem to lose interest.
Hell: That same outgoing nature leads to some of the worst touts on earth. You can't walk down the street without someone talking to you... but unfortunately that someone is usually trying to sell you something. Also the amount of people is just overwhelming... Its just people everwhere... the bazaars are absolutely packed and the streets are ALWAYS crowded. India seems like New York City Times Square on New Years Eve... but everyday and in every city.
Conclusion: I like it. The crowds and touts are frustrating and I find myself getting really feisty (Yesterday I screamed at a driver over 10 rupees, which is the equivalent of 25 cents), BUT I think that's part of the experience. It just created this energy and excitement that is different from anything else I've ever experienced.
FOOD
Heaven: India is amazing when it comes to food. This is the first place that I've visited that I really feel like I'm able to get a taste of the local food... without the locals! Even more amazing is that after two weeks, I'm still finding new dishes every meal. The variey here is incredibly... its definitely foodie heaven.
Hell: We took two cooking classes - One with a woman during a home stay (very very cool experience) and the other at a small school in Udaipur. The first thing we discovered was that our stomachs were not hurting from the "new" bacteria... but from the oil. When the recipe starts with 4 CUPS (not tablespoons) of oil, you know its gonna be pepto time baby. The Lonely Planet always has a section on travelers diarrhea... but I think they should include a section for oil diarrhea... gross but true. Side note: Daily 100 degree heat mixed with hot, heavy, spicy Indian food is the ultimate recipe for food coma.
Conclusion: I loved Indian food before I came... and I love it even more now. I can't wait to get home to try out some of the stuff I learned in cooking class. I'm still not sure how people are able to eat this style food everyday, but its tasty as hell... its probably the 4 cups of oil they use.
HOTELS
Heaven: During our first two weeks we made an effort to stay at some havelis... which are historical homes/buildings. Our most unique stay was at a private home with a woman named Bhavana. We hung out with her and her son and learned to cook... and she had the most beautiful guest rooms ever. My favorite spot was at Udaipur... where we stayed a historical haveli turned guesthouse with a beautiful view of the lake. I'll write more about that later, so I don't want to spoil it now, but we unamimously agree that was our best stop. The price for these stays... about $12.50/night/person.
Hell: We also stayed at a haveli for $2.50 per person... which probably wasn't worth the $2.50 we payed. We stayed at several places where we had to use our mosquito nets... and not just to keep mosquitos out. We've grown accustomed to picking up crickets and escorting them out, showering in stank prison-esque showers, and hoping that we can't see won't hurt us.
Conclusion: I could really do without the $2.50/night guesthouses. Its part of the adventure now... but not a positive memory.
ANIMALS
Heaven: India is just teeming with animals. I know I've mentioned this already, but it just blows my mind how many cows are out on the streets. Its crazy to be stuck in traffice behind a cow who is moo-ing at a rickshaw to "hurry up already with that left turn". Monkies can easily be spotted near any market (where they usually steal food), wild pigs near the trash pile, dogs anywhere you look, and goats are almost anywhere you see cows.
Hell: I've also said this before, but its worth mentioning again... animals make waste. Lots of animals make lots of waste. Not picking it up makes a huge mess... enough said.
Conclusion: Animals are cool, but the city governments should assign more people to picking up that crap.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Indian Adventures
Just finished my first week in India and finally found time to sit down and write. BTW... I just skipped over Turkey and doha, and I'll just have to come back to those two trips sometime later! As for India its been a busy trip so far... Steph and Ariele joined me on the road and its been good to finally get some company! Our plan was to see Rajasthan, Delhi, and Agra... but now we also found time in our itinerary to squeeze in a trip to Bhodgaya (spelling?) and Varanasi.
The trip has been good so far. We were able to hire a driver and car for 2 weeks to take us all around Rajasthan and Agra! The car, driver, and gas are actually cheaper than the buying train tickets for the three of us! Crazy, huh? Who woulda thought that a car and driver would be cheaper than a train... especially with gas prices as high as they are! Well, I was definitely surprised by this, but jumped at the opportunity which has turned out to be money well spent. Our driver also doubles as a guide, telling us which monuments are good and which ones are not... hotel choices, however, usually depend on where he can get a good commission and don't always exude a feeling of quality, comfort, or service, so we've learned to stick to the lonely planet for hotels and our driver for other tourist advice. Traveling with a driver has also proved handy because getting around can be a total mess. I knew that Delhi was a bit chaotic, but I was surprised to find that the other cities were not much better... on any given city street one has to be able to navigate through cars, trucks, bikes, rickshaws, cows, donkeys, goats, people, cow droppings, goat droppings, pigs, dogs, dog droppings, and worst of all... the evil touts. Indian touts have definitely been the worst on my trip... not as aggressive or rude as Egyptian touts but much more persistent and annoying. Its difficult to just walk down the street without being followed by a rickshaw driver or a store owner... I actually had one driver follow me for at least 20 minutes on my first afternoon. Walking around forever with all the obstacles... the only word that I can use to describe it is... gauntlet. With all the chaos, I'm definitely happy that we have a driver and I can just sit in the car and sleep while he has to battle the traffic, people, and farm animals that crowd the city streets.
Minus the traffic and crowds... India has been a great trip so far. We spent most of our time visiting palaces, forts, and temples, my favorite of which were the fort in Jodhpur and the Jain temple in Ranakpur. The Meharanger (that is definitely spelled wrong) fort in Jodhpur was the most impressive site yet... its absolutely huge and sits high up on the high top overlooking the nearby city. Best of all, it is owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur so its better kept and maintained than the other forts which are mostly owned by the government. It also overlooks Jodhpur, which is the "Blue City" as you can see by the pictures. In any case the pictures of the fort and the city are at the top (2 of them together). The picture of the Jain temple is the last picture of the 4... the temple was absolutely breathtaking. Every pillar, ceiling tile, and square inch of wall space was covered with detailed and intricate carvings.
