I'm in the Dubai airport now--almost home!! I'm reflecting back on the past 5.5 weeks and the travels through Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, and Nepal. I'm trying to determine what it is exactly that I want to take away from this trip.
The biggest truth I've come to understand through this experience is that we always have a choice. I've seen some of the poorest people living in worse physical and economical circumstances than I could have imagined--and yet, they choose to smile and laugh. Some of them have taken to begging or are reliant on the charity of others to get by, but none of them have surrendered to their tough conditions. They choose to be survivors, not victims. They accept their hardships and continue on. The love, light, and joy I have seen in these people's faces never ceased to humble and amaze me.
It's scary to think of going back to my life in California and picking up just where I left off. I don't want to lose the value of this experience. I am continually reminded of the story of the birds that go to a "flying training" (if you know this story, forgive me for butchering it). At the training, they all sore through the air for their first time and are thrilled with the experience. Then, when the training ends, they walk home.
I don't want to "walk home" after this. I want to find a way to help those people that refuse to surrender. I want to make a difference. And, at a bare minimum, I want to make sure I never forget that I always have a choice in my actions and attitude... why not choose to be happy.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sun Rays in Sri Lanka
So we did finally make it to the Hilton hotel in Sri Lanka around 6:30am today. Originally we were scheduled to come in yesterday around 5 or 6pm. I was a little upset about the delay because it had actually taken a bit of coercing to get a room at the Hilton. I had to send several emails to the US and Asian Diamond Status Customer Service Centers along with an email to the Colombo Hotel directly in order to get the room booked--and I hated to see all that effort go to waste if we were only going to have a few hours at the hotel. I had been quite perplexed by the difficulty in booking the room at the Colombo Hilton until we arrived in Sri Lanka and realized that they were hosting the Cricket World Cup (keeping up on the news had proved to be a difficult task) at a stadium in Colombo just minutes from our hotel.
Luckily, dealing with the Hilton folks in Colombo (once the reservation had been established) proved to be much easier... and it definitely helped that I was able to pull out my Diamond Status card (such a blessing on this trip!). The front desk guy was even kind enough to let us have a 5pm check-out, rather than enforcing the standard 11am check-out time. Since our flight back to the states wasn't until 9pm, that worked out perfectly, giving us time to sleep and still be able to enjoyed the pool, gym, executive lounge and other amenities :)
Heather went promptly to sleep upon checking in. I was a little restless at that point though. I did manage to sleep for a couple of hours, but then my frugal side (and hunger pains) kicked in and I decided it was important that I go get my free breakfast in the Executive Lounge before they closed--which was definitely worth trading an hour of sleep for--best breakfast I've had the entire trip! I also had time to thoroughly explore all that the hotel had to offer and get a workout in while Heather slept :)
We met up at the pool in the afternoon (where I managed to get a sunburn in less than 1 hour!), then cleaned up and grabbed a late lunch before heading back to the airport. It's a shame that we didn't actually get to go to one of the cricket matches, or see the city, but Sri Lanka still proved to be a nice break from all the travel as we prepared for our long flight home.
Luckily, dealing with the Hilton folks in Colombo (once the reservation had been established) proved to be much easier... and it definitely helped that I was able to pull out my Diamond Status card (such a blessing on this trip!). The front desk guy was even kind enough to let us have a 5pm check-out, rather than enforcing the standard 11am check-out time. Since our flight back to the states wasn't until 9pm, that worked out perfectly, giving us time to sleep and still be able to enjoyed the pool, gym, executive lounge and other amenities :)
Heather went promptly to sleep upon checking in. I was a little restless at that point though. I did manage to sleep for a couple of hours, but then my frugal side (and hunger pains) kicked in and I decided it was important that I go get my free breakfast in the Executive Lounge before they closed--which was definitely worth trading an hour of sleep for--best breakfast I've had the entire trip! I also had time to thoroughly explore all that the hotel had to offer and get a workout in while Heather slept :)
We met up at the pool in the afternoon (where I managed to get a sunburn in less than 1 hour!), then cleaned up and grabbed a late lunch before heading back to the airport. It's a shame that we didn't actually get to go to one of the cricket matches, or see the city, but Sri Lanka still proved to be a nice break from all the travel as we prepared for our long flight home.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Unexpected/Expected Delays
Today has been one of those fabulous travel days where things seem almost too easy, and then, suddenly, it becomes one of the longest days of your life. Our flight was supposed to leave from Kathmandu at 10:20am today, have a quick layover in Delhi, and then continue on to Sri Lanka where we had a luxurious night at the Hilton booked. However, due to fog, the flight was pushed out a few hours. They wouldn't even let us check in for our flight since the delay meant that we would miss our connection from Delhi to Colombo.
