Contextless Quotes

I recently came across my old travel journal from my nine-month backpacking trip through Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. Reading through it left me very, very amused. From it, here are some quotes for your enjoyment, taken completely out of their original context:

‘I’ve got the shits and I’m tired of traveling: Why I’m not cut out for this’

‘That was a terrible, terrible idea.’

‘My hotel (read: rooftop littered with rubbish costing a whopping $10 to lay a mattress on) is a dump but it’s all I could find.’

‘She was driving me crazy. Hopefully that thought will be a comfort once the solitude starts getting to me.’

‘The highlight of the night was probably me trying to say in Arabic, “My dear, you are so beautiful!” Instead, I managed to say, “My dear, you are so beautiful and big!” Ktiir vs. Kbiir. God…’

‘Loon was our raft captain who seemed either perplexed or offended when I tried to explain that he shares his name with our state bird.’

‘I’ll write more later about the moral conundrum going through my head at that moment.’

‘I met an 82 year old woman today who has been a Peace Corps volunteer three times – all after retirement. At one point she was the oldest current volunteer on the planet.’

“I just had a psychosomatic stress reaction to the Lao music coming from the bungalow next to mine.’

“Phnom Penh’s been great – almost too much fun, seeing as how a large part of our time was spent at a genocide museum.’

‘The hammock: I believe I’ve found my soulmate.’

‘I asked the weird Chinese girl in our hostel if she still had the tarantulas in the plastic bag up in her room. “Uh, I think so!” was her response.’

‘Suddenly serious, she told me, “Walking this path made me believe in God for the first time. It’s too beautiful, too incredible.”‘

‘I woke up at 4:30am to the sound of an explosion muffled by earplugs and a quick shake of the building.’

‘We danced to horrible techno music and took a “hard man” shot (snort salt, take tequila shot, squeeze lime into your eye).’

‘There’s something profoundly tragic about a people fighting justly to get back what was stolen from them even as there is little to no hope of success…It saddened me immensely, that rally. I walked away with a heavy heart and a bruised faith.’

‘”Are those nunchucks you got there?” I said absentmindedly toward, but not to, a rather pudgy but bulldoggish man on a sidewalk near Beirut’s waterfront. His posture snapped up immediately, as if he had been strolling along, just daring some ignorant fool to comment on his ‘chuks. “Yes,” he said. “Because I am master.”‘

‘I’m so lucky to be doing what I’m doing. It’s amazing, really.’

Six Months On

It’s difficult for me to believe it even after paging through a calendar, that it really has been six months since I got on that plane to Tokyo.  As I reflect on the last six months, it seems like a blur, a flurry of places, people, and experiences. What a ride.

To commemorate this arbitrary day of significance, I’ve compiled a ‘top five,’ one of a few lists of experiences that I’ve been working on for a while in my journals.

Top Five Most Impressive Travellers:

1. 82 year old Maggie from Berkley, CA. A three-time Peace Corps volunteer (that’s a total of six years, two years each in Malawi, Sri Lanka, and Thailand). And here’s the kicker: she did all of this after the age of 65.
2. Wofso, a Tibetan refugee, the receptionist at my guesthouse in Dharamsala, India, and one of the nicest, most genuine men I’ve ever met. Fleeing violence by the Chinese government (his mother and father were gunned down for taking part in anti-occupation demonstrations), he trekked for 24 days over remote Himalayan passes before reaching McLeod Ganj. On arrival and in tears, he was greeted by the Dalai Lama himself. That was seven years ago. He’s been working at Paljor Gakyil Guesthouse ever since, living alone save for travelers like me that take up most of his time. I met him shortly after I did my own trek (for fun and with proper equipment) in the Himalayas in Nepal. It was humbling and somewhat startling to realize so clearly how fortunate I am.
3. 84 year old Dutch-Australian woman named Margo who was traveling through Laos by herself, staying in budget hotels with all us backpackers. When asked if she knew how brave she was, she responded matter-of-factly, “Yes, I do. I’ve been doing this all my life so why should I stop now?”
4. Brian from San Francisco. A Buddhist and a language enthusiast, he has been living with Tibetans in Kathmandu and Dharamsala for most of the last 18 months, learning Tibetan with the aim of translating into English the lesser known texts of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a corporate worker for the last 15 years and before that he was a Russian translator in the military.  He told me that the tedium of corporate life led him to search for something more significant to put his effort into, and translating Tibetan is what he found.
5. Gilbert (don’t be fooled, he’s French so it’s Jheel-behr) of Alliance Guesthouse in Naggar, India.  At 17, he left his home in the south of France to travel around the world for four years. Dissatisfied with the materialistic life in the west, he found himself on a sort of existential search. He met his wife in Naggar, and has been there ever since (nearly 19 years), building up his guesthouse one room at a time. I’ve stayed at quite a few fantastic guesthouses, but this place was one of only three that really felt like a home. It seems strange to say this, but during my stay it was obvious that Gilbert put great love into everything he did. For him, it’s not about money or even about being more popular than the place down the street. It’s about genuinely and joyfully serving people, introducing them to beautiful Naggar, and, in general, sharing life with them. His life’s work at Alliance reminds me of a quote from Kahlil Gibran, “Work is love made visible.” Perhaps the trick is first finding something to do that you love.

