Respite in Mumbai, India

Well, after a peaceful stint in Udaipur, I have parted with Yung. She's flown back to the working world. Udaipur was actually peaceful and calming, it's still dirty but not anywhere close to Delhi. We stayed at a decent hotel with a lake view and enjoyed a quiet Christmas. Yesterday we did a mad dash to Ranakpur to see the brilliant Jain temple - it's by far the best temple I've seen in India so far.

After a 21 hour bus ride that included two flat tires, I'm in Mumbai now. Hoping to see Ramesh Balsekar tomorrow and listen to his philosophy lecture.

Jaipur, the Pink City

Well, we're in Jaipur, Rahjastan. It's suppose to be beautiful here, which I'm not sure who said that, but it's rather debatable. Other than a few glimpses of green fields on the drive here, Jaipur is pretty much like the rest of India. The outer city of Jaipur itself has a few recognizable stores, but other than this, it's pretty much standard India; by which I mean filthy. I can assess this first hand because today we walked a full 3.5 miles or so to get up close and personal with the city. Like all places here, it's extremely crowded, dusty and polluted with trash strewn everywhere you look. The air is not quite as bad as Delhi or Agra, but still worst than anything you've experienced.

The important lesson I suppose is that seeing the living conditions of a vast majority of people from various places around the world makes you rather appreciate what you have. The discrepancies of wealth and welfare around the world are of an unimaginable scale unless you've witnessed it first hand. Even so, there is only so much one can stomach of the countless destitute and indigent children clamoring to me for money and food.

There is also a bit of reverse racism here it seems. Today we went to the train station to try for tickets to Udaipur tomorrow. There is a specific quota set aside for foreign tourists. Three Irish people before us got tickets for 706 rupees total with no hassles. Then this elderly British couple of Indian descent and their nephew tried to purchase tickets as well but were demanded proof of foreign passports and then quoted a ridiculous price three times more. When it was our turn, we were told that the foreign tourist quota were full and that we can try the emergency quote for 800 rupees for two people - this is to the exact same destination on the exact same train and class seats as the Irish. The Indian guy and I agree that it's impossible for India to move ahead when it treats it's own people badly while kissing the ass of the British who colonized them centuries ago.

India ... land of a thousand adjectives (good and bad)

Well... no updates in about a week as I've been traveling quickly through areas with spotty internet access. I made a quick dash from Nanning, China to Guilin, and then took a long night bust to Shenzhen before crossing the border to Hong Kong.  In all only a quick 4.5 days in southern China.  I flew from HK to Delhi to meet up with Yung again.  We are currently I'm in Jaipur, India.

is a shock of sots on the senses - and that's an understatement. Wow, what a contrast to China.  The Serbian professors I met were wrogn when they said that India was 20 years behind China, it's seems more like 50 years.  Seriously, how can a nation with technology to build a nuke not be able to outfit a single public toilet - people urinate and defecate on the streets here, along with all sorts of animals doing the same on the streets.  The air is sooooooooooooooooo bad that you can hardly breath; in fact, after the first day in Delhi, my nose was snorting out thick black soot.  This is no joke.  It's filthy here.

However, I was warned that you'd hate India at first and then fall in love with it.  At this point I'm leaning much closer to the former.  We couldn't even stand Delhi after walking one day in the old city area and through the Bazaar.  At the very first chance we took a drive to Agra with this Belgian doctor we met to see the Taj Mahal.  Again, Agra itself is filthy as well... even for a city with such a marvel of a world cultural heritage, it doesn't escape you that the stark, squalid conditions of the people.  For a nation with so much history, cultural, and spirituality, some very basic things are still lacking. 

In any case... the Taj was magnificent when we visited it first in the evening from across the river, and then the next day before sunrise to catch first light.  The thick fog (or was it the severe pollution?) floated over the grounds leaving the Taj seemingly floating in the air.  It was simply majestic.  After that, we drove out of the city to the old Moghul capital of Fatepur Sikri and then visited a mosque as well.  There is soemthing enchanting about this land that is indescribable. I'm not even sure what it is yet.  Despite the less than desirable conditions, the people we've met have been very friendly and endearing.  I don't think I'll forget the sounds of muslim prayers at 5am (note: India is still predominately Hindu, and it seems that the muslims are looked down upon... guess you can't escape social division no matter where you go.)