Aside from sightseeing, we've also had the time to partake in some great food. Almost every meal has been different from the rest, which is amazing after 10 days. I was a bit disappointed with the food in Delhi (probably cuz I was stuck in a bunch of tourist traps) but have been very happy since we left... I've sampled 6-7 different types of bread (naan, chapati, parantha, roti, puri... etc), countless types of rice (byranis, pilaus, etc), and endless curries... most of which have been tasty, but a bit on the heavy side. Its especially heavy when you are sitting in 105-110 degree heat... which has happened to us quite a few days. The heat really kills your appetite. I knew that summer was the off-season for tourism and now I'm seeing why. There have been 2-3 days where I ran from shady spot to shady spot on the streets trying to avoid the intense heat of the sun. Its difficult visiting palaces and forts when you are constantly trying to stand in a shady spot while listening to your audio guide and taking pictures. Sadly enough the heat will be one my most enduring memories of India... I'm sure of that and its only my second week here!
Well... I guess anyone who is reading this is probably wondering what the hell is going on with the rats in the first picture... I saved this story for the end so you would have to read the rest of my blabber before getting the good one. We went to a temple in the city of Deshnook where the rats are considered holy. They are a reincarnation of a god (i forget which one) and they have free run of the entire temple. The locals feed them and keep them happy (they are drinking from a bowl of milk in the picture) and there are just hundreds, if not thousands, of nasty, filthy, diseased rats just running around the temple. The best part is that you have to take your shoes off to go inside the temple and so you are walking around rats with your bare feet. It was a strangely disgusting yet quirky and fun experience.... memorable to say the least. I'm surprised there are more tourists that come here or that the temple isn't more famous than it is... I've never heard of it, but would recommend it to anyone in Rajasthan who wants to see something "different".
In closing... big shout out to my boy Kobe Bryant... love my Lakers and I can't believe I'm not at home to watch them destroy the Celtics.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Pictures
Well... I think that most everyone got my email... so this is redundant. Sorry if I missed anyone on the email. Here are my pictures. Sorry that the posts have been so sporadic lately but they will be more regular now that I finished editing all my photos... that was a lot of work. Also, for those that got my email, I just realized that I forgot to put the link to my Turkey pix, so here it is again
Turkey
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605224330425/
Egypt
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605197971662/
Diving in Sharm el Sheikh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604153504691/
Jordan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605217685643/
Tel Aviv
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604836293866/
Doha
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604849748339/
And a couple of my photos made it on TV. Yay CNN!! Here is the link... they said that they were going to use my two photos of Shai and Yafit's cat drink water with her paw. Its the May 24th episode, so it might not be online yet. YAY, I'm almost famous!!!!
Turkey
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605224330425/
Egypt
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605197971662/
Diving in Sharm el Sheikh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604153504691/
Jordan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605217685643/
Tel Aviv
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604836293866/
Doha
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604849748339/
And a couple of my photos made it on TV. Yay CNN!! Here is the link... they said that they were going to use my two photos of Shai and Yafit's cat drink water with her paw. Its the May 24th episode, so it might not be online yet. YAY, I'm almost famous!!!!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Exotic Tel Aviv
for more Tel Aviv pix... http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604836293866/
Sorry that I've been M.I.A. for the past few weeks. I'm way behind on my posts! I got caught up in Turkey where I was on overnight buses for several days then to Doha where I was too lazy to get off the couch to post! Once you fall behind for two weeks, its hard to catch up, but I'll make an effort to catch up this week.
Also, my plans have changed a bit… First of all, I can’t go to my primary destination… TIBET! I had to cut Tibet and Nepal out of my trip because of the recent violence, which will only get worse as the Olympics get closer. Usually I’m not afraid of that stuff but this time is different. I didn’t want to get turned away at the Tibetan border or get stuck in there. My plan was to travel over land from India through Nepal and into Tibet. The worst thing that could happen is to be turned away at the border and have to go back overland to India… especially with the limited time I have. So Tibet is out of the question, can’t go to Europe/Russia because its too expensive (damn that appreciating Euro), and can’t go to Africa because that’s also too expensive. So, I just decided to cut out a month of my trip. Long story short… spontaneous traveling doesn't always work out perfectly.
Well, when I last left off I was in Jordan and heading to Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv has a special place in my heart, because Israel was my first taste of the middle east (in 2004). Both times I stayed with Shai (THANKS SHAI!!), which was great because I really get to see the local side of Israel. As with any country, the local life is always much better than the tourist life. I titled this post “Exotic Tel Aviv”, because most Americans think of Israel as this crazy place where bombs are going off every 5 minutes and “Zohan” roams the streets with an uzi (actually they second part is true). With that picture in mind… it might be kind of disappointing to hear that I participated in such crazy activities as bowling, renting movies, shopping, and people watching at cafes. Actually most of my time was spent eating and sleeping… here is just an excerpt from my first day’s activities…
9am - wake up and have croissants and cappucino's at the coffee shop next door.
10am-1pm - play with the cat
1pm - lunch at the other coffee shop next door.
2pm-6pm - sleep
6pm - sit in front of computer and catch up on sports news
7pm - Shai and Yafit come home and we eat again.
