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.
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