Shanghai-Copenhagen 2015: Southern route

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The employment at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center has finished on the 15th July and it has been 2 year living in this grand metropolis. The time was sufficient but I am going to miss it. 20th July will be the start of a long journey home to Denmark.

First episode: My friend and brother, Ataya Boy, will accompany me on the first an very exciting stretch: Shanghai-Xining-Lhasa-Kathmandu. We will do this in 10 days.

Phase 1:Tibet

A lot of things to consider for planning the trip to Tibet: apart from the actual travel itinerary proper travel permits for the region had to be obtained, which was a longer process (~25 days) and any travels outside of Lhasa must be done accompanied by guides if you are non-Chinese citizens. Also, altitude sickness was an issue that had to be considered, therefore, to minimize the risk of any symptoms related hereto, Boy and I took preventive doses of Diamox and flew intoXiningat 2500 meters in theQinghaiprovince to spend one night at an altitude suitable for acclimatization. This way, we could experience another part ofChinabut more importantly, we could take the train going toLhasaand thus observe the landscape as we passed it by. Wide steppes with grassing yaks and snow capped mountains. We reached altitudes of more than 5000 meters before enteringLhasaat 3500 meters ealt in the evening after a quite comfortable 21 hours train ride. We were greeted by our guide with koras (white scarf like cloths used for any celebrations inTibet) upon our arrival inLhasa, where she and our driver took us to the Yak Hotel located near theJokhangTempleandBakhor Street. Driving from the station already gave us the first impression of the contrasts in the region: The whole western part ofLhasais composed of modern big buildings and new wide roads – the Chinese part of the city. The Tibetan city district is to the east, where roads are smaller with narrower alleys and the houses are no more than 5 stories tall with wooden supports, outside curtains, painted patterns and with colored flags waving from the roof tops.

From our late dinner on the top terrace of the New Mandala Restaurant overlooking the open square in from of theJokhangTemple, we could see Tibetan pilgrims still praying in their distinguished way; first standing then lying on the ground, repeatedly.

Next day was a full day of sight seeing inLhasa:JokhangTempleand Sera Monastery, however, the lunch to break between the two was at least as enjoyable. This little local restaurant had just four old low tables and carpets covering the benches. Rice with potato curry and yak meat was served with sweet tea. The tourist sights of the day were obviously extremely crowded with people of different nationalities but a clear excess of Chinese nationals. Sera Monastery was a little less crowded and thus more comfortable visiting. Not many years ago, 5000 monks had resided here but now, only 5-600 remained, while many had moved toNepalorIndia.

ThePotala Placevisit was arranged for the following morning and was a must see attraction. We both could not help but perceiving this place with mixed feelings. The palace is an impressively imposing structure, beautifully painted in red, white and yellow. The short outside top window curtains waving made the building look alive. On the inside of the walls, an additional ticket had to be purchased (200rmb) to enter the Dalai Lama’s former residence where meetings with monks would have taken place. There was a hall for one on one audiences and of course his private chambers. In a way it was much like entering castle museums where kings had been living hundreds of years before, but in this case the past activities were so much more recent. Loads of Chinese stands inside the palace made purchase of Tibetan souvenirs easy and straight forward.

Having seen thePotalaPalace, our journey could then continue to Gyantse via the staggering clear blueYamdrukLakewith show capped mountains in the background reaching approximately 7000 meters. Driving a bit further than the first parking opportunities were advantageous since tourist crowds were significantly less and so was beggars and pushy sellers - peaceful, calm and beautiful allowing proper appreciation of such amazing surroundings.

A whole day in Gyantse was spend hiking in the mountains rather than seeing more crowded monasteries. So both driver and guide got the day off. Well, walking up the path of the mountain, we did encounter a small monastery (called Rizhi). As the lone monk saw us approach, he came out to greet us and shoed us inside by unlocking the gate and doors inside, turning on lights in the otherwise dark and dusty chambers. He proudly named each Buddha and Lama as we circulated the peaceful religious entity. Despite the lacking human activity, this place exceeded any of our previous religious visits in terms of interest and awe.

Continuing the ascent, numerous breaks were necessary due to the thin air in 4000-4500 meters altitude. Reaching the hights gave us a nive view of Gyantse town and the surrounding fields of green (barley) and yellow (rape). Also, several ruin buildings on the hill side that we had passed on the way upcould be observed. We later found out that they were not as ancient as they looked but was the remains of the cultural revolution. In fact, the small monastery that we had just visited was biold in 1945 right after the destruction of the others.

On a higher plateau we enjoyed our lunch with an amazingmountain viewand as a bonus we could see a Sheppard steering her sheep heard by sling shooting stones hundreds of meters onto rocks behind the animals. By the end of the day, we were exhausted but with a very satisfying feeling after a good 7 hour hike on a sunny day inTibet.

Driving on to Shigatse the folling day, we repeated the improvised program from the day before but cut our walk/climb down to 3 hours and spending a more layed back afternoon with a beer and yak dumpling soup on a terrace at the walking street. Shigatse, likeLhasais split into a new Chinese city district and an old town Tibetan district. Most people don’t speak English but you can get by with some basic Chinese Mandarin.

Returning toLhasaon the last day included stops in local villages, where the houses were artistically and colorfully painted inside. At the same time it was messy, dirty and primitive. Cow dong was used to heat u the stoves and flies were swarming the sun drying cow cheese.

Our last goodbye toLhasatook place in a real Tibetan night club with both Chinese and Tibetan singers on stage. The crowds were once in a while invited to dance on the stage, which was a synchronic kind of square dance with police overlooking the stage.