I wish I had more fun stories from Tel Aviv… but unfortunately that’s it. I did enjoy a lot of great food! Tel Aviv has some great restaurants… including my favorite, Dr. Shoukshouka. Last time I was in Israel, Shai took me to Dr. Shoukshouka and I ended up going back twice by myself! We only went once this time… but that was enough to satisfy my craving. FYI shoukshouka is a dish of tomato and herbs with a giant egg yolk unbroken and uncooked in the middle. Aside from shoukshouka, it was nice to trade in shewarma and felafal for pasta, croissants, and salads. Shai and Yafit turned my stay a mini food-fest... and we sampled the best Italian and Arabic food that Tel Aviv has to offer... we also had some time to try some awesome treats like Moroccan-French fusion... which was very New American-esque to me. Well... for an amateur/wannabe foodie like myself, Tel Aviv definitely hit the spot (as you can see by all the pictures of food and shopping for food in my Tel Aviv pix).
I would have to mention for anyone interested in visiting Israel that it has changed a lot since my last trip. The main difference I noticed was TOURISTS! I actually saw other tourists on this trip… last time I came the only people I saw were a busload of JAPs (Jewish American Princess) on their birthright Israel tour. This time there were tons of tourists in Tel Aviv… which made me think about WHY there were no tourists last time… which made me realize that it was much more dangerous last in 2004 … which brought me to the conclusion that I was kind of stupid for going at that time… SORRY MOM AND DAD!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Life on the Road... and some horror stories
I guess I'll start off with the underwear update. As I predicted, 5 pairs has been more than enough. I could easily last 2 weeks with that supply. I've realized that my longest underwear extension is about 3 days... I remember traveling in China during college when it was more like 5 days... but I'm soooooo over that grungy phase. Three days max for me and usually its more like 1-2 days, because I wash my clothes pretty regularly. Although, nothing ever seems to get really clean. Even though I try to wash everything as often as possible... my bag just kinda smells like funk. Not just any funk, but funk that's been fermenting in a closed bag for 5-6 weeks. And my "whites" are more like earthy tones now.
Worst horror story so far... not so bad, but it might make you gag. I'm alway very careless with my sunglasses... I hang them on my collar when not wearing them and they always drop when I lean over. Well, when I was in the Wadi Rum desert using the squatty outhouse... I leaned over to flush (translation: flushing = turning on near by faucet and washing the "stuff" down into the hole) and my glassed dropped into the squatty hole. I didn't know what to do... I definitely didn't want to stick my hand in there and get them out, but I was in the middle of the desert where the sun just beats down on you like a heat lamp in an interrogation room. I ended up reaching into the hole, which thankfully was mostly liquid based with minimal solids, and retrieved my glasses. I spent the next 30 minutes gagging while I washed off my glasses a combination of water, purel, and baby wipes. I've been wearing them for over a week now and still no pink eye... so I guess everything turned out okay. The only hazard is that every time I stop to take a photo, I automatically take off my sunglasses to look at the LCD screen and put them in my mouth. Either I have the strongest stomach in the world or purel is magic, cuz I have yet to get sick even though I spend half the day sticking outhouse remains in my mouth.
The best part of traveling is meeting people along the way. Its a lot easier to meet people as a single traveler... cuz you dont' have any other choice! I try to meet people or talk to strangers at every stop I can, sometimes for 5 minutes and sometimes for a few days (I even met two dudes from Brea... which is right next door to my parents in Yorba Linda... crazy). I naturally just start talking to anyone that speaks English and looks interesting and most people are responsive. Its a chicken-egg scenario... I'm not sure if traveling makes you more open or if travelers are just naturally more outgoing people. The most interesting people I've met are Stephanie and Bailey... a mother daughter combo that are spending a year on the road together. Bailey does her high school courses online... while working in the Wadi Rum desert. What an amazing life experience that must be for her, I'm definitely envious. People always tell me that I've traveled a lot for my age, but how great would it be to take a life changing trip like this... in high school. That's an education that definitely can't be found in the classroom.
As for my accommodations... I've come to the realization that I'm an "upper budget" traveler... as the lonely planet describes me. That means that I do hostels or cheap hotels, but I must have a clean shower and toilet, preferably my own. My definition of clean is simple... (1) I want to feel cleaner when I get out of the shower than when I got in, (2) the toilet must look cleaner than the one at the restaurant down the street, and (3) slightly dirty sheets are okay... but no obvious odor allowed. Gone are the days where I found the cheapest hostel in the LP ... now I usually look for the more expensive options in the budget range... sometimes I might even bump it up to the mid range. Yup, I'm definitely moving up in the world...
I have also realized that there are several distinct types of travelers... and all travelers fall into at least one or more of these categories.
"Fresh from College"
- usually prefers the lowest of the budget accommodations
- won't spend money on a real dinner, but can somehow find money for beer and other extra-curricular activities.
- can usually smell this person from across the room and they seem to go out of there way to NOT shower or wash their clothes.
- fortunately I'm not at the right time of the year or place in the world to find too many of these guys. BUT, I imagine that summertime in India will be full of these smelly, soul searching hippies.
"Know-it-All"
- Thinks they know everything about the world or the particular area that you are in.
- Thinks that the locals are all stupid and inefficient and complains all the time
- Spends a lot of time telling other travelers how great he/she is and dishing out unwanted advice.
- Only eats at local joints, because he/she is too cool for tourist traps.
"Shoulda-Spent-The-Money-For-A-Tour"
- This traveler didn't spend the money on a tour, because it was too pricey or he/she thought it would be more adventurous to do it solo. Unfortunately, he/she spends the entire time complaining about poor service, delays, and inconveniences.