After standing to the side for over an hour a man took our flight information and said he would see what he could do. About a half hour later he came back and said the only option we had was to wait for a 1:30pm flight to Mumbai and then wait about 10 hours in that airport for a 2:10am flight to Columbo that would get us there around 4am (12 hours later than planned). Luckily, this will not effect our final flight to the states (which doesn't leave until tomorrow night), but we are very sad to be spending 12 hours in an airport rather than at a nice Hilton near the beach in Colombo :(
Oh well... you win some, you loose some. If this is the worst flight delay we have to face (and all of our bags make all the connections), then I will still consider us very lucky!
After standing to the side for over an hour a man took our flight information and said he would see what he could do. About a half hour later he came back and said the only option we had was to wait for a 1:30pm flight to Mumbai and then wait about 10 hours in that airport for a 2:10am flight to Columbo that would get us there around 4am (12 hours later than planned). Luckily, this will not effect our final flight to the states (which doesn't leave until tomorrow night), but we are very sad to be spending 12 hours in an airport rather than at a nice Hilton near the beach in Colombo :(
Oh well... you win some, you loose some. If this is the worst flight delay we have to face (and all of our bags make all the connections), then I will still consider us very lucky!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The End of the Road
Today was a day of uneasy silences and fast pace trekking as we reached our final day on the Annapurna Circuit. At breakfast this morning our guide asked for a 10,000 rupee (1 USD is worth about 70 Nepalese Rupees) advance--which seems reasonable since we hadn't paid him anything yet. However, we were under the impression that all bills would be covered on the last day and did not have 10,000 rupees on us, so it got a little tense and awkward--the fact that Dorgee's English is not great and we do not speak his language didn't help.
Once we got on the trail a man started following us. He stopped when we stopped and started again when we did. None of this help with the uneasiness in the air. On the bright side, it seemed that the fact that this was our last day on the trail really lit a fire under Heather's feet. She seemed to enjoy the hike much more today ;)
Dorgee told us we trekking for 4-5 hours today, but after only 3.5 hours we had reached the end of the route. It was only 10:30am at that point, so rather than stop for lunch as originally planned, we hailed a taxi and crammed in for our 2 hour ride back to Pokhara.
Dorgee had been working on changing our flight (he had booked us on a flight tomorrow morning, but we worried about possible delays and missing our flight to Colombo) and just before reaching Pokhara, he told us we would be flying back to Kathmandu this afternoon rather than in the morning. We were relieved about our flight, but sad to have so little time in Pokhara. So we opted to skip lunch and make the most of the 2 hours we had before we needed to go to the airport. Pokhara is a pretty cool place, parts of it are quite sketchy, but I loved all the little shops--especially the "North Face" stores where you can get high quality gear for a fraction of the price :)
By the time we arrived in Kathmandu, we were famished. So, we unloaded at the hotel and headed strait back out in search of food. Heather had been craving Mexican, and it just so happened that the first place we saw featured a few Mexican dishes (along with Chinese, American, Nepalese, and a few others...). I wouldn't say that it was the best Mexican food I've ever had, but hey, it was food!
Once we got on the trail a man started following us. He stopped when we stopped and started again when we did. None of this help with the uneasiness in the air. On the bright side, it seemed that the fact that this was our last day on the trail really lit a fire under Heather's feet. She seemed to enjoy the hike much more today ;)
Dorgee told us we trekking for 4-5 hours today, but after only 3.5 hours we had reached the end of the route. It was only 10:30am at that point, so rather than stop for lunch as originally planned, we hailed a taxi and crammed in for our 2 hour ride back to Pokhara.
