Merry Christmas Vietnam

Vietnam won some Asian soccer cup and HCMC went crazy. The funny thing is, on a world level Vietnam is as close to the bottom as you can get without actually hitting it. Anyways, this event coincided with Christmas Eve so there was tacky tinsel and lights up everywhere as half the city filled the streets chanting VI ET NAM over and over again all while waving giant Vietnamese flags. We took to the streets to watch the mayhem, chant along with the crowd as well as spray and get sprayed by cans of foam everyone was selling on the street. Next thing I know we are eating Pho, a traditional Vietnamese soup, at 4am from some street vendor. A Christmas to remember for sure.

Killing Fields

Mass graves where the bodies were dumped and DDT was poured over them to cut down on the smell of thousands of rotting human bodies.

Over 8000 skulls were recovered and put on display of the hundreds of thousands killed here at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields.

Yesterday was one of those days spent immersed in culture and history instead of white sand and surfboards. The killing fields, where the Khmer Rouge bused hundreds of thousands of Cambodians from all over the nation to be killed in mass graves, are only about 10 clicks outside of the capital of Phnom Penh. As we hop in our tuk tuk and head out everyone is smiling and waving as we pass by through the city, I wonder how such seemingly happy people could smile so much with such a horrendous past. It was a mere thirty years ago that the Khmer Rouge savagely executed close to 2 million Cambodians at a time when Cambodia only numbered about 8 million. These people were imprisoned then executed for reasons that are still unclear to so many. The feeling of seeing mass graves with bits of bones and clothes still in them will stay we me forever and to think the people of Cambodia live each day knowing someone involved, whether executed or executioner. I am not sure what else to say except it makes whatever problems I have in my life seem so trivial compared to such atrocities like this and so many others that have happened and continue to happen.

Phnom Penh

Tuk Tuk drivers taking a little mid day siesta.

Rice terraces growing in the hills of Indonesia.

Indonesia...

It really is a vacation from all our vacations. Beautiful beaches, great diving and greenery everywhere.

Here's Anna with her new best friends. Well at least the two on the right, I think the one on the left called her a whore in Indonesian.

And here I am at one of the most amazing beaches, Gili Trawangan. White sand beaches, amazing sunsets, and mountains all around, can't get much better than that.

Here is the jellyfish that stung my camera and rendered it useless only a few days ago. Those things are more agile than they look...wait, that's not what happened at all. My camera was supposed to be waterproof, but no, what they actually meant by waterproof is don't take it in the water. Now Olympus is going to get a strongly worded email about their products...oh well, i guess it's just money. At least it didn't erase my memory card.

Gili Islands

Who would have thought we would leave India suddenly and land ourselves in a tropical paradise with true white sand beaches and water so many shades of blue you can't help but to be entranced in its splendor? But we did, and everything happens for a reason, right? From here on out it's about experience the natural wonders of the SE Asia, a little different from the cultural wonders of India. We just finished our scuba diving open water course and now we can finally relax on this amazing island. While we were having fun diving everyday at least once, it was tiring watching all those boring videos and actually doing homework when you can see one of the most amazing beaches only a few feet away. Both of us are glad we can call ourselves dive masters now, or at least we can call ourselves certified. Today is going to be a day to relax and recover from three days of the 9 to 5 schedule. I guess even vacation can be grueling.

Scuba

Today is our last day of our open water scuba course. So far we have seen a number of amazing devil rays, tropical fish of all sorts, and one huge manta ray. I have a good feeling about a shark sighting today, but we'll see. Until I get a little more time to blog, this will have to do. Now it's off to class.

Bali

We made it safely from one terror ridden country to another - Bali! No wait that's unfair to say; terror happens all over the world from London to Spain to the US to India to Bali almost everywhere, so we went from one amazing location to another. We met up with some friends out here and plan on renting a car and touring the island a little. It's beautiful here and we have barely scratched the surface. Our plan is to surf, scuba, and enjoy the beaches. So I think I am going to get on that starting now.

Hitting the Old Dusty Trail

Today is our last day in India. It's a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, I am excited to hike up volcanoes and learn to scuba dive in Bali, Indonesia. But, on the other hand, I will miss the food, sights, and people here. India brings so many emotions to the table it's hard to categorize them. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience this place, but now it's time to move on. Right now, actually, it's time to move on. We have to catch a flight, so this entry is short and sweet, but more to come later.

Mumbai...