- Always seems to deserve (not just want) 5 star service for hostel prices.
- Always thinks that locals are ripping him/her off
- Always has an opinion about world events... usually expresses that opinion by starting off with criticizing the particular world event and telling how the "right" way to do it is.
"Rugged Adventurer"
- Wants to climb, scale, hike the entire world.
- Wears only dri-fit, cool-max, or UV protected clothing.
- Always wants to push it to the max, dude!
- Wakes up at annoyingly early hours and is always annoyingly perky and positive.
"Beach Cruiser"
- Vacations and trips are always of the beach and/or cruise type.
- Usually doesn't care to venture out of the hotel or away from the tourist hot spots
- Usually a hot chick
- I only ran into a few of these at Sharm el Sheik... too bad.
"The Paula Abdul of Travelors"
- Thinks everything is exotic and beautiful
- Dishes out more compliments to locals than Paula Abdul on American Idol... usually sounds like, "I love this food, its so exotic..." or "I love this place is so majestic/magical/inspiring" or "I love these paintings (can be replaced with any item of tourist crap), they have so much character...they speak to me"
- Usually ends up paying hundreds of dollars for some junk at the most obvious tourist trap right in front of the most famous monuments in the region.
I'll let you comment on where I fall into... but if anyone labels me as Paula Abdul category... I'm removing your comment!!!!!
The other thing I notice about travelers is that there is a distinct difference between European and American travelers. The Euros always seems to dressed fashionably functional... for the men its capri pants, pumas, tight polo shirt (pastel colors), aviator glasses and hat... for the women its linen, pastel t-shirts, and slippers or even short heels. I can never figure out how they survive while hiking around all day. The Americans are always in baggy, unisex, functional clothing with lots of pockets and footwear is always tevas, hiking boots, or trail shoes. Its no wonder those Frenchies think Americans lack class and culture... cuz when they see us on the road, we look their poor country cousins.
Finally, the one thing that I notice everywhere I go is the interest in American politics. Sometimes I forget how important American politics and policies are to the rest of the world. People here in the Middle East know just as much, if not more, than the average American about the current state of our politics... and everyone wants to know who's going to win the election. I was anticipating more animosity or disgust, but what I seem to encounter is more frustration and disappointment. I've been asked about Hillary vs. Obama at least 20 times... by locals and other tourists from Europe and the Middle East... and their parting thoughts usually end with something like, "well, whoever wins, please... no more war... this is not good for the world." Its kinda more of a frustrated feeling of submission rather than the bold, resilient anger that I anticipated. I'll save my opinions on American politics for another time... but I was just interested to see and hear this.
A parting gift... top 10 things I miss about home.
10. Clean showers, sheets, and toilets.
9. Dryers (clothes not hair)
8. free internet (well... unlimited internet)
7. clothes other than the 2 pants and 2 t-shirts that I've been "rotating"
6. not having to pack all my belongings into a bag every other day.
5.Good old fashioned LA smog (the middle east smog is more dusty... man made smog air pollution is way better)
4. Home made food
3. My Friends and Family... of course!!!
2. The Lakers
1. Work, Responsibility, and a daily routine....NOOOTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!! (that "not" was said with a humorous, borat-like accent)
Worst horror story so far... not so bad, but it might make you gag. I'm alway very careless with my sunglasses... I hang them on my collar when not wearing them and they always drop when I lean over. Well, when I was in the Wadi Rum desert using the squatty outhouse... I leaned over to flush (translation: flushing = turning on near by faucet and washing the "stuff" down into the hole) and my glassed dropped into the squatty hole. I didn't know what to do... I definitely didn't want to stick my hand in there and get them out, but I was in the middle of the desert where the sun just beats down on you like a heat lamp in an interrogation room. I ended up reaching into the hole, which thankfully was mostly liquid based with minimal solids, and retrieved my glasses. I spent the next 30 minutes gagging while I washed off my glasses a combination of water, purel, and baby wipes. I've been wearing them for over a week now and still no pink eye... so I guess everything turned out okay. The only hazard is that every time I stop to take a photo, I automatically take off my sunglasses to look at the LCD screen and put them in my mouth. Either I have the strongest stomach in the world or purel is magic, cuz I have yet to get sick even though I spend half the day sticking outhouse remains in my mouth.
The best part of traveling is meeting people along the way. Its a lot easier to meet people as a single traveler... cuz you dont' have any other choice! I try to meet people or talk to strangers at every stop I can, sometimes for 5 minutes and sometimes for a few days (I even met two dudes from Brea... which is right next door to my parents in Yorba Linda... crazy). I naturally just start talking to anyone that speaks English and looks interesting and most people are responsive. Its a chicken-egg scenario... I'm not sure if traveling makes you more open or if travelers are just naturally more outgoing people. The most interesting people I've met are Stephanie and Bailey... a mother daughter combo that are spending a year on the road together. Bailey does her high school courses online... while working in the Wadi Rum desert. What an amazing life experience that must be for her, I'm definitely envious. People always tell me that I've traveled a lot for my age, but how great would it be to take a life changing trip like this... in high school. That's an education that definitely can't be found in the classroom.
As for my accommodations... I've come to the realization that I'm an "upper budget" traveler... as the lonely planet describes me. That means that I do hostels or cheap hotels, but I must have a clean shower and toilet, preferably my own. My definition of clean is simple... (1) I want to feel cleaner when I get out of the shower than when I got in, (2) the toilet must look cleaner than the one at the restaurant down the street, and (3) slightly dirty sheets are okay... but no obvious odor allowed. Gone are the days where I found the cheapest hostel in the LP ... now I usually look for the more expensive options in the budget range... sometimes I might even bump it up to the mid range. Yup, I'm definitely moving up in the world...