That's all for now. 

East is West and West is East

Today, in my mad dash to see the region, I took a bus tour to Yangshuo and the Li River to see the famed karst and pastoral landscapes. It is land of a thousand limestone karsts and fuel for the imagination. The truly picturesque scenery demands a much longer stay and a professional camera. Alas, my stay is brief and camera only sufficient... add to that that winter is not the best time to visit this region. But despite the chilly weather, it was very enjoyable; though, numerous times I desperately wanted the bus to stop during the road as we passed countless pastoral scenes worthy of a thousand pictures.

Beautiful river landscape ... to bad the weather was not all that permitting.

How many poets and painters has this scene inspired?

Upon returning to Guilin city (they call it a town in China, with 600,000 people it's considered small by Chinese standards) at night and walked the street near my hostel. It's thoroughly almost a clone of Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. It's all about the brand names now in China; the younger generation is more afluent, chic, and want to show it accordingly. However, in a scene of utter contradiction... I found my self standing next to a buddhist monk in the middle of this street; only thing is, this monk was Belgian-American and lily white. I took the opportunity to chat with him, and after a while he invited me to dinner as well, joined by some of this Chinese friends. As we sat, he drew the curious eye of many passers-by who just stopped to gaze at this strange scene.

So there you have the modern world, the Chinese are busy trying to be more Western, but many in the west come to China and Asia seeking something that the West can't offer. A South-African man in Hoi An said that it was the "soul" that he came to find and love in Asia most. There is only so much that the capitalist-materialistic world can offer. It's evident that we only seek to find what we don't have.

Better have the cash.

Ode to Cathay

So without much fanfare I crossed into China this morning by bus and made my way to Nanning (near my ancestral village).  I had planned to visit that as well, but given the recent snags in Vietnam that squandered much of my time, I'll have to hold off until later.  After arriving in Nanning, I rushed around in a taxi looking for a bank that would accept my bank card to withdraw money - things don't quite work as smoothly as you'd think.  Finally by evening, I boarded a bus immediately bound for Guilin, famed for its landscapes immortalized by generations of painters and poets alike.  Upon arriving in Guilin late at night, the pretty girl sitting next to me on the bus offered to call her friend to give me a ride to my hotel ($5 a night dorm bed). I have enough time to see nearby Yangshuo, Longshen and Guilin before taking a bus to Shenzhen on the night of the 16th and arriving on the 17th to head to HK just in time to fly out to India.  Rush, rush, rush.

 

My first impressions of China are by far positive; especially compared to Vietnam.  Just crossing the border at "Friendship Gate" was a surprise - for one, the mystical foggy mountain landscape so much depicted in Chinese paintings immediately show forth.  There are actually real expressways rather than mere dirt roads. Even in Nanning and Guilin, China seems thoroughly modern.  Perhaps the two Serbian professors I met in Halong Bay were right in their regard of China now as a first-rate world superpower.  I'm sure there are many part of China still developing, but the consensus of many is that, already, China is poised to lead the next century.

 

There is much to be seen yet.  After India I'll round back into China and spend a good 6 weeks or so touring temples and sacred moutains.

 

Lastly, sorry for not posting any photos - it seems that some sites like the one I'm using to host this blog is censored.  I'm only able to post via email.

Oh forget Hong Kong

The wonders of unplanned travel - as they say, all plans of mice and men go awry.  This will be my last post from Hanoi; I hadn't planned on staying this long here but some times you meet interesting people and schedules change.  Instead I am taking a bus to Nanning in southern China tomorrow and hopefully do a quick dash of the south to Yangshuo and Guilin before taking bus to HK.  I can't afford HK at all - apparently it cost $250 per day to survive.  OUCH! 

