Done

Done blogging.
Be well!

Pack your Bags

So....

I'm off on another adventure today...in a completely different environment, region of the earth than the previous 6 weeks of travel which focused on Asia...and this time, i'm bringing my best friends on earth--my entire family!

We are going to the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador in South America... My family has never been, but I had the fortunate opportunity to go 5 years ago with a dear cousin of mine...it was one of the most memorable places in the world for me...for my pictures from that fantastic voyage, click HERE.

I had learned about the Galapagos as a kid during science class at school...you know, the entire Charles Darwin, 'theory of evolution', 'origin of the species' discussion...and I was captivated...for around 14 years after that...I began to save up money, which culminated in my 2002 Birthday trip where I was swimming besides the giant turtles as a celebration to my birthday.

We will be staying on a boat for the entire length of the trip, and will be going to different islands everyday, hiking, swimming, relaxing, and enjoying nature... i'm sure it has changed in the 5 years since I went (and likely not for the better... more tourism, not as environmentally friendly, etc...)...

Since i'll be on a boat for that time, I will likley not have the opportunity to update the blog at all..since there is no internet.... i'll be sure to take tons of pictures, video, and take in as much as possible..

I'm happy to be going to my most favorite place on earth with my most favorite people..
Be well!

Reflection...

I am now home in the States for a bit, before I leave once again on another adventure in another continent...

It's a time for reflection..there are a lot of changes in my life right now.. a bit overwhelming at times.. coming home and coming back to the 'real world' is hard... i'd like to be lost in a cocoon once more..so much that I have seen in these past 5 weeks.. so much to write and think about...including saving my computer to save all the recent pictures I had taken before losing my camera...

Moving across country... having to unpack...repack my bedroom in my parents house due to remodeling...job starting in a few months...getting back into the swing of things in a place where I once lived...but have been 5 years removed... lots of changes...

Which led me to finding the above picture.. a diary (diroy) I wrote in during the first grade...if you read it.. it's quite prophetic...

Still jetlagged...and hating unpacking and getting my new room organized.. so much stuff to figure out..

--Krupali

Recap....

Thailand has been a great respite from my vacation elsewhere...sort of like 'back to normal civlization' for me, anyways.

The massages wonderful, the food incredible, the shopping fantastic... I just was overwhelmed with the amount of goodies they have here..

Tried and fell in love with mango sticky rice, ate millions of mangosteens, got massages everyday, and just sorta bummed and relaxed with some sight seeing in between...not much else...

Hanging out with friends...and trying to get my computer to work... it better work, it has all my pictures...

Still kinda sad about losing my camera...
Oh well...

Back to relaxing...

Thailand...

Yesterday I saw several temples, palaces, and things around Thailand...I love this country...

There is so much to do, see, eat, watch....

One thing is for sure, this place LOVES TO EAT!
You should see their malls, incredible. I am still going to the malls 3 days later... still amazed at everything I see.

I am going to miss Thailand when I leave...but I'm coming back...for sure...

Thailand--Awesome.

Yellow T-Shirts

Thailand is FULL of people wearing yellow t-shirts in honor of their king.

It's pretty funny and crazy. I mean, they really like their leader? Damn. I wish we did.

I wonder what color of t-shirt we'd choose in honor of George W?

Ohh... I'd like to say...but then i'd really be in trouble.

Okay, enough political talk.

Let's get back to traveling :)

The Bad, The Good, The Weird.

The Bad: Lost my camera.. left it in a rickshaw on my way back from visiting the Grand Palace and being denied entry secondary to wearing a sleeveless top (who the hell wouldn't in 98 degree weather at 9am in the morning?), even though I had a shawl to cover myself.

The Good: Tried to get my mind off of losing my camera, by going shopping in the Bangkok malls for 14 hours straight and watched the new Harry Potter movie (just finished book 5, and bought #6 in the mall!).

The Weird: You have to stand up to 'Hail to the King of Thailand' for like 2 minutes during their national anthem right before the movie. Makes me want to require saying the pledge of allegiance at every single event in the states.

Thai Massages

Had my first Thai massage yesterday...wow. It felt like a pounding into muscles, but it was great...and the Thai puppet show last night was amazing.

During the day, I ran around Chatuchak Weekend market with over 15,000 stalls selling things from dogs to bamboo baskets..it was in one word: CRAZY.