We are no where near there! Arambol is about 9hrs by train and little chance that this attack is spreading across India. It sounds scary reading everything in the news about targeting foreigners, mainly British and Americans from what I've read, but the killings have mostly been Indian nationals. We are in an area full of tourist right now and I feel as safe as can be. Anna is a little worried but that's what she does. No one here really seems to be that worried about the situation unless of course their next stop is Mumbai. We met some Belgians who were supposed to take the train to the infamous train station in Mumbai then catch a flight, but, as any of us would, they are having second thoughts about that. That contacted their embassy who advised them to steer clear of Mumbai all together - sound advice. Although, another traveler in this internet cafe had a different, much more thought out solution for them. Flip a coin. I guess you never know were sound advice will come from, so keep your ears open.

Present Day

I finally caught up on a little photo tour of where we've been. We have been rushing around India and now we are going to hang out on the beach for a while and take a vacation from all of our vacations. Rest assured, I got over my little stomach bug and am off to enjoy some bbq pomfret, regional fish, on the beach with our new Belgian friends over cocktails.

Arambol

And we made it to the beach for a little chill time.

LASSI LASSI LASSI!!!!

Some flags

I think these are used for toilet paper or something.

Katchenjunga

Me a top the world. Or at least near the third highest peak in the world.

Varanasi

Sunrise in Varanasi.

Taj

It's a camel.

Anna getting some henna

Main Bazaar, New Delhi, what else is there to say.

Lesson #1

Auto-rickshaw drivers in New Delhi will always quote a price at least 2 times higher than the real fare: Lesson #1

Train Food...

It makes the train food in Alaska seem like heaven. We both had dinner on the train - dhal, veg, rice - and paid for it. Let's just say the trains have squatty potties and I still feel that dhal floating around wrecking havoc on my insides. I haven't eaten a real meal in a couple of days, but on the upside, we are on our way to the beach in an hour or so. The only problem is we are wait listed for our train, so who knows if we are even going to get on. Oh yeah, and it's really hot here in Chennai. The system tells me I only have a couple minutes left, so until next time. Pray from my stomach.

Anna's new bf

Anna left me for this dude, but I guess he had some good jokes.

Looggies

Oh yeah, this picture was taken about 5 hours until a 20 hour train ride in a hard seat. Anna tricked me and said it was a soft seat, which was no soft sleeper, but it was the only seat left. Nope. It was a hard seat, the cheapest seat there is and it was a hard seat. It felt like someone had molded cement at an 85 degree angle then slapped some cheap fabric over it. I could have killed her, but then everyone around us started hockin looggies and spitting them underneath the seats, which put me right to sleep.

Finally...

Well, well, well. I finally found a cord that works for my camera and a computer that with support it. Believe me it was a challenge. From here on out, or at least until we find reliable computers, I will post only one picture at a time due to the likelyhood of a complete system meltdown or blackout. So, here I am at the Forbidden City, oh yeah I am going to start from China. It's not so forbidden if you pay 50yuan.

Yep, it's us

Here's a nicer picture of us in Varanasi. We took a boat trip to watch some sort of ceremony. It was like paying to go to church, but better.

Here I am schoolin the snake charmer at his own game.

Not the best picture, but here we are in front of the Great Wall.
There will be many more to come, but these are from Annas camera. I still haven't got the right cord for my gadgets.

Forget that last post, not the last last one

Thats it...

Forget that last post

I am finding my birth family here b/c back home I only have 5 followers on my blog. Maybe if I find them and sign them up to follow my blog, they will number in the hundreds or at least 6. I hate all of you.

Kolkata

We are here in the city of my birth, Kolkata, or as it was called then, Calcutta. It's nice to be back in the city even though the smog is still crazy. Right after we got off the train you could feel the smog scorch you eyes. We found a nice little hotel with marble everywhere away from the commotion of the bustling bazaars yet close enough we can walk everywhere. It's crazy to think within a few miles of where I am, I may or may not have blood relatives around. One thing I have realized on my own as well as from talking with locals is that I am incredibly lucky to have grown up where I did with loving family and friends abound.

Darjeeling

We need to escape the smog. It burns your eyes and lungs all while clouding your judgement. That offer for a lady of the night sounds a little enticing as you pause and realize this isn't some sort of Bollywood movie. No thank you, you say kindly and keep moving. So to fend off the heat we head off to Darjeeling a little resort town made just for that reason, to escape the heat and for us, the smog. It's a small town, of 100,000 plus, set with an amazing Himalayan backdrop. Tea beckons you at every corner and there are no hassels for rickshaws, cabs, hashish, money changer, clean hotel or any other service you MUST have. To sum it up, it's calm. I hit up a four day trek through the mountains to catch glimpses each morning of Everest and I'll call it K, the third highest mountain in the world. K has another name, but it escapes me now. It was one of those things. If you need more info than that, just google some pictures and be in awe, because the internet connections out here go in and out with the whims of Shiva or so I've been told. Bottom line: I can't post any pictures.