I have also realized that there are several distinct types of travelers... and all travelers fall into at least one or more of these categories.
"Fresh from College"
- usually prefers the lowest of the budget accommodations
- won't spend money on a real dinner, but can somehow find money for beer and other extra-curricular activities.
- can usually smell this person from across the room and they seem to go out of there way to NOT shower or wash their clothes.
- fortunately I'm not at the right time of the year or place in the world to find too many of these guys. BUT, I imagine that summertime in India will be full of these smelly, soul searching hippies.
"Know-it-All"
- Thinks they know everything about the world or the particular area that you are in.
- Thinks that the locals are all stupid and inefficient and complains all the time
- Spends a lot of time telling other travelers how great he/she is and dishing out unwanted advice.
- Only eats at local joints, because he/she is too cool for tourist traps.
"Shoulda-Spent-The-Money-For-A-Tour"
- This traveler didn't spend the money on a tour, because it was too pricey or he/she thought it would be more adventurous to do it solo. Unfortunately, he/she spends the entire time complaining about poor service, delays, and inconveniences.
- Always seems to deserve (not just want) 5 star service for hostel prices.
- Always thinks that locals are ripping him/her off
- Always has an opinion about world events... usually expresses that opinion by starting off with criticizing the particular world event and telling how the "right" way to do it is.
"Rugged Adventurer"
- Wants to climb, scale, hike the entire world.
- Wears only dri-fit, cool-max, or UV protected clothing.
- Always wants to push it to the max, dude!
- Wakes up at annoyingly early hours and is always annoyingly perky and positive.
"Beach Cruiser"
- Vacations and trips are always of the beach and/or cruise type.
- Usually doesn't care to venture out of the hotel or away from the tourist hot spots
- Usually a hot chick
- I only ran into a few of these at Sharm el Sheik... too bad.
"The Paula Abdul of Travelors"
- Thinks everything is exotic and beautiful
- Dishes out more compliments to locals than Paula Abdul on American Idol... usually sounds like, "I love this food, its so exotic..." or "I love this place is so majestic/magical/inspiring" or "I love these paintings (can be replaced with any item of tourist crap), they have so much character...they speak to me"
- Usually ends up paying hundreds of dollars for some junk at the most obvious tourist trap right in front of the most famous monuments in the region.
I'll let you comment on where I fall into... but if anyone labels me as Paula Abdul category... I'm removing your comment!!!!!
The other thing I notice about travelers is that there is a distinct difference between European and American travelers. The Euros always seems to dressed fashionably functional... for the men its capri pants, pumas, tight polo shirt (pastel colors), aviator glasses and hat... for the women its linen, pastel t-shirts, and slippers or even short heels. I can never figure out how they survive while hiking around all day. The Americans are always in baggy, unisex, functional clothing with lots of pockets and footwear is always tevas, hiking boots, or trail shoes. Its no wonder those Frenchies think Americans lack class and culture... cuz when they see us on the road, we look their poor country cousins.
Finally, the one thing that I notice everywhere I go is the interest in American politics. Sometimes I forget how important American politics and policies are to the rest of the world. People here in the Middle East know just as much, if not more, than the average American about the current state of our politics... and everyone wants to know who's going to win the election. I was anticipating more animosity or disgust, but what I seem to encounter is more frustration and disappointment. I've been asked about Hillary vs. Obama at least 20 times... by locals and other tourists from Europe and the Middle East... and their parting thoughts usually end with something like, "well, whoever wins, please... no more war... this is not good for the world." Its kinda more of a frustrated feeling of submission rather than the bold, resilient anger that I anticipated. I'll save my opinions on American politics for another time... but I was just interested to see and hear this.
A parting gift... top 10 things I miss about home.
10. Clean showers, sheets, and toilets.
9. Dryers (clothes not hair)
8. free internet (well... unlimited internet)
7. clothes other than the 2 pants and 2 t-shirts that I've been "rotating"
6. not having to pack all my belongings into a bag every other day.
5.Good old fashioned LA smog (the middle east smog is more dusty... man made smog air pollution is way better)
4. Home made food
3. My Friends and Family... of course!!!
2. The Lakers
1. Work, Responsibility, and a daily routine....NOOOTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!! (that "not" was said with a humorous, borat-like accent)
Friday, April 4, 2008
Amman, Jerash, & the Dead Sea
As the title of this post would indicate... the most recent part of my trip has been a bit boring. After finishing up with Petra, I headed to Amman where I stationed myself for some sightseeing in the northern half of Jordan. Its not so much that the places were boring, I guess I'm just suffering from monument overload. Its like, if you've ever traveled across western Europe. After a month of backpacking, you don't ever want to see another church or cathedral again. The ruins in Jerash and Amman are really impressive, but after seeing Petra, Luxor, and Cairo its hard to compete.
Before the ruins, I took a day trip to the Dead Sea. I went with two guys from the hostel I was staying at. Thinking that I was a pro, because I had been to the Dead Sea a few years ago in Israel, I "wisely" advised them NOT to get any water in your mouth or eyes. Then I proceeded to jump into the water and got it all in my eyes. It wasn't like I was a complete idiot... I was floating effortlessly and relaxing on the water and then I decided to just lean back and let my hair and ears touch the water. Of course, when I got out, the water from my hair dripped into my eyes. Then came the total cheezy Mr. Bean moment when I ran around with my eyes closed, running over little kids, screaming like a girl, looking for the fresh water shower.
