Blogs from Asia - page 15975

Things I miss: wearing jeans scotch my laptop computer bras in my size having the same surroundings for more than one week working out It's hard to believe I paid money to be this cold but it makes for a lot of opportunities to remember that I have a sense of humor. Today after a short but steep hike, as the quick and creepy mist blew the snow over us, we arrived at the hut. The huts are the only structures in sight and after a full day of hiking, it's a sweet sight when the little shabby roof pokes out of the mist in the distance. They're never built very well, only meant to be half-assed shelter at best. Here, Mike and I had to warm ourselves by dancing hard and singing 80's disco songs ... read more

India survival guide: 1. pack earplugs and plenty of patience 2. don't look anyone in the eyes 3. get used to being the center of attention 4. revealing your knees (women) is unacceptable but hacking/spitting, picking your nose and yelling outside a hotel room at dawn is okay. We're really outsiders here but like the time we confronted the guy on the bus to Colva who hit his girlfriend, I became personally interested. I needed to help someone look at what it is they're doing and understand why it pisses me off. We're on the train to Darjeeling, near Calcutta. There's a family of five near us, in two seats of course. While I was reading, I picked up some disharmony. I looked up and Mike said, "He just hit his wife." She's being absolutely silent. ... read more

Here is a compilation of some of The Sounds of India: The loudest horns used as frequently as possible. That truly unappetizing sound made by collecting phlegm in the back of the mouth, usually made just before spitting. HHHHHHckhttt! The beating of laundry on a rock, usually near our bedroom window and always at about 6:30 am. Something - anything - on a loudspeaker full blast. Mamallapuram: world-famous for its shoreline temple. But what's not in the guidebook is the eyesore of a chain-link fence ,keeping out the non-Indians who've decided to pass on the $10 entry fee (!!!) Indians pay 10 rupees (about 25 cents). I couldn't possibly satisfactorily describe how disgusting the trash and effluence was, literally FLOWING across the beach. Fortunately, we had already gotten lunch out of the way, where we happened ... read more

The only buses to Kochi are overnighters, and they're actually somewhat comfortable. Then we took the next bus to Alleppey where the hotels just weren't satisfactory. Imagine that! So instead of staying, we collapsed onto a backwater ferry boat and did nothing but watch the scenery pass for 8 wonderful hours. Beautiful! Peaceful! But what to do next? We gritted our teeth and went to see what the very southern tip of the subcontinent, Kanniyakumari, had to offer. Answer: not a lot for Westerners. We knew that a place as spiritually important as this would be a big pilgrimage site, therefor luring thousands of Indian tourists and kitsch vendors. Imagine our double surprise to find that the holiday of Pongal was upon us! It did look like a good time if you were part of the ... read more

Mike said once, "I love India! But the Indians drive me crazy." I see evidence now that it's a culture in which the sense of ethetics, etiquette and procedure is remarkably opposite to mine. The in-your-face sales pitches, the ubiquitous pick-up lines from men on the street, the crowding of the only other people in the whole room (bus, table), the blowing of noses on to the ground in public (men and women both) the seemingly reckless disregard for the lives of other people and animals, the probing personal questions from strangers - aargh! A guy named Doug in Arusha told me, "There's nothing you can say about India that the exact opposite won't also be true." I believe it. Finally getting our fill of Colva, we started on the next leg of our adventure. We ... read more