India style

Delhi boasted food so good I may never eat Indian food in the US again. It also clogged my lungs with smog so heavily I may never make it back to the US alive. Being in a place like this makes you jealous of what cities like Delhi have to offer, while longing for the fresh air and clean streets of the Northwest.
We settled into a nice little hotel off the Main Bazaar in Delhi for a few days to get ourselves acclimatized to the food and the hectic way of life. There are a few rules of India we realized soon after we arrived. Pedestrians are last in line, next the rickshaws, followed by cars and then the rulers of the road cows. It's true what you have read. They are everywhere and in everything. I wish I could upload some of my pictures, but this douche bag at a hostel we stayed at said he would leave my cord at the front desk b/f he left and of course he didn't. So, I cannot show you pictures of anything yet. Just google India pictures and you should get a good idea.
Anyways, we hit up the Taj the other day in Agra, then we were off to Varanasi to experience the mighty Ganga and her ghats. People here bathe in, drink from, and cremate their loved ones in this holiest of rivers in India. Oh, and did I mention the most polluted of all rivers in India. Not everyone is able to be cremated here, so those unfortunate people who are born as untouchables are rowed out to the middle of this grand river and their bodies are thrown in mafia style with weight tied to them. So what if the rope gives and the weight drops their bodies which may just pop out right in front of a child bathing. That's India and I am loving it!
Despite these and other stories you may have heard/read, we are both having the time of our lives and appreciating every moment. Soon enough I will be out on a trek through the Himalayas, but until then go Obama!

The Great Wall to Great Food

The Great Wall was just that great. Loads of people, too many stairs and too many stares. The Chinese have no problem with staring, so naturally, I stared back. Sometimes it worked but other times they would just stare harder and that would lead me, stubborn as I am, to stare harder still. Occasionally I would walk into other people as I had a stare down match with a Chinamen, no it's not Asian American in this case, please, across the street, but here everyone runs into everyone else because there are way too many people here in comparison to the amount of space. Overall, China was good, or should I say Great!...except for the food and the overwhelming smell of feces everywhere you go. The culture, the history the opium...it was all worth it. Now, onto more important matters - India.
Anna had had it with China, or at least that's what I gathered from the disgusted look on her face every time she brought herself to eat something and for that matter I had seen what I needed to this trip, so I was all about bouncing myself. We found a flight. It was last minute, so naturally, we paid for it. The original trip was supposed to take us across China into Tibet and then through Kathmandu and on to India - come to find out, that was a little more difficult than we originally thought due to the Chinese having a crazy strangle hold on everything within Chinese borders (please note: security cameras everywhere you walk, coupled with the fact that once in the country side, outside of the tourist circuit, you have to report your whereabouts to the police immediately). Anyways, I was onto India, right?
We boarded the flight, the flight attendants wearing saris, and serving whiskey immediately. I was the only male who didn't order two double shots of whiskey. I played it safe with a beer and a whiskey. But now I know it's not just me, whiskey is in my people! We started the flight and bam, better food than in all of China, an Indian airline meal. I should have known.
We landed, went through customs and looked for our airport picked, it was 4:30 am after all. It was no where to be found, so Anna made a call - they weren't coming. We caught a prepaid cab to the hotel. The cabbie tried to take us to another hotel, where he would have been paid a sweet commission, then after repeated nos, he filled up his already full gas to chat with some shady gas attendants. At this point, we didn't know if we were ever going to make it. Finally, after the cabbie asking around we made it to a dark alley that smelled of urine; this is it, or at least an alley. We found it. The Hotel Namsakar, which we originally had the reservation, sped us down the alley and we were finally in a bed, not the most cleanly, but a bed nonetheless. We made it.

Hot Pot

Today was a little mix of history, Tienanmen Square, with a little modern culture, 77 Plaza Beijing. First, let me start off, for those of you that don't know me and those that may not not know this side of me, by telling everyone I am a star. I know I told some of you guys this already, but now it's confirmed, I am a STAR...at least here in Beijing. Twice, not three times or even four, I was approached by "fans" who wanted to get a picture. So, naturally, I reached for their camera to take their picture. To my surprise, they politely said no and insisted I take a picture with them in front of the Mausoleum, yes the Mausoleum, and another site where Chairman Mao's picture lay. Other than the uncanny resemblance to Kumar, from Harold & Kumar, I can't say I understand any of this but, Anna can confirm it; I am pretty much on the same caliber as the guy from Prison Break, you know his name, here in China. So, the next time I am back approach me on bended knee and address me with the respect I deserve or at least the respect you would give that guy from Prison Break.