It's hot as heck here...and the humidity makes it even more uncomfortable...but in one word, Bangkok is: AMAZING.

I love it...today a few temples and the Grand Palace await...tomorrow I wander outside the city...then cooking classes... haha.

Good times.

Mangosteens

It's Sunday morning, and i'm headed to the market to buy the BEST FRUIT ON EARTH:

THE MANGOSTEEN.

I kid you not when I say that is ALL i'm eating for breakfast, lunch, dinner for the days i'm here.. I swear, it's a piece of heaven...the fruit is amazing...

WHOHOOOO!

Mangosteens ROCK!

In Thailand

Just arrived into Thailand...flight got in a bit late... and just am settling into my most gorgeous hotel...It's superb...raindrop shower, and normal shower....fresh sweet Thai fruit (their pineapple tastes like pure sugar)...and it's a modern/botique place located in the heart of shopping...

What made my evening wasn't the hotel...it's a person who I met tonight..a friend of a friend named Sandy.

My dear friend Roy is Thai...and when I told him I was going to Thailand, he told me to email his friend Sandy who is also a Cancer Doctor in Bangkok...We sent a few emails and then....

She was here at the hotel to welcome me....how sweet is that? She has massages planned, told me where to go tomorrow morning while she is working (the Sunday Market awaits me...taught me the public transport system!), and a Thai puppet show tomorrow night with dinner... she has all my days planned....and I thought i'd be meandering and wandering without a clue (as I normally tend to do while traveling). She told me she's been waiting for me to come for weeks and is truly excited to show me her city!

I'm sooo thrilled to have met a new friend...it's going to be a fabulous few days...very, very happy...and really happy to have Sandy show me around..we are quite similar in nature... she has outside interests from medicine (she paints and is going to show me her gallery!), and believes that the white coat doesn't define a person...(it never does, does it?)...

Tomorrow... wish me luck....getting to the market via Skybus and Subway...
WHOOOOOO!

People

Tigers Nest

There are some things that you see while you travel, or during life, that make such an impression on you…whether it be mentally, spiritually, physically… so many ways to make an impact—some good, and some not as uplifting—everything has a yin and yang, right?

Some amazing sights I’ve been lucky to see while traveling include Machu Pichu (which is breathtaking especially seeing it during sunrise), Mount Everest (which is just jaw dropping), Galapagos Islands (incredible adventure)…and now I can say, Tigers Nest in Bhutan.

I just came back from visiting this most holy Buddhist site in Bhutan, and it was, in one simple word: Stunning.

We started at 8:15 am from the base of the mountain…I did not use a mule to climb up…as one tour guide said, ‘it’s a spiritual place, try to walk and not use a mule’…so I took it to heart, and climbed, hoping that I could do it—as I’m not a hiker/trekker.

And climbing we did.

We were sweating bullets…our shirts were soaked at the half-way point. It was fortunately a cloudy day, so no hot sun beating down our backs, but it was steep, and muddy climb (monsoon season is on, so every night there is a bit of rain). We cheered each other on, as I found some Germans who I had met in Nepal who were with me today here in Bhutan (travelers have crossed my path so many times, it has been awesome that I’ve seen people and over and over again….)

When the clouds parted while we were at the half-way viewpoint, we saw the stunning site….and all of us sat down, in silence to take it in. We watched the clouds coming and going, hiding this precious site, and tried to take it all in. After a 20 minute rest, we continued…. Upwards…and onwards…

It was a journey…a fantastic one at that…and then we entered the Dzong…and it was such a powerful spiritual attraction…words would not be worthy to describe it.

We left our bags outside, as no cameras, or any sort of purse is allowed in, and our guide explained everything to us…we saw the cave where *(&&& meditated, and then saw the ‘Nest’ where the Tiger meditated…I could not believe I was here.

I had heard of Tigers Nest only a few months ago, while watching the Discovery Channel, and a show in which they were sending a couple around the world to visit some of the sites to visit the ‘1000 places to go before you die’ book (which I own). The particular episode I watched was on Bhutan, and I watched with mesmerized eyes. The couple hiked to this Dzong, and the beauty of it was enrapturing.

And now, I have seen it too.
I feel so fortunate and lucky to have seen it.