After 2,5 hours delay fromLhasaairport the short flight toKathmandugave us a breathtaking view of the Himalayan mountain peaks seemingly floating on the white cotton clouds. The original idea had been to cross these mountains by car but due to the devastating earth quake in April, the border town Zhangmu was destroyed and the border closed.

Arriving in Kathmanduwas like entering another world - people looking, talking and acting differently. A buzzling, chaotic city of people, bikes, motorcycles and cars in the streets. Manly old building had collapsed including old temple buildings and stupas that are now being rebuilt. Tourism is an important Nepali economic factor and the general opinions that we’ve heard so far is that tourist shouldn’t have stayed away. Rather than being in the way of the rebuilding, it would help stabilizing the situation. On the other hand, these points of views have all come from Nepali people being directly dependent on tourist presence such as taxi drivers, restaurant and bar owners, trekking guides and hotel staff. Talking to people eventually leads to the telling of their accounts of the events on that day(s). E.g. being at work and running 6 hours back home to check on wife and kids while passing injured and other running people in the streets, while nobody cares about cell phones and other valuables laying in the streets. During such tragedy and chock, the most important things become even more obvious. Many that have experienced a business drawback due to lack of tourism have spend time helping others by rebuilding schools or dragging building materials up to mountain towns that are only accessible by foot.

We have experienced both fake and real friendliness from people wanting to lead you to their shops and from hotel staff finding alternative plane tickets for you during their time of duty.

Phase 2: Meditation jail/Vipassana kindergarten

Next point on the schedule was the Vipassana meditation course. There are especially many course centers in India so it hadn't been hard to include this in the travel itinerary, however, the timing (course availability) made Kathmandu the most suitable location.

There are many meditation techniques being practised in this part of the world. Vipassana meditation claims to be teaching Dhamma (the universal law of nature) the way that Gotama Buddha used to teach it to all the people who came to him 2500 years ago seeking enlightenment. The point is that each individual must learn the universal truth by experiencing it oneself rather than being told of the truth by any priest, guru or professor. The way it's supposed to make the world a better place is by eradicating one's misery, which in turn prevent one of spreading it to others. Everybody are happy - WONDERFUL! The activity is non-religious/non-sectarian and welcomes people of all backgrounds (religions, social classes, nationalities etc.).

Ok, the 10 day course began with a day 0 for registration of all participants at the city office. During this, several people approached me speaking Nepalese so it seems I blend in well. Before leaving for the meditation campus, an introduction was given to make sure that all were familiar with the code of discipline that had to be followed strictly during the 10 day period. It included 5 rules: 1. avoid steeling 2. telling lies 3. sexual misconduct 4. killing of any living being 5. using any intoxicants. Apart from these, 'noble silence' had to be kept. That means not to talk to others or communicate with gestures, electronic devices or have eye contact with others. It was, however, allowed to talk to the teacher about issues relating to the meditation technique (not theoretical/philosophical questions) and to the helper staff about any practical issues.

In min minivans we were transported to the meditation site up in the hills 45 min outside the city.Our valuables and luggage that we weren't going to need were stored by the management. A light meal was served (vegetarian of course) at which we were introduced to the Ana Pana meditation technique: observing our normal breath in and out the nose. After this, noble silence was in effect and lights out at 10 pm.

Day 1-10 all went by the following schedule:

4:00 am Morning wake-up bell

4:30-6:30 am Meditate in the hall or in your room

6:30-8:00 am Breakfast break

8:00-9:00 am Group meditation in the hall

9:00-11:00 am Meditate in the hall or in your room according to instructions

11:00-12:00 pm Lunch break

12noon-1:00 pmRest and interviews with the teacher

1:00-2:30 pm Meditate in the hall or in your room

2:30-3:30 pm Group meditation in the hall

3:30-5:00 pm Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to instructions

5:00-6:00 pm Tea break

6:00-7:00 pm Group meditation in the hall

7:00-8:15 pm Teacher's Discourse in the hall

8:15-9:00 pm Group meditation in the hall

9:00-9:30 pm Question time in the hall

9:30 pm Retire to your own room - Lights out

In overview the activities of the course went by as follows:

Day 1: Ana Pana focus on the breath.

Day 2: Ana Pana feeling the air pass through the nostrills.

Day 3: Ana Pana observing sensations on the nose and the area below the nostril above the upper lip.

Day 4: Giving of Vipassana. Start observing sensations all over the body in an organized fashion.

Day 5: Continued practice of Vipassana.

Day 6: Scanning all body parts from the top down AND bottom up.

Day 7: Feeling the sensations in a free flow.

Day 8: I forgot...

Day 9: Trying to penetrate into the interior of the body and observing any sensations there might be.

Day 10: Breaking the noble silence, speaking to other course participants and learning Metta Pana meditation.

My actual experience with Vipassana meditation: I had expected back pain from sitting long time in the same cross legged posture but that it would be just as bad and worse for ankles, knees, hips, butt and upper back as well came as a surprise. When practising the Ana Pana in the dorm room where I could sit much more comfortably, I noticed that I could concentrate better and detect the sensation from the breath in the nostrils in much more detail: Not only feeling which nostril was mainly in use but also if the air was mainly in contact with upper/lower or inner/outer part of the inside of the nostril. Therefore, on day 1 I consulted the teacher asking how to get around this pain of sitting to better concentrate. He just told me that all feel this pain and I should not crave the sensations - "just change your position when the pain becomes unbearable".

Cravings and aversions are central properties in the technique. The key is not to react to the sensation that one feels on the body by either averting them e.g.. changing position to relief the pain or by craving them - wanting more of a nice feeling. Instead one should just observe the sensation that just arose in the body with the knowledge that nothing is permanent. By doing this, the reaction pattern/habit of our mind will gradually change. Good and bad situation from our everyday lives leads to bodily sensations, which we react to by cravings or aversions. If we are able to just observe, then we won't bo so emotional affected by unwanted situations. In the same way we won't be sad when good things just don't come our way and thus the end result will be less misery and more happiness.

