Sensations in India

Choosing India as one of the last destinations of a world tour seemed a logical thing a few months back. Being the second biggest nation of the world, it was announced to me as maybe the number one in contrast, craziness and around-the-clock surprises. And it's conveniently located in between South East Asia and Belgium, too. Utterly unprepared, I landed in Delhi two weeks ago. I have seen a lot during my travels, but this, India, is completely unthinkable. I organized myself a trip to Varanasi, one of the oldest and holiest cities and a true Hindu pilgrimage center. Via Agra and the Taj Mahal, I trained to Rajasthan, famous for its medieval forts and palaces, arts and culture.

Sunset somewhere between Jaisalmer and New Delhi

A few of the thousands stunning buildings. That is me on the right, yes!

Oh it IS true! The minarets of the Tai Mahal are slanting!

Cities are human ant colonies and excessively tiresome, yet a pleasure for all the senses. You hear the discussions of women dressed up in beautiful shiny embroidered clothes, you see burkas next to Sikhs wearing colorful turbans while you are being yelled at by 5 different tuk tuk drivers. Cities are covered by a thick layer of fog, maybe caused by the ever present burning aromatic incenses but more probably by burning garbage evenly spread over the city and streets - only when they are not being 'processed' by holy cows or pigs, often flanked by defecating lost souls.

This gentleman found a quite place to make a phone call

The moment you think you've seen it all, there is more. Burning dead bodies, a few people in a row pooping next to the train track, overcrowded trains, child labor, camels and elephants in the city center, babies wearing make-up... India has got it all.

Many kids work half time and go to school.

Don't know about this little fellow, but it's better than rag picking, no?

As I am trying to understanding the daily life here, far away from ridiculous tourist tours and AC buses, I am going wild with my camera and engaging in small talk with people in the streets. Every day I get more used to India, and the initial aversion slowly mutated into an understanding appreciation of India.

Getting specialised in portraits

Trying to integrate...

Today, I ordered myself some tailor made pants - the negotiation process, in which I skimmed the price even more by bluffing I knew everything about tailoring, took 15 minutes but resulted in the 'everyone happy phase'. Hands were shaken and I got invited in the ateliers at the back where I met the guys who were going to work for me the coming day.

Fun at the tailer!

But the adventure is not over yet! Tomorrow I will head off to Shimla, via the railway route "British Jewel of the Orient" from Kalka to Shimla, with more than 806 bridges and 103 tunnels. I actually made a great decision, a few months back! :) 

A time-warp to Myanmar

pictures coming soon!

Around one year ago in Nicaragua and just five minutes after I walked into the very first hotel of the trip, I bumped into Chantal. As we were both happy-styled solo trekkers, we quickly became a travel team for a while. Now, a year later, we travel together again on the other side of the globe, in Myanmar.

Isolated by a tourism boycott against its questionable political system, former Burma only became 'Myanmar' in 2011 and raving reviews from fellow travelers made me eager to visit this wonderful country. 

Myanmar's beauty lies in its people and architecture. It all started when I arrived in the former capital, Yangon, where I was surprised by the appearance of the women smiling at me, smothered in yellow thanaka make-up-sunscreen. 

Before meeting Chantal, I stumbled through small alleys in the dark without feeling uneasy - even when encountering those guys with their mouths full of blood-red juice. "It's all tradition!", I reassured myself...

After chatting and catching up with my new buddy over some 'cold' Mandalay-beers, we headed into the country.

First stop Bagan was a winner right away. For me and many others a potential world wonder (where are you, UNESCO? - inside; I actually met the man responsible for UNESCO for the whole of Asia!), Bagan and its surrounding plain is scattered with more than 4000 temples and stupas. Many of those conceal colorful murals and well-hidden stairways that lead to high platforms. 

At sunrise, we found ourselves in a surreal setting while we climbed a random stupa, offering us a panorama that I will certainly never ever forget. 