My hope is that, through these inadequate anecdotes, you might be able to get a glimpse of these people and the inspiration they have been to me. May we all be as brave as Maggie and Margo, as resilient and joyful as Wofso, and as genuine and passionate as Brian and Gilbert.

Music from the Pit of Hell

I’ve taken quite a few unpleasant bus rides lasting 7 hours or more on my journey so far, but by far the worst two have been in Laos – not because of a decrepit bus, smelly people, or mountain roads, no. Simply because of Lao music.

Both bus rides i’m referring to were local buses (meaning not meant solely for tourists).  When I think of local buses in developing countries, I think of vehicles nearly falling apart at every possible point, packed full of screaming children and stopping at every city, town and village on the way, taking literally forever to get where you’re going. You may think that sounds the worst possible bus experience. Oh no, dear reader, you are mistaken.  I would have killed for a decrepit old bus rather than godforsaken Korean buses complete with a TV and high quality speakers in the overhead compartments.

This is what I was forced to listen to for 14 hours over two days – I could hear it even with my ipod on full blast:

It was endless. The driver had stacks of DVDs with hundreds of these videos on them. To be clear, it’s not that the music is that terrible (though, with every ounce of cultural understanding depleted, I’m sorry to say it is), it’s that I heard it so loud for so long. So, to any Lao readers out there, I’m sorry for offending part of your national heritage – you really just need to turn your music down.

I’m done complaining. Hope you enjoyed it! I have a few new posts in the last few days, don’t forget to scroll down and check them out.

Still Undecided

Ahoy!

I’m in Si Phan Don (in English, four thousand islands) in southern Laos, a sleepy traveler’s retreat at the start of the Mekong Delta. I had a 10 1/2 hour travel day yesterday in bus, van, and boat. I have a $3.50/night bungalow on the riverside with a hammock on the deck and cheap food within a moment’s walk. It’s really a welcome rest after a few weeks of rather intense travel experiences. Pictures will come soon.

I’ve been agonizing over my Australia decision since I posted it here. I keep swinging back and forth, weighing the options and thinking through every possible ending. Many thanks to those of you who replied to my post. I appreciate your input a lot (even though it’s made my decision quite a bit harder). My first post about this was hastily written so I don’t think I made it clear enough that this is not an either/or decision between Australia and the middle east. If I went to Australia, I would work for 4-6 months and then continue on my previously planned itinerary through Nepal, India, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and then Jordan. I’ve heard from other travelers who just finished periods working there that I could make enough to live and save quite a bit; perhaps if I did like them my budget wouldn’t be affected at all because I could recoup all the expenses of getting there.