Feeling sensation in the body is not that easy when you're not used to noticing these. It took me a whole day of observing my own nose before I could actually feel a kind of tickling sensation all along the nose bone. During the following sittings I had no problem detecting this sensation when observing the nose so it seemed like each area had to first be "activated" in order to feel it. By the end of the course I still had areas for which it was difficult to observe any sensations. Also, I was not able to penetrate into the insides of my body and feel sensation there. So it leaves me with things to work with and improve on. Much as I expected since 10 days is not that long and this is my first experience with meditation. All in all my attitude towards the technique is very positive. Especially the point about no blind faith being involved and only observing things that are actually there. Therefore, during meditation (Vipassana meditation) one should not repeat any mantras or visualize any shapes or deities although these might help one concentrate the mind, these are things that are not really there..! A few things remain a bit confusing still though or in other word; I don't really buy it. During the evening discourses some explanations to how old trouble is buried deep in our unconscious minds and how they can come to the surface and be eradicated. That to me resembles that blind belief that they on several occasions have distanced themselves from..

After having meditated for 9 days there was suddenly hot water in the shower on the morning of day 10 - hurray, dhamma works!;P Also, we had had the heaviest rain on day 9 and on day 10 it was just clear and sunny throughout the day, which was perfect timing since we were to spend quite some time outside on that day. The noble silence was broken and we had a chance to exchange experiences and getting to know the others that had participated and it was quite varied. We were 4 foreigners out of the 40-50 male students. There was a wide span from old to young. Some had just finished school, while several had some sort of business going on. Some, like myself, were there to give this thing a try. I talked to a Nepali web designer who came from a Buddhist family and had tried several types of meditation techniques relating to Buddhism. According to him, Vipassana was the 'purest' form that he had tried - the type that made most sense to him. The story that made the biggest impression on me was a guy who had come here for the second time. First time , his family and friends had pushed him to do it due to previous heroin abuse. Back then, he ended up quitting on the 9th day coming up with some sort of excuse to leave. After going through rehabilitation programs he now, after being sober for 3 years, had signed up for his 2nd Vipassana course but this time on own initiative and this time completing all 10 day. He had benefited from vipassana since previous meditationrelated to re-hab had been a kind of mechanical exercise just sitting with closed eyes in front of a holy statue... There shal be no doubt that it was the re-hab programs that had worked to get him off drugs but it was good to hear that he thought that Vipassana would be beneficial to him in the future. I found it very courageous of him to share his story so openly and honestly with me -and now I'm sharing it with everybody.. Well, it is done out of admiration.

On the 10th day we also had a chance to see the remaining part of the campus that had otherwise been closed to us. That included the area given to the students attending 45 or 60 day courses and the pagoda. From the pagoda there was a beautiful view of Kathmandu city and you'll have to take my word for it cause at that time we hadn't gotten our personal belongings incl. camera. In general the campus was very nice, paths and gardens well kept. On some of the days a monkey visited to make it all a bit more exotic.

During the discourses numerous anecdotes/stories were given by Mr. Goenka (on video). I will end this chapter with my favourite one of them: A mother sends her son out to buy coconut oil. He trips on the way back and spills half the coconut oil. He comes home crying cause he lost half of it. Next time she send her other son but he experienced the same faith. However, he comes home smiling cause he managed to save half the coconut oil despite his misfortune. The mother had three sons and apparently all with balance issues. So the third one also spills half the oil and this one is a Vipassana boy so he comes home smiling but he also left soon after to go out and work out a way to obtain the missing coconut oil.

Phase 3: Nepal

Talking to people in Kathmandu, I quickly found out that Pokhara was not a place to miss while visiting Nepal. Therefore, I planned on spending two extra nights there and find a way to make up for it during my later travels. The bus ride was easily booked through the hotel( there are no trains in Nepal). The bus left at 7 am and had is scheduled arrival at 2 pm. 1-2 hours out of Kathmandu, the road really started to look nice. Driving over a smaller mountain pass, we had a clear view of the city while on the other side of the mountain it was densely foggy. It cleared up along the way so we could enjoy the mountain landscape and the light green rice terraces. We had a breakfast stop as well as a lunch stop on the way. Lunch was quite simple at a location with a good view but here an incident occurred: With still 5 min left before continuing the bus ride, I went back towards the bus. I recognized some of the other passengers still sitting outside so I went to the bathroom on the way (less than 2 min). Coming out of there I saw the bus start driving out of the parking lot and the people sitting outside were gone..! I quickly ran after the bus but was just a few meters from reaching it and being able to knock on it. I ran behind it for about 100 meters, waving both hands. I followed it around the first bend but gave up as it disappeared around the second bend. Sweaty from running I stood there thinking I had to hike the rest of the way to Pokhara. A bottle of water in my bag had opened while running so reading material and camera equipment was wet and so was my jeans.. I got over the chock despite just loosing all my luggage and started walking back to the truck stop. There, I talked to some passengers going with another bus company who helped me talk to the driver. Fortunately, I could go with them and the told me not to worry about my luggage ant the I was sure to get it upon arrival. It turned out that I was to be reunited with my backpack before that cause after an hours drive, all traffic suddenly stopped and there was a long cue of trucks, cars and buses. My new bus skipped passed a long stretch of the cue and pulled in right behind the bus that had abandoned me. The bus guy apologized and a Dutch girl explained that she had tried to tell them that I was missing. They had just ignored her and said that I was Nepali so I would find my way to Pokhara...! Not an advantage to blend in in this situation apparently. The girl, Sheena, had been quite persistent so the bus had actually stopped for one minute after the second road bend from the truck stop...! Well, next complication; the reason for the traffic stand still was a road blockade up ahead. This was due to an internal conflict in one of the major Nepalese political parties the day before. This had lead to the death on one involved. Some people from the buses/cars were making calls to get more info on the situation, while others would lie down on the grass taking a nap. Some said it was going to be 5 hours before we could continue so some of us decided to walk 5-6 km passed the block to reach a local bus. In stead we called the driver with whom I had arranged pick up to come to this location instead. So after more than 1 hour of walk in the baking afternoon sun, we were finally picked up in a 4WD. This sort of vehicle was necessary since we had to go on rough dirt roads for more than an hour before reaching the city. What a start on the journey!