As we exited, it began to rain…so we slowly climbed up some stairs to get to a second view point and made it to the first viewpoint which held a cafeteria which fed us some lunch….we waited a bit to see if the rain would die down, and then we left…hoping that the trek down would not be too slippery.

While walking down, I could not believe how much we had climbed up…walking down was much simpler..and I felt lighter…

Bhutan and Tigers Nest is one of the sites on this planet to behold. If you get a chance to go, take it, grab it, and just go for it.

And trek it…simply remember, that if I can climb it, you can too. Promise.

Thimpu

Saw Thimpu today..went to an archery competition, textile museum, arts school, monastery, traditional hospital...

Also found out it's a steep 3 hour trek up to Tigers Nest.
Damn.

Beautiful Bhutan

Bedazzling Bhutan

So, there IS internet in Bhutan...it came late.. in 1999...and there is BLOGGING allowed here (unlike China...), there is TV with CNN, and Indian TV stations, and it is fabulous.

The airport is quite small, and the architechture is Bhutaneese. They are only allowed to build buildings up to 5 stories tall, nothing can be built higher. The airport is located in Paro, around 60 km from Thimpu, the capital of the country. Small town, which we walked around in and had a fabulous lunch.

Chili peppers are their version of a vegetable, NOT a spice. I had chili with yak cheese, mushroom with cheese, red rice, and some veggie noodles. It was filling and fantastic. It was quite pleasant weather as well. The men wear traditional Dho's...and the women traditional dress. It is quite traditional, and fantastic to see it.

We then drove some of the worst roads (well the worst are in Arusha, Tanzania) which they are trying to improve by making it a 2 lane highway from the 1 way road on a mountain that it is. Most of the road workers are Indian. Bhutan has close ties to India, and the Bhutaneese dollar is equivalent to 1 Indian rupee (which makes my life much simpler).

I'm in a small hotel, nice, simple, and located in the heart of Thimpu. Life is quiet. Foreigners get stared at.... it's kind of funny. Today just resting, reading, and wandering--although the meandering is kind of muddled by the rain.

Tomorrow is sightseeing all around Thimpu....it's going to be fantastic.

Oh, and Bhutan filled it's maximum tourist visa numbers last year at 17,000. This year they may increase to 20,000--but it's still kept at close guard. They want to keep bagpackers away, and the 'weasly' sorts--per the tour guide, hence they keep it pricey, and keep the rugrats away.

It's 240 USD per day, which includes hotel, tour, and food. It's cheaper if you're in a group of 3 or more.

The year 2008 is the year for tourism. So Miss Annette, you're going to have a blast. The roads will be improved, and Bhutan will be coronating it's new king, along with celebrating 100 years of monarchy. Life is simple here. Family first, other things later.

Will try and upload some pictures. Be well!
-Krupali

Potola Palace

The best Yankee Tourist shot in front of Potola Palace.

Laugh your heads off.

Silly me.

Chitwan

My time in the jungle...sans electricity...that for me is NOT a vacation... mosquitos galore..and I don't take anti-malaria precautions, with the exception of wearing bug repellant (which I hate to do)... Humid..hot...and pretty uncomfortable 2 days...the elephant was my savior...and so were Harry Potter 1 and 2. Just bought 4 and 5 since I finished 3 last night. In Kathmandu right now, and leaving for Bhutan tomorrow, where there is NO internet...so blogging will restart in a few more days.

Travel Wear

I fly on flights (longer than 8 hours or more) wearing my favorite thing of all time:

SCRUBS.

Yes...I fly wearing a t-shirt and scrubs..nothing more comfy to sleep in...and when you wash scrubs, it dries QUICKLY..another awesome thing about scrubs.

I have tons of scrubs...used to want to be a surgeon or radiologist.. until I figured out I liked my sleep, and preferred patient contact and fell asleep in the dark :).

Scrubs rule.
If you see someone at the airport in scrubs...it's likley me!

By The Kilo

Just got my clothes back from being washed..it's funny..they weigh them by the kilo and charge per the weight instead of the number of pieces... finally got some washing done..i've been handwashing things regularly since i'm constantly on the move and not in a place for more than 2 days (if that) at a time...

Fresh clothes...for the few more days ahead.
Luxury!

Weather in Bhutan

Put a smile on my face.

Cold over intolerable heat any day, especially sans air conditioning.

:)