 

Anyway, after spending this many days in Hanoi I've come to marvel at it's ordered chaos.  The old quarters is interestingly divided into guilds or sorts: there's a street for shoes, another for paint, another for clothes, another for key makers, another for motor bike parts... so strange.  Aside from this, the constant annoyances from touts shouting at you has really gotten to me as well... there is only so many times I can bear "hey you, motorbike?"  or "hello, bannana?".  One kid keeps alling me "cheap guy" because i refuse to buy his books.

 

And finally, I've developed some sort of cough from the 5 weeks exposure to motorbike pollutantion.  the air in Asia is really bad but what can you expect from a country with 80 million people and 66 million motorbikes!  You can hardly breathe at some places... no wonder why so many where face masks when they're out.

 

 

Hanoi exploration

So, with some extra time stuck in Hanoi, I figured I'd explore the city a bit. Urban Vietnam itself is not all beautiful or exciting, but it certainly has certain definitive elements. There are some well-known tourist destination, but nothing really that stands out as striking after what I've seen in Thailand and Cambodia. Yet, the people are friendly and the police stand around doing nothing because there is almost no serious crime (aside from petty crimes of scamming tourists). Here are some flavor of what Hanoi is like, taken from my wanderings with the Swedish gals (who really really like to walk).


At the Temple of Literature dedicated to ancient scholars.


The room decorations of West Lake Temple outside Hanoi. The locals practice some ritual offering with which I'm entirely unfamiliar whereby they give roses, hell money, and fruits as oblation.


With some fellow travelers enjoyig the view of Hanoi over West Lake. Oh, and the moto taxi driver scammed us right after this.


The iconic single pillar temple in Hanoi.


Seriously, this is NOT the way to trip trees.

Halong Bay and back to Hanoi

Still stranded in Hanoi for now. The only highlight is that I got to take a 2 day 1 night boat tour out to famed Halong Bay for some site-seeing: $29 for the entire package of 4 hour bus ride, 1 hour boat ride to the bay (round trip),kayaking, all meals inclusive, and overnight stay on the boat - not a bad deal. Along the way I met two very nice Austrian girls to who've invited me to visit them in Austria. Raves aside, Halong bay is a must see for anyone visiting Vietnam; the scenery is just phenomenal, especially on a clear day where you can see cascading layers of limestone karst fading in the the distance on the open sea.

Nice sunset shot of karst at Halong Bay.

Fruit vendors who drift their boats up to tourist cruiser boats trying to sell something.

Inside one of the huge caves of Halong Bay.

Upon returning to Hanoi, I was refused a hotel room at the place the two Austrians were staying due to my lack of a passport! I'm due to pick up my new visa tomorrow (just in time to exit the country hopefully). Anyway, I ended up wandering back to the dorm style hostel I had stay last Friday and met a couple of Swedish girls. We grabbed dinner and then strolled through the old quarters of Hanoi again. The scene is very lively and quintessentially Vietnam. However, it was a bit shocking to see the number of disfigured, deformed, and/and maimed; no doubt, all these are due to the hundreds of thousands of land mines left behind by both sides of the war, and the chemical agents used by the Americans during the conflict that have subsequently cause tens of thousands of birth defects. Despite that, the soul of the country seems to be moving on.

Maybe I'll visit Ho Chi Minh's preserved body tomorrow.

Hanoi

Yesterday I arrived in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, after a long 13 hour bus ride. Of course, we were just dropped off randomly on some street side in the city. The few girls I sat next to on the bus didn't any booking for room or transfers, so of course the vultures swoop down declaring they're from the bus company and shoved them in a random taxi and drove off. They're safe some where, it's just that the lack of system in Asia is so pervasive. Myself and a few others who actually had an address to go to got left out in the cold street waiting for our "free taxi" that never came. Oh well.

First thing on the agenda was to hit the immigration office in central Hanoi and try to secure my visa. Well, as expected they're no help and I'm told to go to a tourist office to apply for one. But damn it, all the tourist visa told me to go to immigration! I still have an expired visa, but at least I havent' been arrested yet :) Oh yeah, my Citibank card is a no show as well.