With just one day in Pokhara I hired a guide/driver from 5 am to make the best of my time there. With the monsoon season it was not really possible to see the sunrise from Sarangkot but clouds cleared away now and then allowing a view of the hill sides and of Pokhara city in the valley below. Next up was a 5 hour hike (my favourite activity) in rainforest like environment. Highly recommended. On the way we got a short glimpse of the Fish Tail Mountain and the Anapurna mountains reaching 7 km. The guide stopped 5 times and removed a leech from his feet when he could feel it bite. My shoes must have been better since I didn't feel anything. Well, so I thought but coming back to the hotel, I discovered a big blood stain on each of my socks. The city sight seeing part (cave, Davi's Fall and ..?) was not really much.. Evening dinner, however, was in good company since 4 different parties randomly met on the street at the same time! The Dutch girl from the bus, Sheena, my Vipassana room mate, Lucas, and another guy, Stephen, also from the Vipassana course. Nice coincidence.

My departure next morning had to be rescheduled since a nation wide strike was going on. All the people we talked to seemed a bit unclear as to the actual reason for it but most likely people were not satisfied with the constitution in parliament at present. So since there were no cars in the street, what better way to spend the day but to rent a bike and get around. Below the World Peace Pagoda I paid some boys to watch the bike while I started ascending. Reaching the top would normally take about 45 min but 3 Nepali visitors, including a grandma, insisted that I went together with them, which made it take at least double that time. But it was nice, we tried to talk and they gave me water and food during our breaks. Returning to the shop below, my bike was still there and I joined the boys and their friends for a football match on the street before returning to Lake Side.

The following day we were still stuck in Pokhara due to strikes so this made it 4 days that I had to make u for by adjusting my later travel plans somehow. But Pokhara is certainly not the worst place to be stuck and expecially not when in good company. We spend the last day by a hotel swimming pool..! 😉

Bus to Lumbini (birth place of Guatama Buddha) was possible the next morning but not without problems. Just outside of Lumbini town, we had to wait for a tire to be changed. This, however, was a good opportunity to talk to some of the few other travellers. Lumibini is a very small place with not much to do or see and after arriving there it became clear that the strikes would now continue for the rest of the week..! Next morning I, therefore, got up at 5 am to go see the birth place of the Buddha and the surrounding park, which was large and very peaceful with monasteries for Buddhist education. After double checking that no motorized vehicles were going, I arranged with a bicycle rick shaw to take me the 25-30 km to the Indian border. On the way we saw no cars or buses but plenty of motorbikes. It got me thinking that that would have been a better option but further up ahead there was indeed a blockade where a crowd of people were stopping all MC's and sending them back where they came from. I reached the border. Goodbye Nepal, hello India.

Phase 4: India

From the Indian border town Sunauli I was pointed to the local bus going to Delhi so I could get of in Faizabad and see Ayodhya - Kingdom of Lord Rama. 6 hours to Faizabad became 8,5 hours and I this time made sure not to miss the bus during the breaks, since it would go all the way to Delhi. I met a friendly Nepali guy on the bus who kept me company on the way but he seemed to want to test my stomach by buying different kinds of snacks for me that were sold at bus stations along the way. One was a mix of peas, onion, lemon and chillis that were mixed and served in old news papers rather than plates. Then there was the grilled corn the kids brought, which was broken by hand.. Luckily I didn't suffer from any stomach problems during the long and uncomfortable bus ride.

On arrival in Faizabad I realized that I was not well prepared at all. Had been too busy enjoying my time in Pokhara. People I asked for direction didn't speak English and the few guest houses were all occupied. At last I found a hotel. It only had a deluxe room available and it was dirty and had no WiFi. In general the streets were dirty and smelly and I certainly must have been the only foreigner there.

Another early start the next day to go to the train station to get a ticket despite pushy people jumping the line but I have developed a certain patience over the past couple of years. Ticket only cost 75 INR (7,5 DKK) to go 176 km and I would later find out why. Next on the agenda: taxi (auto rick shaw) to Ayodhya - the city of King Rama to where he returned after his 14 years in exile. When send away, Rama was accompanied by his brother, Laksman and wife, Sita. The evil Raven kidnapped Sita and took her back to Sri Lanka but Rama had help from the monkey king Hanuman and his forces to wage war against Raven and take Sita back. Rama is a central figure in Hinduism and is by many considered the ideal fuler with highest moral standards. For example, modern day Thai rulers have taken his name and the former Siamese capitol was even called Ayutthaya. Well, arriving in Ayodhya, I knew time was limited so I was lucky to get a horse wagon to take me around the town and pointing out the holy places such as Rama temple and Hanuman temple. Besides visiting a temple, I also had a chance to go down and wash my face in the dirty Seraswati River. The town does not till much about the actual times of Rama and I doubt that any ruin remains from that time still exist here but it is certainly a place of worship and a lot of holy men/pilgrims.