Second stop, Inle Lake, kept the magic going. A tour on the lake via floating villages, all of them specialized in impressive crafts, from pottery baking to weaving. For the first time I could ask the stupid question "does it hurt?" when talking to a long-neck lady. Next day, we left on a unique 3-day trek - totally off the beaten path via villages that never saw foreign visitors before. 

More up north, we became more adventurers than tourists, as buses are almost non-existing and the other option - trains - bounce slow-paced through the planes for looooooong days. Tourists became scarce and we sometimes felt like discoverers as we walked waving and smiling through villages, while people were staring at us as we ate, walked or even slept. Chantal can even mobilize whole families when she's taking pictures! Traveling here is truly unique.

But is time-warped Myanmar ready to fulfill what tourists expect it to be(come)? As we stumbled through the country, we saw that the 'tourist highlights' were suffering: it was no exception that all the hotels were full, that we had to wait an hour or two for our dish or that it never showed up. English is quasi non-existing, travel safety and health are quite questionable. There are still some areas where tourists cannot come, and new fights were signaled in certain areas.

And even if you just take a boat (two days, sleeping on the floor, dirty, etc.) down the river, you'll get reminded of its military regime - we saw a 18-yr old military giving an old man a few kicks in the face and the latter getting arrested. 

But Myanmar is Myanmar - things are changing now. And a few minutes later, a young girl gave us bracelets and I got invited by some men to play cards on the upper-deck. As the sun continues to heat up the sky, I wonder how things will go for Myanmar. I can only hope for the best. I can only hope that Obama's visit and speech today in Yangon - I actually saw him passing by in his car after waiting way too many hours - will speed up the democracy process. Go Myanmar! You're worth it.

How being a Hindu made me rich

I am sitting on a terrace, spoiled with a panoramic view that would take a book to describe - but I'll give it a try. Just in front of me, two Nepali men are fixing up some water boiler on the only roof that somehow interrupts the 180 degree view on a blue lake that reflects some Himalaya mountains behind it. On the left, a dozen of kids is playing with the new swing they got installed, apparently a nation-wide custom to celebrate the upcoming Dashain festival.
I inhale.
I exhale.
This is true rest. The two past weeks consisted mainly of getting up early, eating, walking, eating, sleeping.

Graham, Godspeed I found. I found it in Fleur, a slightly over-disciplined Dutch woman who walked so fast that I even had to let her go at the end of the 14 days we needed to get around the Annapurna's (!).
The Himalayas brought me the longest and most strenuous adventure so far.

Godspeed Fleur in action

A cock nearby screams as it would like to have some attention. It works - I look around; the sun is getting lower, like she would like to dip in the lake, and the temperature follows her slavishly. The host-lady of the guesthouse brings me my tea. She drops a tear, her husband had an accident while he was motorbiking to get the goat for Dashain (he was alright, btw, thanks for asking).
When she leaves, I remember some emotions I witnessed in Nepal; men chanting while carrying a deceased person on their shoulder - woman behind, crying. The old man, founder of the agricultural projects in the Mustang valley, who, after he gave me a tour through his house, apples, tea, walnuts included, got angry with other oldies after we gave him some small donation.

Next day, I wake up early. The lake is still cloudy and while still drawing butterflies with the kid downstairs, the parents invite me to join them for a ceremony to inaugurate the construction site of their next house. A Hindu astrologer and a young boy dig a hole, some offers are precisely thrown in while one of the men sings and a few moments later, I find myself with a tika blessing on my forehead... and ten rupies (10 eurocent) in my pocket. Looks like being a Hindu could make me rich!

Inauguration - everybody happy!

And so the story continues. Next day I had a delicious goat-dinner with the family. The goat eventually got home and I witnessed how the men slaughtered the goat by slashing off its head in one move. And that's even nothing compared to the action I saw performed today on a big yak...

Anyways, although Nepal is a country where spaghetti tastes like noodles and vice versa, the nature, the people and the adventure itself getting through it all made it once again an unforgettable part of my life.

Is that a ... cow on the road?