Dorgee had been working on changing our flight (he had booked us on a flight tomorrow morning, but we worried about possible delays and missing our flight to Colombo) and just before reaching Pokhara, he told us we would be flying back to Kathmandu this afternoon rather than in the morning. We were relieved about our flight, but sad to have so little time in Pokhara. So we opted to skip lunch and make the most of the 2 hours we had before we needed to go to the airport. Pokhara is a pretty cool place, parts of it are quite sketchy, but I loved all the little shops--especially the "North Face" stores where you can get high quality gear for a fraction of the price :)
By the time we arrived in Kathmandu, we were famished. So, we unloaded at the hotel and headed strait back out in search of food. Heather had been craving Mexican, and it just so happened that the first place we saw featured a few Mexican dishes (along with Chinese, American, Nepalese, and a few others...). I wouldn't say that it was the best Mexican food I've ever had, but hey, it was food!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Welcome to the Jungle
We slept in today--clear till 6:45am :) Breakfast wasn't until 8 so that gave us some time to read, talk, and lie lazily in bed enjoying the view of the sun rising over the mountains--which was excellent. It was still cold this morning, but so much warmer than yesterday. At breakfast Dorgee went over today's agenda with us. He said it would take us 3 hours to get to Ghandrung (where we would be staying tonight). He said we would stop there for lunch, and that we needed to take showers there, then we would hike to a museum.
I tried to joke with him asking him if we stink, but he didn't take it as a joke, he just answered "yes" in a very matter-of-fact tone. Although, I'm sure we did stink. Once we saw our first "lodge" here, Heather and I agreed to go without showers until we finished the trek--which I was fine with, but apparently Dorgee is sick of smelling us, so alas, I did shower upon reaching Ghandrung. I should mention that the toilet, shower and sink are all in one small room, which sounds typical for a small bathroom I suppose, but the difference is there is nothing separating the shower from everything else, so the whole bathroom gets soaked when you shower.
I've gotten a touch ahead of myself though. I have to say, this mornings 3 hours of hiking was gorgeous (of course--everyday has been). We were in jungle territory today though so we saw (actually we heard them long before we saw them) lots of big white monkeys (and a few baby monkeys) in the trees reeking havoc on the branches as they leaped from one tree to another.
After a quick, almost hot, shower, Heather and I had lunch and then she stayed at the lodge while I went on a tour of the town with Dorgee and our porter. I thought we were going for a 1-hour hike to visit a museum, but it turns out it was just down a few rock stairways and around a few bends. The museum wasn't the most impressive one I've ever seen, but it was entertaining. It was in a little adobe house, but the lights didn't work, so we got three little flashlights and read about the artifacts and the typical jobs/days of the people that used them. There was also a latter like staircase we followed upstairs, but there was even less to see there.
Upon existing the museum, Dorgee asked if I wanted to see the monastery--which was kind of funny because it turned out to be a Buddhist temple (like all the ones we saw in Bhutan only not as fancy) and Dorgee is Hindu. After we finished exploring the temple, Dorgee led me to another building, which turned out to be a clinic of sorts with a helicopter landing pad behind it overlooking the valley. Dorgee and I sat on the cliff edge there and took in the valley below. It was a beautiful moment, and then, eventually, it started to feel a bit awkward, so I suggested maybe we should head back. Good times.
Heather and I tried to read out in the courtyard since we had the luxuries of time and sunshine today, but despite the sun, it was still a bit cold and we ended up spending the remained of the afternoon huddled up under our scraggly blankets in our room. I don't understand how the sun did not warm up our room (at all), but I will be so grateful to finally be warm again--hopefully tomorrow :)
I tried to joke with him asking him if we stink, but he didn't take it as a joke, he just answered "yes" in a very matter-of-fact tone. Although, I'm sure we did stink. Once we saw our first "lodge" here, Heather and I agreed to go without showers until we finished the trek--which I was fine with, but apparently Dorgee is sick of smelling us, so alas, I did shower upon reaching Ghandrung. I should mention that the toilet, shower and sink are all in one small room, which sounds typical for a small bathroom I suppose, but the difference is there is nothing separating the shower from everything else, so the whole bathroom gets soaked when you shower.