Faizabad railway station was a bit chaotic (which seems to be a theme here in India) with a lot of people and also monkeys and all writing only in Hindi. The departure/arrival board was actually hand written on a white board near the entrance..! Getting on the train I soon realized that the ticket had no seat reservation.. The cars in the back for the open tickets were completely over crowded so I ended up standing in the corridor of a seat reservation car. This too was crowded and there was a lot of people pushing back and forth when having to enter/exit, going to the toilet and sellers and beggars just popping in and out at each stop. The rough bus ride from the border to Faizabad was the reason for choosing the train this time but it turned out to be even worse. But then again, I thought, if they can do it like this, why wouldn't I be capable of that. The last 1,5 hour of the ride was actually a real pleasure. Most people had gotten off at a major station (Juanpur) so there was space to sit on the floor looking out on the rice fields with occasional buffaloes sticking their head up from water pools. Arrival at Varanasi; again crazy traffic with rick shaw and cows all over. I managed to find a nice location to stay, which was right on the bank of the Ganges River.

Varanasi was actually not on the original travel plan (like Pokhara) but was suggested to me by an Indian-German couple that I talked to in Pokhara and certainly this was an interesting place. Like other places here, people and animals live in very close proximity. Cows roam even the smaller streets that are too narrow for bicycle rick shaws to enter. Here are also dogs and monkeys and al just seem to get out of the way of each other (size priority). Walking in this labyrinth of small narrow streets, one quickly gets lost. Paying a guy to show me around for a couple of hours was definitely money well spend. I was told of the history of the place, shown the important Ghats and Ashrams and cremation sites. Varanasi is know for the large number of cremations taking place after which the ashes are poured into the Ganges River. Since the first sight of the Ganges River with people bathing and washing their clothes, my perception has changed quite a bit. At first, I could be tempted to take a dip as well but I don't feel like that any more. Not after reading that the coli levels are almost 2000 fold higher than desired levels due to all the poo that is lead straight out into the river. I even saw a man emptying a whole bucket just upstream of where others were taking their morning dusch. I also learned that all the hotels send their laundry to be washed in the river - this was of course after having gotten my 'clean' clothes back from the laundry service..

But on a more positive note, Varanasi ıs a ındeed a very charmıng place wıth ıts many old buıldıngs and daıly rıtuals. Havıng dınner at one of the roof top restaurants one can hear chantıng,bells and drums from the dıfferent Ghats along the rıver as the sun sets. The guest house I stayed ın was about 360 years old, whıle many of the steps leadıng down to the water date back more than 1000 years. It´s ıncredıble to thınk that thıs cıty has been contınuously ınhabıted for more htan 300 years.

All transport so far have been a specıal experıence and leavıng Varanası to go to Jodhpur should prove somewhat ınterestıng as wellç Already the car rıde takıng me to the startıng statıon across the rıver had ıts dıffıcultıes. For more than half an hour we were stuck ın traffıc because auto rıck shaws kept gettıng stuck ın the mud ın the mıddle of the road. Once one got out, the next one would get stuck and people had tgo push and pull to get ıt out.. Then to cross the water, the drıver knew a shortcut whıch meant drıvıng agaınst the traffıc for the fırst 300 meters on the brıdge...! So despıte the delays I made ıt ın tıme for my traın for whıch I thıs tıme had made absolutely sure to have sleeper reservatıon. Jodhpur ıs ın Rajastan all the way ın the west of Indıa and the ~1000 km traın rıde should take more than 20 hours.

Jodhpur ıs also known as the blue cıty sınce many of the houses are paınted ın dıfferent shades of blue. Lıke the other Indıan cıtıes I had seen thus far, traffıc was stressful and chaotıc. However, the streets just below the bıg Mehrengarh Fort were actually very clean compared to Varanası although they were as narrow. Jodhpur was a much more comfortable place to stay only at the bıg market near the clock tower would people be pushy tryıng to sell all theır fabrıcs, spıces etc. All other contact seemed to be genuıne ınterest of ones person and background and plans and what not.

It´s great to be travelıng durıng low season. It certaınly was not hard to get a room and I payed 600 INR (60 DKK) per nıght ın a cozy guest house were my room at the top floor had a clear vıew of the ımposıng fort at the top of the hıll. The walls were decorated wıth drawıngs of cammels and Rajastanı lookıng people. From the roof top restaurant, one could enjoy the sıght of the many kıtes, beıng set up ın the aır by boys on other roofs, mıxıng wıth the swallows as the sun went down.

The 4 days ın Jodhpur were partly spend ın company wıth a group of other turısts and partly on my own. Thıs week´s exersıce were done walkıng the outer walls surroundıng the cıtadel (Merengarh Fort) that stretched surprısıngly far. Thıs tour was also made a bıt more challengıng by a pack of dogs that quıckly assembled as I, apparantly, entered theır terretory. The fortress area ıs on a hıgh plateau, whıch made ıt possıble to get clear vıews ın all dırectıons. It was mostly dry dessert land and clıffs but smaller towns and other hılls were vısıble as well.

Leavıng Jodhpur and Indıa was by traın, the Thar Express, from Bhagat Kı Khotı to Karachı ın Pakıstan vıa Munabao at the border. When purchasıng the tıcket, I was just told to be at the statıon between 20.30-23.00. On the evenıng of departure, passengers were quıte thoroughly checked. I counted at least 6 dıfferent counters, where eıther passport, tıcket or luggage were checked. Metal detectors had been set up too sınce the day I had come to buy the tıcket. we were all lead ınto a sectıon of the platform that was ısolated from the rest of the statıon and outer surroundıngs by bıg fences. After one hour ınspectıon, I sat 2 hours at the platform beıng eaten up by mosquıtoes. The Thar Express ıs also beıng called the torture traın - was thıs the start of ıt?