Overall the Dead Sea is a cool experience, you really can float effortlessly if you don't mind the excruciating stinging from the salt water. As soon as I got into the water, the hangnails on my fingers and blisters on my feet were totally on fire. I definitely wouldn't say that floating in the Dead Sea is relaxing. Also, I did not try it out, but I heard that you when you wipe the mud all over yourself, you can just feel the salt baking into your skin with the sun... sounds relaxing, huh? I did grab a piece of the salt crystals that form at the waters edge and here's a pix. I made sure to take a picture, cuz I'm sure that its not going to make it all the way back home in one piece. Its pretty interesting to see the salt everywhere. I read that the sea level is falling by 1/2 a meter every year because there is no more water flowing in, and so the salt content is increasing every year. You can just walk along the shallow part of the water and its covered with salt that looks kinda like coral.
Jerash is actually pretty interesting, and I think I would have been more impressed had I not JUST finished Petra and Egypt. I know it sounds corny, but the setting kinda reminds me of a scene from Gladiator or some other epic movie. Grassy fields and flowers with huge pillars, some standing some lying on the ground. Its kinda like that last scene were maximus is kinda floating through the grassy fields. I'm embarrassed that I just wrote that. The great part is that there's no security or rules, so you can run around, touch everything, and climb wherever you want. Kinda makes you feel like you're a real explorer, rather than just a tourist... but that feeling only lasts until the bus load of school kids drives up.
In Jerash, there is a great walkway and courtyard, multiple theaters, and a few temples. You can definitely spend a full day here just walking around the different sites. Also, the relatively few tourists makes it more enjoyable. I was able to walk around and take pictures without having to fight crowds of tourists. I think its interesting that Jordan doesn't market Jerash more to tourists... most people just come to see Petra and go home.
After Jerash, spent a few days in Amman. Amman has one interesting site... the Citadel. You guessed... more Roman ruins. The Citadel is on the highest hill in Amman and so you get a great view of the city. The picture of the flag pole is the world's largest free standing flag pole. Apparently Kim Jong Il has a taller one, but its supported by tie-downs.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Eats and Treats!
Yay, second post of the day! If you're reading this... there's another post right below this for Petra. After writing that boring post about Petra, I thought everyone might enjoy hearing about what I've been eating... so here's my some thoughts about food.
To start with I have my basic rotation of 3 staples - rotisserie chicken, shawarma, and hummus/felafal. As a budget and, more importantly, single traveler... I spend most of my meals in the diner-esque/casual restaurants... which in the Middle East usually means felafel/shawarma, which generally runs for about a buck in Egypt or 2-3 in Jordan. FYI, the hummus in invariably excellent... especially since it comes with healthy amount of olive oil. The shawarma in Egypt... not so great... but in Jordan its been fantastic. Different spices. Also, they serve it with a soft crepe-like bread in Jordan that is perfect. Oh, and this felafal sandwich in the picture has a runny hardboiled egg in it. In the words of Homer Simpson, "Mmmmmm.... egg... felafel... mmm".
Breakfast is pretty standard but light and easy... pita, jam, butter, and egg. This breakfast here was a deluxe breakfast with the usual suspects in addition to cheeses, salad and fuul... which is a kidney bean type of dish... sorta like chili but not as heavy and no meat involved. Breakfast, as with other meals and afternoon breaks, is accompanied with tea... usually taken with healthy amounts of sugar. I take milk with mine, but apparently that just makes me look like a gringo.
Other typical dishes, outside of the budget range are Kofta (kebab made of ground lamb) and other grilled meats. Here is Shish Tawouk... basically chicken grilled with spices, which I dont think is anything special... For 1/2 the price you can get a plate of shawarma which is twice as good!
Another budget option in Egypt was Koshari... which is basically lentils, chickpeas, different types of past, and rice... all mixed together with tomato sauce on top served for $1 and add meat for an extra $0.50. Its tasty, but it reminds of something college guys would make. Basically empty out all the carbs you can find in the pantry and add "sauce".
The most unique main course that I've had is mensaf... a bedouin speciality. Its a lamb dish cooked in a yogurt based sauce. I'm not sure how you cook yogurt without it curdling... so if someone knows, please explain. Here is a pix I got from internet, cuz I didn't have my camera on this outing.
Breakfast options outside of the typical b-fast... are basically bakery items. I noticed the items at the bakery are either incredibly and overwhelmingly sweet OR kinda like Chinese desserts... lightly sweetened and mixed with nuts or some sort of bean paste.
Dessert items are like the bakery goods... but more on the overwhelmingly sweet side. My absolute favorite, which I only found at one place in Egypt is Sahlab. In Israel its more of a drink... but in Egypt its more pasty/congealed/gelatinous... sounds gross, but oh soooo good. I'm sure that you when you eat it... it just goes straight to your heart and starts to clog all the major arteries in your body. ummmm fat and sugar... what a combo! Its got coconut and some other good stuff in there. Another one I tried, but already forgot the name, is here... it was sorta like baklava...
Finally, desperate times call for desperate measures. When I get sick of eating the usual 3 and get tired of eating at sit down restaurants by myself... its hamburger time. Local burgers usually are marinated, with unknown spices. Also, FYI, local McD's are actually better than at home. Still horse-meat-esque, but larger portions of mystery goodness.
All that sounds pretty heavy, but needless to say, I'm losing weight on the trip from all the walking and hiking... and there go many meals where odwalla bars are my main sustenance.