Anyway, after finding a room at Hanoi Backpackers (the first European style bunk bed set-up I'v seen in Vietnam, $7.50/night), I spent the day wandering the streets of the Old Quarter in Hanoi. Gotta say, I like Hanoi more than Saigon, it's just too crowded. It's a lovely city with many things that are definitive to Vietnam: conical hats, touts screaming "hey, motorbike?" every 30 feet, street stalls, etc. Sorry, no photos yet as I'm totally in a rush to get to HongKong by the 17th.

I booked a 2-day boat tour for $29 and will be heading out to Halong Bay in 1/2 hour to tour the picturesque scenery and spending a night out on a boat.

How do you know you're in a 3rd world country???

Well... if you have to wade through crotch-high, muddy flood water to try to fix your expired visa, that's how! This has to be the craziest thing I've done so far in Asia - and I already had some crazy things. In a mad rush to extend my expired visa, I visited the local immigration office in the city of Hue in central Vietnam. Unfortunately, it hasn't stopped raining since I arrived yesterday evening. The days of unrelenting rain has completely flooded the city. Imagine me helping push a motorbike through 3 feet deep water!! All the other bikes are stranded with water damage as well (but, apparently, this is quite normal for the inhabitants here).

I get to the immigration office to find all the workers there crouched and huddled on their desks with their pants rolled up because the water level is about a foot deep INSIDE the offices - and these are several steps up from the ground outside! Anyway, my visa is still screwed ... already expired; so they might throw me in jail. I'm taking the bus to Hanoi to try to rectify it.

In spite of this, I had a shockingly wonderful experience today with "uncle Bill", a former interpreter for the US marines during the Vietnam war, who works at the little guest house where I staid last night for $6 (again with satellite TV, AC, hot shower, etc). He's certainly got the foul mouth of a marine, I gotta say! He was kind enough to TRY to take me to see the ancient citadel and imperial tombs. Alas, those were flooded under water as well (I have pictures to prove it)... fearing for my own safety I canceled the remainder of the destinations. But what a great time to be on a motorbike in the pooring rain driving through 12" deep water with uncle Bill cursing off everything from his x-wife to the bad weather to the local corruption.

Well, I got a 13 hour bus ride through the night, sitting upright.

Visa snafu

Soooo now , I left Hoi An this morning to a misty drizzle and am stuck in Danag (biggest city in central Vietnam) for a few hours. I came here to try to sort out the visa mistake that the Viet embassy made in Singapore. Today is the 5th, my visa is due to expire tomorrow. After visiting the immigration office earlier to no avail, I'm told to handle it in Hanoi. I'm getting the feeling that I'm being given the run-around while they delay and delay unless you're willing to cough up some cash; which I'm not based on principle. The people here is so happy, why is the system so screwed up?? Nothing major really, but I suppose the tourist tax policy is pervasive no matter where you go.

It's pouring outside - in fact just 2 weeks before the entire region of Hoi An was flooded under 2 meters of water. I have 3 hours to kill before boarding a bus to the ancient citadel of Hue just 2 hours north. I'm probably pushing my luck with the visa, but I have no choice as I'm suppose to pick up my re-issued Citibank card on the 8th or so in Hanoi. So, the plan is to dart into Hue for one day and then take the 13 hour night bus and arrive in Hanoi 6am on 7th and immediately take care of the Visa issue.

Haven't been able to post pictures because computer access and net access in Vietnam is not very reliable. Whenever I get access. Aside from visa issue, yesterday's visit to My Son ruins was OK (nothing is that impressive after you've seen Ankor). Met a couple of nice people along the way: a South African lawyer who I had the pleasure of political conversation and 2 beers with, and a Swedish woman on a business trip scouting for suppliers.

Travel people, it's enlightening!!!

Ah the strange marvels of developing nations

So, I've made it to Hoi An, a quiet "ancient" town, in central Vietnam - now thronging with tourist of course. I flew from Saigon to Danang ($40 for 24hr train ride or $45 for 1 hour flight?), then a bus to Hoi An for about $1.50.  The scene here is much quieter than Saigon and has definitely more a rustic feel despite the tourists. 