There was no AC ın the cars but fans. The space for sleepıng was dusty and wındows were covered by two layers of bars/grıds. At 7 am the traın arrıved at Munabao. At 8 am the Indıan ımmıgratıon counters opened. They were all desıgnated eıther PAK or INDIA. So eventually I was lead to the bosses offıce3 where I was beıng questıoned quıte thoroughly but ın a frıendly manner. From there and through ımmıgratıons, I was gıven the foreıgner advantage, havıng one of theır staff leadıng me ın front of the cue to get my stamp. Before customs control, an oral polıo vaccınatıon was mandatory ıf you faıled to present your vaccınatıon certıfıcate. Customs also went through several statıons ıncludıng scannıng and unpackıng of all luggage. Durıng thıs long procedure, 10-15 dıfferent people must have checked my passport, all carefully studyıng the many other vısas from Chına and from my trans-sıberıan journey the year before. People on thıs route all seem to have done ıt before. They are relatıvely patıent and don´t look as confused as I may look.. Many got bıg blankets that they sıt on at the platform havıng a pıcnıc or sleepıng. Some people ask me for help/dırectıon but more on when they fınd out that I only speak englısh. Other just start small talkıng eventhough there´s a huge language barrıer. Someone speakıng very well englısh came up to me to tell me what was goıng to happen from here and that I could just come to hım ıf I needed any help.

Phase 5: Pakıstan

Round 2: The Pakıstanı ımmıgratıons and customs control. I had thought that the Indıan procedure was pretty tedıou8s but that was really nothıng compared to what I haqd comıng from the Pakıstanı ımmıgratıons!

After waıtıng untıl late afternoon, a traın pulled up and carrıed us all the short stretch across the border. Here we had further waıt untıl the chaos started. There was the usual crowds of people wıth all theır luggage that had to go from one table to the next to be checked (present passport and other documents). From what I could make out of ıt, there was 4 dıfferent entıtıes present: Mılıtaty, Immıgratıons,customs and Sıngh Rangers. I saw two computers: one was at the wındow where I got myh stamp, the other was ın a room (shack) where people had theır travel documents scanned. Thıs was my fırst ´ınterrogatıon room´. In a quıte hard tone I was asked why I was here, what I was goıng to do ın Pakıstan, ıf I was a journalıst/wrıter and so on. Here they all started goıng through all my luggage ın detaıl! They asked me what everythıng was and even had to look through my pıctures on the camera. Durıng thıs sessıon, I also saw loads of sım cards beıng handed ın to be regıstered wıth names of the owners. When these two Sındh Rangers fınally let me go, I was stopped at the next counter, taken ınto another ´ınterrogatıon room´ and beıng asked all the same agaın. Each ´conversatıon´ would eıther result ın lettıng me contınue or they would dırectly refer me to the next ınterrogatıon. The whole questıonıng procedure lasted for about 3,5 hours and when I had been fınally approved and could buy my tıcket for the rest of the way to Karachı, a Pakıstanı frıend, Laveet, that I had met on the traın was waıtıng for me wıth a cold Mountaın Dew refreshment. I was exhausted. Antoher pakıstanı ´uncle´ that had seen Laveet and I talkıng prevıously had come to hım askıng ıf I was alrıght. Other passengers that I had brıefly talked to also greeted me seemıng to look rather releıved for me. Comıng out on the other sıde thıs ındeed was a nıce frıendly feelıng of hospıtalıty (I even got a smıle from one of the Rangers). The Pakıstanı people had apparantly just gone through ıt all ın 20-30 mın or so whıle Indıans and myself were submıtted to a much more thorugh process.

My last ınterogatıon room had been wıth the bıg bosses of the place but here the atmosphere was much more frıendly and comfartable. Here the questıons had seemed to come out of curıousıty rather than suspısıon so ıt had actually been a quıte pleasant conversatıon. The chıef ımmıgratıons offıcer had even drawn a map so I could easıly fınd my Karachı hotel. However, he and two of hıs co-workersended up waıtıng for me at the platform at arrıval at 5 am ın the mornıng. They then took me to have breakfast and chaı before he had hıs two colleagues escortıng me all the way to the hotel ın an auto rıck shaw. He saıd: "Now you are a guest ın our country" and "ın gods eyes all men are equal"..

Back ın Shanghaı my fıend Faraz had been very helpful wıth vısa applıcatıon and had put me ın contact wıth hıs frıend Safı ın Karachı. So after checkıng ınto the hotel, unpackıng and takıng a shower, Safı pıcked me up and showed me the cıty. We drow all around the cıty center where the most sıgnıfıcant sıtes were poınted out on the way. For lunch we had Pakıstanı BBQ and I´ve got to say that thıs was the best food that I had had on the whole journey so far! Dıfferent meats wıth dıffernt spıces and dıppıng sauces served wıth bread and eaten by use of hand rather than cutlery. Some of the meat had been slow-grılled at low temperature makıng ıt extra tender. Very delıcıous. Durıng my ıntro day I soon realızed that Karachı ıs not the most turıst frıendly cıty. Dıstances between places of ınterest such as the beaches, food streets, shoppıng malls, museums, mausoleums and shrınes, were long, therefore Sagı arranged for me to have a drıver for the next couple of days to take me around to see these places. Thıs arrangement was also out of concern for my sefety. Karachı has had a hıstroy of vıolent crımes that has gotten much better ın the pas couple of years though. The next two days of sıght seeıng were spend wıth Laveet (from the traın) and hıs frıend Saba. We went on camel rıdes on the beach and had dıfferent kınds of Pakı snack foods whıle watcvhıng people go ınto the water all fully dressed of course. More food at Port Grand food street ın the marına was agaın extremely nıce!