To start with I have my basic rotation of 3 staples - rotisserie chicken, shawarma, and hummus/felafal. As a budget and, more importantly, single traveler... I spend most of my meals in the diner-esque/casual restaurants... which in the Middle East usually means felafel/shawarma, which generally runs for about a buck in Egypt or 2-3 in Jordan. FYI, the hummus in invariably excellent... especially since it comes with healthy amount of olive oil. The shawarma in Egypt... not so great... but in Jordan its been fantastic. Different spices. Also, they serve it with a soft crepe-like bread in Jordan that is perfect. Oh, and this felafal sandwich in the picture has a runny hardboiled egg in it. In the words of Homer Simpson, "Mmmmmm.... egg... felafel... mmm".
Breakfast is pretty standard but light and easy... pita, jam, butter, and egg. This breakfast here was a deluxe breakfast with the usual suspects in addition to cheeses, salad and fuul... which is a kidney bean type of dish... sorta like chili but not as heavy and no meat involved. Breakfast, as with other meals and afternoon breaks, is accompanied with tea... usually taken with healthy amounts of sugar. I take milk with mine, but apparently that just makes me look like a gringo.
Other typical dishes, outside of the budget range are Kofta (kebab made of ground lamb) and other grilled meats. Here is Shish Tawouk... basically chicken grilled with spices, which I dont think is anything special... For 1/2 the price you can get a plate of shawarma which is twice as good!
Another budget option in Egypt was Koshari... which is basically lentils, chickpeas, different types of past, and rice... all mixed together with tomato sauce on top served for $1 and add meat for an extra $0.50. Its tasty, but it reminds of something college guys would make. Basically empty out all the carbs you can find in the pantry and add "sauce".
The most unique main course that I've had is mensaf... a bedouin speciality. Its a lamb dish cooked in a yogurt based sauce. I'm not sure how you cook yogurt without it curdling... so if someone knows, please explain. Here is a pix I got from internet, cuz I didn't have my camera on this outing.
Breakfast options outside of the typical b-fast... are basically bakery items. I noticed the items at the bakery are either incredibly and overwhelmingly sweet OR kinda like Chinese desserts... lightly sweetened and mixed with nuts or some sort of bean paste.
Dessert items are like the bakery goods... but more on the overwhelmingly sweet side. My absolute favorite, which I only found at one place in Egypt is Sahlab. In Israel its more of a drink... but in Egypt its more pasty/congealed/gelatinous... sounds gross, but oh soooo good. I'm sure that you when you eat it... it just goes straight to your heart and starts to clog all the major arteries in your body. ummmm fat and sugar... what a combo! Its got coconut and some other good stuff in there. Another one I tried, but already forgot the name, is here... it was sorta like baklava...
Finally, desperate times call for desperate measures. When I get sick of eating the usual 3 and get tired of eating at sit down restaurants by myself... its hamburger time. Local burgers usually are marinated, with unknown spices. Also, FYI, local McD's are actually better than at home. Still horse-meat-esque, but larger portions of mystery goodness.
All that sounds pretty heavy, but needless to say, I'm losing weight on the trip from all the walking and hiking... and there go many meals where odwalla bars are my main sustenance.
Sitting Above Petra
The first thing you realize when you come to Petra is the sheer quantity and quality of the building, tombs, ruins, etc. Like many of the sites in Luxor, when I arrived in Petra I was surprised to find that the site was more than just the main highlights that are shown on all the postcards. When you visit monuments in Europe (like the Coloseum) you undoubtedly walk away with the "that's it?" or the "I thought it would be bigger" feeling. Petra on the other hand seems to go on forever, and I could have easily spent 3-4 days exploring the different trails and viewpoints. More importantly, I find the category of "ruins" to a bit of misnomer. When I first saw Petra (or the Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple... etc), I was amazed at the quality of the condition of the "ruins". The details are all still there and it doesn't take much imagination to see why this was voted one of the new 7 wonders. I think that when most people visit palatine hill or the old city in Rome, they sit there with the pop-up book, looking back and forth between the ruins and the book, thinking "wow this is what it looked like thousands of years ago". Whereas with Petra you just walk through and you can see exactly what it looked like thousands of years ago. I think the best way to describe it is, "wow!". These pictures here show some of the detail of the buildings and the amazing color of the surrounding rock formations.
Just a quick replay of my two days at Petra. Started off walking through the Siq. From the pictures, I thought it was just a short walkway, but it was actually over 1 km long. The Siq sorta like a gorge that is paved at the bottom where the river bed dried out. I overheard some guides (I was too cheap to pay for my own) saying that the Siq was created by a river, but I read that it was actually created by tectonic plate movement. When you reach the end of the Siq, you pass through a narrow section that leads to the Treasury. The Lonely Planet described it as a fascinating walkway that helps to build the anticipation of your first viewing of the Treasury. While, I think that is a bit melodramatic, I would have to agree with the overall feeling.
After I visited the Treasury, I climbed up to visit many of the tombs and the various Roman ruins. It seems like there is a Roman Theatre in every city in Jordan! I only spent a half day during my first day at Petra, because the heat was just overwhelming. Turned out to be a good and bad idea... the next day was much cooler, BUT I ended up spending 9 hours walking up and down hills to see what the main sites that I wanted to check out. Below is a picture of the main tombs.
During the second day, I walked through the entire site and went straight to the monastery, which is a 30-45 min walk uphill (after trekking the entire length of Petra). The monastery has many of the same visual and architectual features as the Treasury, but the great part about it is the uphill trek scares away most of the visitors, so its not as crowded.