 

After checking in to a random "hotel" ($8 a night with AC, satellite TV, mini bar, hotshower, free internet access ...quite a deal), I find out that, for some inexplicable reason, my Vietnam visa is due to expire on Dec. 6th.  I entered the country on Nov. 27, and should have an automatic 30 day visa.  So, had to do the run around as there is no way I can leave by the 6th - I have to be in Hanoi to pick up my Citibank card on the 7th or 8th. Hanoi has no official offices to handel these matters. I'm told to go to the police station to ask; to which I oblige.  Things just work weird and slow in Asia, except for one thing.  I'm told to go to 88 Phan Chu Trinh street.  I make the 18 min trek there to find out it's a shop that sells GONGS, that's right GONGS.  So I trek back to the police station where the woman apologizes and says it's 68 Phan Chu Trinh street.  I trek back there, this time finding that it's an motorbike repair outfit.  Upset now, I go back to the police station and show photos of the place they've directed me to.  She finally gets on the phone to call whatever place it was I'm suppose to get to for the actual address.  Now feeling bad that I've walked the distance 4 times, she dispatches a police office to drive me there on motor bike.  This guy FLIES through the small town at about 45 mph through tiny streets and almost making bowling pins of the tourists.  Lesson:  Everything happens super slow in Asia except for traffic, which is warp speed no matter what the conditions are.  Anyway, my visa is still in limbo as I'm told that I have to go to a big city to attend to it. So who knows, the commies might kick me out before long. 

 

I spent the remaining evening wandering through the small town famed for it's really old Chinese style houses left over from a bygone era when Hoi An was a trading port.  To add to the flavor, the regione was recently flooded so the entire place smells like damp moss.  Most of the historic houses and Chinese association buildings here date back to Qing Dynasty architecture and is quite fascinating to explore. 

 

Tomorrow, I'll be heading to My Son, another ancient ruin of the Cham civilization - a site that even predates Ankor ruins by about 200 years.  Tomorrow afternoon I'll explore river and town area more.  Today's site of local children playing on the streets and cruising at night on their bicycles was really uplifting.  People are generally extremely warm and friendly all over the countrysides.

 

Incidently, as I've been bitten by all sorts of insects, I had resolved 2 days ago to by 4 meters of cloth and have a sleep sack sewn.  All totalled it costed me about $9.  Today, wandering through town I found one made of "100% silk" for $5, so I bought one for the hell of it as it was much more compact than what I have.  You'd think I'd be happy, but I crossed the alley and found one for $3.  Now I have THREE... figure I'll profit off some tourists later.

Again I bid farewell to the city of my distant memory

So it has come to pass, my little return home will be over by tomorrow morning as I'm due to fly out of Saigo to Danang in central Vietnam at 10:15am local time Monday, Dec 3rd. It's been quite a pleasant journey to revisit "home"; nothing of what used to be can be captured again, but hints, remnants, fragments of memories still resonated vividly, particularly the tastes of the food, deserts, scent of the markets and din of the noisy bustle daily life.

The brief stay here afforded much respite from the previously weeks of long travel. I'm worned a bit, probably tanned the darkest I've ever been in my life, and lost a few pounds; but so far it's been well worth the visit. The last few days have been spent catching up with my cousin, eating a lot of food, playing cards and touring a good part of the town. I visited my old alleyway and house (of which nothing remains but a lone grapefruit tree), visited my old school and courtyard that has not fallen into disrepair. Aside from that, I got an opportunity to fulfill a promise I made long ago to some one dear to repay a social debt. It has been thoroughly enjoyable and at times emotional... but every moment will be cherished.


Having late night clams and beer with the cousins.


A bit of serene beauty in amid the chaos in central Saigon.


A temple we visited two days ago with spiral incense hung - they burn for a full week.


The parking zoo that is Vietnam: motorbike storage below underground parking of a modern western style mall where a CK shirt can be purchased for $100; comparitively, a laborer's salary is less than $50 a month!! Talk about wealth disparity.

Saigon is by no means a beautiful city, but it has a unique character of its own and many sentimental attachments.