I've gotten a touch ahead of myself though. I have to say, this mornings 3 hours of hiking was gorgeous (of course--everyday has been). We were in jungle territory today though so we saw (actually we heard them long before we saw them) lots of big white monkeys (and a few baby monkeys) in the trees reeking havoc on the branches as they leaped from one tree to another.
After a quick, almost hot, shower, Heather and I had lunch and then she stayed at the lodge while I went on a tour of the town with Dorgee and our porter. I thought we were going for a 1-hour hike to visit a museum, but it turns out it was just down a few rock stairways and around a few bends. The museum wasn't the most impressive one I've ever seen, but it was entertaining. It was in a little adobe house, but the lights didn't work, so we got three little flashlights and read about the artifacts and the typical jobs/days of the people that used them. There was also a latter like staircase we followed upstairs, but there was even less to see there.
Upon existing the museum, Dorgee asked if I wanted to see the monastery--which was kind of funny because it turned out to be a Buddhist temple (like all the ones we saw in Bhutan only not as fancy) and Dorgee is Hindu. After we finished exploring the temple, Dorgee led me to another building, which turned out to be a clinic of sorts with a helicopter landing pad behind it overlooking the valley. Dorgee and I sat on the cliff edge there and took in the valley below. It was a beautiful moment, and then, eventually, it started to feel a bit awkward, so I suggested maybe we should head back. Good times.
Heather and I tried to read out in the courtyard since we had the luxuries of time and sunshine today, but despite the sun, it was still a bit cold and we ended up spending the remained of the afternoon huddled up under our scraggly blankets in our room. I don't understand how the sun did not warm up our room (at all), but I will be so grateful to finally be warm again--hopefully tomorrow :)
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunrise in the Fog
We woke up at 5:15 this morning so that we could hike to "Poon Hill" for sunrise and what we hear is a spectacular view of all the mountain peaks. It was difficult to get out of our beds and face the freezing morning, but we did eventually get our layers on and head out the door. We hiked by head lamp for the first half hour or so, and the the sky started to brighten. It was a cloudy day though with lots of fresh snow from last night's storm. The path was quite slippery, but we did eventually make it to the top of Poon Hill (elevation ~3,200m). Sadly, there was no view from the top :( We couldn't even see the sunrise through all the heavy clouds. So, we drank some hot chocolate and headed back to our lodge to pack-up and have breakfast before heading out for the day.
Today was a much easier trekking day and it actually included a fair amount of downhill between all the steep catwalks. It was, however, very slippery. With the melting snow and ice, the steep downs became quite entertaining. I was tempted to stop and video one group as the headed up an especially slick pass--but decided that may be considered a bit rude and continued on (it would have been funny though). It's amazing to watch the local porters wiz past everyone with their huge loads (which are usually strapped on like backpacks and then then they have one additional padded strap that goes across their forehead--yet they never use the hip strap on the nicer packs--I can't even comprehend how they do it!). There was one point in the trail today were I was busy focusing on my granny-like side step shuffle (with a cane/walking stick), Heather had her walking stick in one hand and was clingy to Dorgee with the other, and then the porters came, blazing down the mountain in flip flops with their 50-100 lb. loads strap to their heads and back (I should also mention that many of these porters couldn't weigh much more than 100 lb.). Truly astonishing!
We stopped for lunch today and I have to say, the menu's at these restaurant's in these tiny village continue to crack me up. They usually include most of the same things, but it's everything from soups and sandwiches, to curry and dal, to pizza and lasagna, to mo-mo (which is kind of a mix between a pot-sticker and a dumpling). They also serve custard, popcorn, apple-pie, and snickers rolls (basically a candy bar that is breaded and deep fried)...just to name a small sampling!
We arrived at our lodge around 3:30 this afternoon. Lol--just when you think it can't get any sketchier. We share a bathroom with about 20 other rooms. The walls are made of thin wood and there is a small hole which looks directly into our neighbor's room. The blankets are lumpier and even more tattered than last nights. However, it still beats sleeping on the cold muddy ground and having only the woods for your outhouse. Our room is on the corner, and actually has quite a breathtaking view of the mountains--it also feels like we might tip over into them, but hey, what's life without a little risk.