So to conclude on my Pak vısıt, I must admıt that Karachı ıs not the most obvıous/suıtable truıst destınatıonbut frıendly and welcomıng people thyat I have met here has made ıt an enjoyable stay for me. Crossıng the border wıth the Thar Express was not enjoyable as such and I would not do ıt agaın. At the same tımeI would not have done ıt dıfferently. I was an experıence that I won´t soon forget, whıch let me see what so many people wıll go through ın order to vısıt theır famılıes across the border.

Phase 6: Iran

Durıng my travel preparatıons ın Shanghaı, I had not expected the Pakıstanı vısa to consume as much tıme as ıt dıd, therefore I ended up not havıng enough tıme to apply fo rthe Iranıan vısa. Fortunately, the Iranıan vısa can be obtaıned on arrıval but only ın the aırport. Thus, I flew ınto Shıraz and luckıly I had some Euros to pay fo rthe vısa (50€) and a mandatory ınsurrance (14€). Now what I had not thought about was that Iran has been under sanktıons from the US and Europe for years and thereforedont have ATM´s that accept Vısa- or Mastercard. My last 40€ were not goıng to last that week ın Iran wıth food, accomodatıon and transport. To my relıef, the manager at my hostel had a solutıon. Apparantly, the carpet dealers are connected vıa Dubaı and therefore accept both Vısa and Mastercard so ıf purchasıng a pıece, I could have them take out some US dollars for me at the same tıem. So.. I´m now the proud owner of a 200$ genuınje Persıan rug made out of woll ın nomadıc Gashgar desıgn!

At the hostel ın Shıraz I was lucky to meet Alı from Tehran who was vısıtıng hıs frıend and hıs perhaps wıfe to be. I was ınvıted to joın them for dınner ın one of the cozy garden restaurants. What better way to be ıntrodued to the Iranıan cusıne. The presence of classıcal Iranıan musıc performance gave ıt the perfect fınısh. Our menu was composed of BBQ wıth bread and freash vegetables and herbs and a yogurt beverage. After dınnerwe drove up on the mountaın slopes, whıch they called "the roof of Shıraz". I call ıt the "Beverly Hılls of Shıraz". Apartments up there were overlookıng the whole cıty wıth all ıts lıghts.

Walkıng around ın the streets just observıng people, ıt occured to me that couples here seem much closer (walıng hand ın hand/arm ın arm) and show more affectıon for each other than any of the other countrıes that I´ve passed through on thıs journey. I especıally notıced ıt when vısıtıng the ....mosque/shrıne - the fırst I have ever been to. I overwhelmed by the beautıful decoratıons on the buıldıngs ın the complex. There was a bıg open space wıth a fountaın ın the mıddle where people were hangıng around, some takıng pıctures of each other and chıldren runnıng around. In fact, a very much more relaxed atmosphere than I had expected from a holy/sacred ploace lıke thıs. In the next bıg court yard there were trees and the feelıng was the same. Only at the entrance to the prayıng halls were men and women separated.

In general, Iran ıs not as cheap as I had thought. It´s partıcularly annoyıng havıng to haggle for the prıce of a taxı rıde and often havıng to accept theır terms. However, bus tıckets between the major cıtıes are cheap; 300.000 rıal (65 DKK). Furthermore, busses to thıs prıce were equıped wıth broad seats where you can put you feet up. The sleep between Shıraz and Esfahan was desturbed when we all had to get out at 3 am so polıce and dogs could conduct a drug search on the bus. In Esfahan there mıght have been even more turısts. It´s of course nıce to meet ınterestıng poeople and also to have company for some of the sıght seeıng such as Persepolıs outsıde of Shıraz and Esfahan´s mosques, bazaars, brıdges and Armenıan churches.

Here ın Iran I have certaınly encountered some people on very much more elaborate journeys than my own: A Spanısh guy at Persepolıs had been cyclıng from New Zealand through South East Asıa and Indıa to go back to Madrıd at some poınt. He had been away for more than a year. A Japanese couple ın Esfahan were also on theır bıkes but had been flyıng between dıfferent parts of the world: North Amerıca, Western Europe, Afrıca, Eastern Europe and now Mıddle East. They had been away for 1½ years. At last there was the French/Swıss/Austraılıan guy, Flo, who had started hıs motor cycle journey ın Parıs ın order to raıse some money for schools ın Indonesıa, whıch ıs hıs fınal destınatıon.

Takıng the nıght bus from Esfahan to Tehran, ıt turned out that the hotel manager had booked my tıcket for the wrong day. Fortunately, ıt only meant that I had to pay an extra fee and would have to depart an hour later. So ıt seems that the usual transportatıon complıcatıons are declınıng gradually and I hope ıt contınues that way. Tehran ıs certaınly a bıg cıty. Dıstances are longer and there ıs more traffıc and pollutıon. The two days I had there I spend hıkıng ın the mountaıns north of the cıty and sıghtseeıng ın the cıtyh the day after. The mountaın was, however, the hıghlıght. Startıng ın the afternoon at 1500 m, I managed to reach 3600 m despıte meetıng and walkıng wıth a samewhat slower Iranıan man half way up. He had apparantly been walkıngh trhe dıfferent paths oth thıs mouıntaın several tımes and knew all the accomodatıon possıbılıtıes scattered around the mountaın and whether they would serve good food or not.. Goıng up, the weather had been quıte changıng; mostly sunny but also thunder, raın and strong wınds. Durıng the latter ıt gott really freezıng sınce I hadn´t prepared for those condıtıons. After havıng a cup of tea wıth my new hıkıng buddy and some other compers I had to hurry back down as the sun was settıng. Much of the way down I had to do ıtn the dark, whıch was not optımal but at least I got some good shots of the sun set and the lıghts othe cıty. From tjhe mountaın one can really get a fell of the extent of the metropolıs wıth ıts 14-15 mıo ınhabıtants.