After the monastery, I spent the rest of the morning visiting more of the tombs and random ruins and just taking pictures of the scenery. At the end of the day, I decided to make a second climb up to see the Treasury again... this time from above. After climbing up stairs for 25 min, I managed to get lost for a half hour. That's the great part about traveling in the Middle East - there are many interesting viewpoints, trails, and sites that are off the main paths... that kinda give you that feeling of exploration. The only problem is that these "off the beaten path" trails are not very well marked. After getting lost and resting for a while, I finally followed the trail of litter and footsteps to the main lookout point over Petra (which is the picture at the very top of this post). Just call me Macgyver for my ingenuity... or maybe Hansel and Grettel? The view from up top was awesome and it was especially relaxing to just be by myself staring down at all the tourists. I ended up propping myself up on the rock with the best viewpoint and taking a nap (surprising how comfy rocks are!) until a pair of german tourists woke up me to steal my viewing spot.
The best part was on the way down. I found what I thought was a new path way and I was proud of myself for uncovering this new trail... but when I got to the bottom, I realized that it was the same trail that I took up. Yes... I am directionally challenged. The funny part was that I ran into a group of tourists at the bottom that couldn't figure out how to get up... and they asked me for directions!?! I told them to simply walk up the stairs until there were no more paved steps... then look for the trail of litter.
By the end of the day, I remembered how hard it is to hike/walk for 9 hours. My legs were sore for 3 days... maybe I'm just outta shape. Also, sorry the pictures are not so great, I was battling the sunlight and tried to use a photo editor to color correct them... I think I went a lover overboard.
Well... sorry this post wasn't so interesting!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
At home with my Bedouin Peeps (Wadi Rum, Jordan)
Well... with the title of this blog being what it is, its only appropriate that I spend at least one night out in the desert with the bedouins (or Jordanians posing as bedouins). I spent the first night of my Jordan trip out in the Wadi Rum desert with a bedouin guide in a bedouin tent. The wadi rum desert is famous because of its Lawrence of Arabia connection. The desert itself is beautiful, especially under the early morning or late afternoon lighting. As the sun sets or rises... the deep red color of the sand and the rock formations really comes out. Its truly one of a kind scenery. Here is a quick recap of my day in the desert.
9am: Arrive in Aqaba, Jordan... via boat from Egypt. Like all boat-people, I got stuck at the border for an hour with visa issues, but finally got through. Some slick cab driver actually got my visa processed for me, hoping that I would dish out $45 to have him drive me to the desert. I still dont know how he got it done... I was waiting at the docks for 30 min while the border patrol wasn't doing squat, then he drove me to some random building, took my passport in while I waited, then came out with a stamped visa. Of course the visa is in Arabic... for all I know it could say, "Arrest this retard when he tries to leave the country"
10:30am: Get to the bus station and find out that the next bus leaves at 12:30. Another cabbie offers me a ride for $30 this time. I leave in search of food while i think about it. The felafel guy tries to sell me a felafel sandwich for $35. I tell him to @%&$ himself and go the chicken place next door. For $3, I get a half rotisserie chicken with a huge pita... granted it was served sans silverware and on a nasty looking plate... but it was ooohhhhh so tasty.
11am: Get back to the bus station to find out that the bus is now leaving at 1pm... if full. I wait around for another half hour. The cabbie that offered me the $30 ride... gets desparate and offers a $20 ride. I bite, cuz the other options are looking bleek. Good thing too, cuz I later found out that the bus actually drops off 5 miles from the desert town... and you have to hitch a ride from the station.
1pm: I'm at Rum Village... looking at options for my night. I decide to forgo any hiking to sample the 4 hour camel ride out to the tent/camp.
1pm-4pm: Turns out the camel ride was only 3 hours, which was good... cuz riding a camel SUCKS. Its like having a fat, hairy dude with mucus dripping his mouth wedged between your legs. Ya, its funny for 5 min, then its just painful. Not to mention that camels are the most unruly beasts ever. Our ride started when all the camels ran off. My guide chased after two, while I chased after the other two. We rode out with 4 camels... one for me, one for him, and two others that we literally had to drag the entire way. All 4 stopped to eat whenever they wanted, even if my guide smacked the crap out of them. They pooped when they felt like it... and most importantly they just stopped completely during the middle of the ride.
4pm-6pm: Hung out in the desert, made new friends... very interesting peeps... and watched the sun go down.
6pm-8pm: Dinner around the fire and dancing with our bedouin hosts. Somehow I was only 1 of the few that were coerced into dancing around the fire... in what could only be described as the bedouin version of the chicken dance.
8pm: Fall asleep under the stars... before going back to my tent . It was one of those nights where the stars light up the entire sky. In my life... I think there are 3-4 nights that I can totally recall the sky and the stars and this is definitely one of them. Unbelievable...
Next morning 6am: Watch the sun come up. Everything turns a beautiful deep red under the mornng light. Not just red, but a million (literally...i counted all of them) shades of red. It was kinda cool to come from the red sea where I was staring at water that was a million shades of blue/green to the desert that is such a crazy deep red. I definitely can't imagine a better week for any nature lover or photography enthusiast.
Next stop... Petra. I would have liked to stayed longer for some hikes and more exploration, but the desert guides and the Wadi Rum park charge a ton of money for any guides, jeeps, or camels... so it was a bit out of my budget. BUT for anyone that makes it out to Jordan to see Petra... I highly suggest 1-2 nights in the desert. Its definitely worth it.
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