Today was a much easier trekking day and it actually included a fair amount of downhill between all the steep catwalks. It was, however, very slippery. With the melting snow and ice, the steep downs became quite entertaining. I was tempted to stop and video one group as the headed up an especially slick pass--but decided that may be considered a bit rude and continued on (it would have been funny though). It's amazing to watch the local porters wiz past everyone with their huge loads (which are usually strapped on like backpacks and then then they have one additional padded strap that goes across their forehead--yet they never use the hip strap on the nicer packs--I can't even comprehend how they do it!). There was one point in the trail today were I was busy focusing on my granny-like side step shuffle (with a cane/walking stick), Heather had her walking stick in one hand and was clingy to Dorgee with the other, and then the porters came, blazing down the mountain in flip flops with their 50-100 lb. loads strap to their heads and back (I should also mention that many of these porters couldn't weigh much more than 100 lb.). Truly astonishing!
We stopped for lunch today and I have to say, the menu's at these restaurant's in these tiny village continue to crack me up. They usually include most of the same things, but it's everything from soups and sandwiches, to curry and dal, to pizza and lasagna, to mo-mo (which is kind of a mix between a pot-sticker and a dumpling). They also serve custard, popcorn, apple-pie, and snickers rolls (basically a candy bar that is breaded and deep fried)...just to name a small sampling!
We arrived at our lodge around 3:30 this afternoon. Lol--just when you think it can't get any sketchier. We share a bathroom with about 20 other rooms. The walls are made of thin wood and there is a small hole which looks directly into our neighbor's room. The blankets are lumpier and even more tattered than last nights. However, it still beats sleeping on the cold muddy ground and having only the woods for your outhouse. Our room is on the corner, and actually has quite a breathtaking view of the mountains--it also feels like we might tip over into them, but hey, what's life without a little risk.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The day of rest... but maybe not so much this week...
Today was our first real day of trekking in the Himalayas--and oh what a beautiful day! Stunning views, fantastic terrain (a bit steep, but doable), rivers, waterfalls, bridges, charming little farming villages, hill side terraces of rice and vegetables, stunning winding rock stair cases up and around the mountain peaks... you get the point.
I think we climbed around 2,000 meters today over the course of about 9 hours--and it turns out Heather actually doesn't enjoy hiking, she just knew that I loved it, so she agreed to make it part of our trip (oops!). Luckily we do have a porter (guy that carries stuff) and a sherpa (guide). I figured that they would each take one of our bags and felt horrible when I realized that our one skinny porter was going to take both of our big backpacking bags and his own small backpack (the load must have been around 90 lbs--possibly more!).
Our sherpa, Dorgee is so sweet, there was a point when Heather wasn't feeling well, so he carried her smaller backpack for her for the rest of the day. He also makes sure to help us whenever the train gets slippery, and patiently waits for us whenever we can't keep up.
I think Dorgee was easing us into the sleeping accommodations with last nights "lodge" though. Today's was definitely a down graded--It was freezing, and had no lights. Luckily, it did keep us out of the snow though. It has been weird today to go from sweating in a T-shirt earlier today to sleeping in layers of clothing, socks, my fleece jacket, a hat, and my head lamp (to keep my ears warm), and still being cold.
I think we climbed around 2,000 meters today over the course of about 9 hours--and it turns out Heather actually doesn't enjoy hiking, she just knew that I loved it, so she agreed to make it part of our trip (oops!). Luckily we do have a porter (guy that carries stuff) and a sherpa (guide). I figured that they would each take one of our bags and felt horrible when I realized that our one skinny porter was going to take both of our big backpacking bags and his own small backpack (the load must have been around 90 lbs--possibly more!).
Our sherpa, Dorgee is so sweet, there was a point when Heather wasn't feeling well, so he carried her smaller backpack for her for the rest of the day. He also makes sure to help us whenever the train gets slippery, and patiently waits for us whenever we can't keep up.
I think Dorgee was easing us into the sleeping accommodations with last nights "lodge" though. Today's was definitely a down graded--It was freezing, and had no lights. Luckily, it did keep us out of the snow though. It has been weird today to go from sweating in a T-shirt earlier today to sleeping in layers of clothing, socks, my fleece jacket, a hat, and my head lamp (to keep my ears warm), and still being cold.
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