So why do I hesitate? Logistically, it’s going to be a bit of a pain to change my plans, with flights and my India visa especially. More generally, there are a few things. First, I’m trying to figure out if working at a coffee shop or pub in Melbourne for six months would really be as great as it sounded at first. Second, the more I think about it, the more I realize how bad I want to get back to the middle east. It’s almost calling me. I can’t wait to start teaching and living life there. At the same time, though, Australia sounds fantastic in it’s own way (hence my brain’s swinging back and forth on it).  Third (fitting in with the second), Anthony’s comment about Australia’s relative comfort and ease compared to the mideast struck something in me that had been in the back of my mind but I hadn’t yet articulated. I really miss the craziness of Amman, how everything was so often confusing and so many things seemed ridiculous. There was hardly a dull moment. I don’t think I’ll get bored with Australia; it just won’t quite be as ‘out there’ as the mideast. But I suppose that point is moot since I could quite easily do both places.

There’s quite a lot more dancing around my brain as I try to make this decision, but I think that’s enough to put here. This post has ended up being more of an outlet for my overcrowded mind than a well though out explanation of my choices.

I guess you’ll all have to stay in suspense until a decision pops out of my addled head!

The

Photos and a Conundrum (Comment Please!)

Update:

I’m sitting in an internet cafe in Vang Vieng, Laos, an enigmatic place where (I kid you not…in fact, I wish I was kidding) there are literally a dozen bars in a two block area playing episodes of “Friends” all day. From 7:30AM to 11PM. Bars and restaurants started doing this about 10 years ago to entertain patrons wanting to relax after a day of tubing down the Nam Song River, where they go from riverside bar to riverside bar and get absolutely toasted from buckets of lao whiskey and coke.

I’m leaving tomorrow for Laos’ capital, Vientane, from where I’ll head south to some less touristed areas! I hope you enjoy some photos I spent a long time and more money than I prefer to spend uploading.

An Inquiry for my Dear Readers:

As a side note, I would like some feedback on an idea. Please comment as you see fit. I’ve recently experienced some anguish concerning my travel decisions. I decided months ago that I would not go to Australia on this trip. It was a tough decision, but one I made for a few reasons:

• Money: It’s an expensive addition to make. Unlike, say, an extra month to travel a developing country like Laos, I would be going to a highly developed country where things are just as much if not more expensive than home. In addition, now I have to think about canceling my flights to nepal and delhi, which, while not too expensive to do, definitely takes a small bite out of my budget.
• Time: One of the main goals of this trip is to eventually get a teaching job in the middle east and study Arabic for a year or more. I got to a beginner/conversational level in Arabic over the last two and a half years, which I’m very proud of. Each month that goes by with me not studying the language, however, is another month for me to forget what I’ve studied. Going with my original plan will get me back in the culture using the language every day and helping me toward fluency. All that isn’t even mentioning the resume padding sure to happen.

Conversely, there are many reasons for me to say to hell with it and go anyway:

• Money: I could feasibly afford it; my nest egg meant to be reserved for starting life again when I get home would just be significantly depleted. Plus, if I went, I’d like to travel only for a bit until I find a good city to settle in for 6-9 months and work, probably making barely enough money to live but not enough to recoup the flight and travel expenses.
• Time: I could feasibly (the key word here) study Arabic while I’m there. I know myself, though; I’m not good at independent study. If I did it, I would definitely go to the Middle East after I finish in Australia, so (maybe) no harm will be done. There’s always the possibility, though, that my money somehow runs out or I get sick of traveling and never make it, which would be a shame.
• I can’t overemphasize the number of incredibly great people I’ve met from Australia while traveling. It should follow that I’ll have a great time there if the people while at home are anything like they are while traveling.
• It’s Australia! I’m 21, with plenty of time for resume padding, serious study, and such. Why not, right?

What do you, my dear readers, have to offer to this conundrum of mine?

One of Thailand's most magnificent temples, Wat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai.

Maybe my favorite photo of the trip so far: Sunset, Luang Prabang, Laos.

The slow boat from Thailand's border to Luang Prabang took two days (5-6 hours a day) in somewhat cramped conditions, but was a great trip, mostly because of great people and the gorgeous Mekong valley surroundings.

Street Market, Luang Prabang.

Me on top of the hill overlooking Luang Prabang....I wish the city was in the background for my dear viewers sake but I'll take an ok photo of me when I can get it.