The last sıght seeıng destınatıon was ın the southern part of the cıty: the shrıne Hammad-e Motahhar. But doıng thıs one was just as much to save the money sınce a taxı from thıs metro statıonwould be cheaper and I had to make sure that my last cash of Iranıan Rıals would hold up. When I got ınto the metro to go there, I suddently realızed that around me was only women - and they all starred at me. Apparantly two cars are reserved for women only so when the doors opened agaın I hurrıed out and got ınto one of the other cars. At least now I know how to get the attentıon of Iranıan women!

To get the taxı the rest of the way to teh aırport, I had a whole gang of 6 young Iranıan guys to negotıate the prıce for me and they could not even make the drıver move one ınch. One of them had started talkıng to me ın the shope where I had ordered a "hamburger" and more of them had then joıned me at the table - they all worked there. They dıdn´t speak much Englısh but were curıous and havıng a lot of fun on my account ıt seemed.

Goıng to the aırport I had pleanty of tıme whıch was good sınce we had a flat tıre on the hıghway whıch the drıver then had to change.. Goodbye Iran - hello Turkey.

Phase 7: Turkey

I had chosen to fly to Sanliurfa since trains from Iran (Tabriz) to Turkey (Van) only goes once per week meaning that I would have had to wait 4 additional days in Iran. Arriving late in Istanbul would not have been popular with cute girl coming to meet me there. Transport complications: luggage didn’t arrive…

Sanliurfa, or Urfa, is a city just 50 km north or Syria and east of Suruc where a recent bombing by IS had taken place. Therefore, my first concern upon arrival at the hostel was safety and having confirmation that no particular security measures had to be taken. According to the manager there, the bigger cities are generally safe and even places along the Syrian border (at the time of my visit). His concerns regarded some of the places in the eastern part of Turkey as well as areas close to the Iraq border. He himself is Kurdish but does not sympathize with PKK that fights for independence. As he explained it, there are several ethnic groups in Turkey but far the majority of the Kurdish are proud to be part of the Turkish nation.

The reason for my going to Urfa was its historical significance. Related to the Jewish Christian and Islamic traditions are the birthplace of Job, Abrahams cave and path. A holy fish lake in the city center has the legend that when the emperor Nemrut was about to sacrifice Abraham by burning, God turned the fire into water and coals into fish. But more important than these interesting sites, I wanted to see Gobekli Tepe. Gobekli Tepe is an ancient temple site that dates back 10.000 years and has changed our understanding of the advancement of human culture as well as architectural skills and skills in stone work/arts. 6 of 23 circular structures located in close proximity are being excavated at this moment. The remaining ones have been located by some geo-electrical conductivity techniques. Each is composed of T-shaped pillars in a circle with two big ones standing in the middle. Different animals are depicted in the carvings as well as human features. The site has been deliberately buried thousands of years ago, which makes it even more mysterious.

Urfa city downtown is easy walkable and has many of the historical sites. From the old castle there’s a nice view of the city. Also, worth a visit is their brand new archaeological museum (opened just a few months before my visit). This museum also displays several of the artefacts found during excavation of Gobekli Tepe.

Bus from Urfa to Goreme in Cappadocia took 11 hours and had many stops on the way during the night. Arriving at 5 am my new temporary travel buddy, Ali from Indonesia, and I had to wait for hotels and breakfast restaurants to open. At least we could kill time watching about 100 air balloons taking off for the tourists to see the sunrise from the air. Cappadocia is famous for its unique landscape of so called “fairy chimneys”. Watching the balloons over this landscape was in it self a spectacular sight so I’ll save the 160 euro that it costs to go up in the balloons.

On this first day in the mid region of Turkey, we went out to see the underground city, Derinkuyu. Here we got company of two American guys with whom we later out to sample the local red wine produced in the surrounding Cappadocia area.

There were a lot of tourist in Goreme and therefore also a lot of activities and tours offered. Instead of guided tour, I rented a bike to cycle around for a couple of days, which turned out to be a very good choice. Although there are some tough hills, it’s a great way to experience this special place in your own pace (bring lots of water).

The fairy chimneys are small tops of porous sand stone, which people have carved out houses in for many centuries. On the first day out there in the terrain I found some the many abandoned cave houses rather remotely located and diced to spend the night there. I got supplies and takeaway dinner from the town and went back out the 30-45 min bike ride to the almost hidden “cave apartment”. I arranged a bed on a small platform by a window hole facing west. Mattress was the duvet from my hostel that I placed on plastic to not get it dusty. Shelves had been carved into the wall where I could place my things. Most of the wall towards south was missing leaving a big open space for a view of a small green valley below and for light to get in. From that big opening there was a vertical drop of about 20 meters. I had my durum tolls while watching the sun set and at 8 pm it was dark.

I retired to my bed feeling rather satisfied that I had found this place that was relatively accessible but not obvious and thus quiet and peaceful without any other people passing by. The night was warm up until midnight and at 1-2 am I had to put on a long sleeved shirt and trousers to keep warm. At 5 am I had to roll up into the covers before getting up at 6 am as the sun was rising and the air balloons was taking off. In fact, the only people that I saw was from an air balloon passing close by with people waving down when they saw me. And then there was an elderly couple coming down to the valley filling up three plastic bags with apples.



For the remaining days, I went on more hikes and biked out to the surrounding towns and valleys going on steep dirt roads and passing through wine yards as well as visiting a winery. Goreme certainly has plenty to offer for the outdoorsmen and is definitely a place I’d like to come back and explore further.

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