Again, we had heard a lot of different opinions about Hong Kong, but it ended up being one of our favorite cities so far. During the days we were there, the huge streets were mostly devoid of passenger cars. Instead there were lots of double-decker buses AND double-decker trams. Below, there was an efficient and cheap subway system, with the longest underground trains we have ever seen. (Of course, the traffic experts among us were excited.)

HK traffic in action

There was plenty to see and do in Hong Kong as well; from the astonishing skyline, to an impressive 'dragon fire dance' as well as a beautiful 'lantern festival'. But we knew what we had to do: blend in and experience the famous nightlife. One night, we met Paula, Eva and Erica, funny ex-pats who took us to the cool places and proved that, unlike some other countries in Asia, the party does not stop at 11PM.

 
HK's surroundings are also quite diverse with giant buddha's on hilltops, desolate temples, the longest suspended bridge in the world and even beaches. To reach these places, one day we took a pleasant yet speedy ferry through Victoria Harbour. On board, Dimitri and I had a (slightly odd) conversation about what we would do in the event the boat would start sinking. We were perplexed only a few days later to find out that a very similar ferry had found itself in a disastrous and shocking crash with 36 fatalities. Surely made us think.

Next stop was Nepal. Our first days in Kathmandu felt chaotic and unreal. We hurried from one "administrative building" to the next to settle our hiking permits as well as some of Dimitri's visa's. Walking through the streets of Kathmandu we encountered amazing temples in alleys and squares, but the streets themselves were not quite as inspiring. Large crowds, strangely placed shop stands, swirling motor bikes, cars, buses and even cows in narrow roads! The pedestrian is evidently not the king of the road, and due to the large mass of people, a lot of drivers never lift their hand from the horn. After dusk, the experience is even more surreal if you find yourself in heavy traffic during one of the frequent power outages, literally bumping into strangers in the dark...

The true meaning of life

It was all surprisingly stressful so we were glad when we escaped the city to commence our treks. The mountains of Nepal offer strenuous walks but with sheer amazing views along the way. It was at times a spiritual experience and one of the extremely friendly inhabitants of the region offered me the true meaning of life.

And that was also where Dimitri and I parted after about 11 fantastic months of travel. He will carry on the legend of the journey on his own, (but I hasten to add that my trip isn't quite over yet either). At the time of writing, Dimitri is tackling a treacherous 5000m+ mountain pass at the other side of Mount Annapurna. No need to worry, I have already received word of his safety, but I think I speak for us all when I say:

GOOD LUCK AND GODSPEED TO YOU DIMITRI!

Bangkok: it's all about the money

Wow! Bangkok is crazy. We met so many travelers who actually didn't like Bangkok. We decided to return to Thailand and check it out for ourselves. And guess what, we loved it.

Dimitri invested in transport engineering expertise and hired a mototaxi to cruise around the city. Check out these pictures!

The movie is even better ;)

Anyways! We got a cool surprise in Bangkok, when Nudjaree, the Thai cook school master of Dimitri, showed up. Of course, we never found a restaurant which could reach our own Thai cooking skills, but we forgave them all during our visits in the several temples.

We couldn't ignore the sex industry. Under supervision of Anne, we ended up in a kind of bar where enthusiastic girls were trying to dance in such a way we would become particularly interested in having a (paid) conversation with them. We can assure you: we only had conversations without paying. Many old men are hooking up with (way too young) girls and as the song goes, it's clearly 'all about the money'. We were kinda shocked, and decided to behave well and suit up - wait for it - literally:

Suit up!

So we went to one of the best tailors in Bangkok, Armani Tailors Studio. We gifted ourselves with trousers and shirts. Since these guys are not only super friendly and professional and they provided us with high quality clothes, we can only recommend you to pay them a visit when you'll be in Bangkok one day.

Bangkok is busy, bustling, bangelijk.

Hidden treasures in Cambodia

In Cambodia we encountered another highlight of the trip. One of the world wonders, Angkor Wat, is located in a mysterious and captivating setting and does not fail to impress. True, there are massive hordes of tourists arriving every day to take in the impressive sights and not without reason. However, the grounds and the temples are so plentiful that it didn't really feel jam-packed. It shouldn't surprise you to learn that scenes for Tomb Raider were filmed here in the past. Touched by moss, rain and time, one can't help imagining what magnificent structures once stood there centuries before.

Everyone's looking for Angelina Jolie... even monks.

"The wonder, the world wonder!"

At night, Cambodia revealed its true colors. The many tourists flocked towards busy nightmarkets, restaurants and nightclubs. Not exactly the lonely traveler feeling we experienced in parts of Lao but we can't exactly claim we didn't enjoy ourselves. This also thanks to Anne, the adventurous Dutch girl we met up north. Despite the fact that we tested her patience daily with our "special" personalities, she was still traveling along with us and secretly we were all happy about that. Not in the least because we proved an excellent late night dancing crew. Besides, she happily offered to carry some souvenirs back to Europe for us. Little did she know she would end up with four bags, including a Colombian machete. True story.

Great fun with Anne! We miss her already.

Our visit to the capital Phnom Penh was marked by the atrocities of the 'Khmer Rouge' regime of the mid seventies. We don't want to ruin anybody's appetite by going into the details but the stories we heard and the mass graves we witnessed, were proof of a darker side of humanity. A side that we haven't encountered much in our travels so far.

 Seriously Anne? Seriously???

After Cambodia we headed towards Bangkok in a horrible 20 hour bus ride with non-reclining seats and severely limited legroom. We enjoyed our first day walking around as zombies and taking in some of the peculiarities of this amazing city. Busy markets with heaps of street vendors, mixed with sketchy side streets intended for shady sex tourism. The end verdict: incredible palaces, imposing temples and great nightclubs. The city has it all.

Simply beautiful: Laos

When we crossed the Thai-Lao border a few weeks ago, we stepped into something truely magical and beautiful.

We discovered a country that is blessed with its nature, with a population that is ever-smiling and it gives you a true sense of happiness when you travel through. With only clear blue skies in sight, pouring rain will surprise you almost once every day, but it's no obstacle to enjoy Lao. If it's not a rainbow spanning between the mountain hills and the fluo-green rice fields, it might just be another smile from a Lao kid cruising through by scooter. After those daily showers, playful butterflies show up again and you'll dry up before you'll stumble upon yet another guesthouse on the itinerary.

 Having fun with the Lao kids

As we were ziplining in North Laos from mountain hill to insane tree houses and vice-versa, we spotted gibbon monkeys playing below us. We also met another gibbon, Rolf, a hilarious Dutch man who popped out shots and beers from his wallet as if it was rain from the Lao sky. Regularly, we lost ourselves in a late-night bowling game, while none of us could still throw a well-aimed ball.

Ziplining the "Gibbon Experience" adventure 

If we weren't playing bowling, we were dancing in Lao-theques, a kind of night club where the music is awfully loud and the people are staring at the group of tourists dancing Michael Jackson around another meter of beer - ordered by Rolf, of course. Or having a Lao-bbq. Or motorbiking around, looking for temples, even more temples, caves and waterfalls, sweating, joking around, swearing it was the last Lao beer of the week. Luckily there was Anne, an adventurous Dutch girl (happy birthday again Anne!), who tried to keep us calm at first, but after a while joined in the madness, meanwhile extended with insane Germans. If it all sounds a little bit chaos, you should have seen the two-lane bowling games. It was a bigger mess than the big bang itself.

Cruising through Laos with Rolf & Anne

Moving further South, we got ourselves some scooters again and joined in the slow paced traffic over bumpy brown roads and that seemed the perfect way to be waved at by Lao people. Even though most of the time there is no way whatsoever to communicate with them - they mostly don't even understand the words 'water', 'rice' or 'internet' - you'll still end up with them sitting around a TV showing some very bad karaoke, with a free Big Lao beer in your hand and a few smiling people on the other side of the table. Try to imitate a carrot while ordering your dish, randomly pop out the word 'lady boy' in a by definition lost conversation or order your breakfast singing, and you'll find yourself surrounded with smiles bigger than the huge mountain of sticky rice next to your inevitable noodle soup.

It's simply beautiful. It's Laos!