Hostels, Hotels, and Interesting Conversations
But, I have always maintained that I feel most comfortable in hostels. After
all, I get to pay nominal prices for a bed and breakfast package, and meet the
most interesting of strangers!
Take the time when I learned about the 70 year old grandpa who bikes across Canada, or when I set off with my new friends on bicycles to nearby wineries in Niagara Lake!
Take the time when I learned about the 70 year old grandpa who bikes across Canada, or when I set off with my new friends on bicycles to nearby wineries in Niagara Lake!
Some leave you just as lonely as hotels, and some do not hold the same cleanliness or safety standards as other hostels. In fact, after much convincing and informed advice, I have not spent a single day in a hostel ever since I left Argentina. Yet, I have had some of the most memorable conversations since I began my trip in December (2015).
It was an odd sight for me as I walked down a broad, paved road that was congested with vehicles and foot traffic, with my hiking backpack on my back, after an hour’s ride on a bus from the airport. Both sides of the road were flanked by restaurants serving alcohol to foreign clientele seated outside; there were massage parlours every few feet, and street hawkers blaring automated speakers announcing the delicacies being sold.
I still remember particularly observing one lady who would lie like Cleopatra atop a portable wooden table, just like the small ceramic models sold in souvenir shops across the world. She had Vietnamese facial features, a round body, and an aura of superiority that I recorded in my mind.
A few shops down and on the right, I found a small, long restaurant with two steps leading to a cement floor, 6 tables, four chairs around each table, and two tables lining the passageway every few feet. My new-found friend and I took a seat at a table outside the restaurant.
At the table next to us was a gentleman, obviously a foreigner. He continued to sip from his bottle of beer, while watching the road only a few steps away from his table. Looking down the road, all foreigners seemed to have the same past-time, while the local residents dressed to the ninths were entering the club opposite us.
In no time, the waiter brought a couple to be seated at his table.
The gentleman courteously left his table, asked if he could grab the seat on the outer edge of our table, and took a seat. In order to preserve my stoic yet polite façade, I nudged my friend – “Offer him some fries”. The gentleman refused. “Talk to him”.
One nudge at a time, one question at a time, and soon ensues an interesting conversation. He was from Canada, completing research on the air quality of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. The conversation was heavy yet humorous.
Hours later, just as fast as the conversation began, it ended. I have learned that these kinds of interactions are just as precious to me, as friendships that develop while travelling. #travelsuccess
After an hour’s walk from the resort located on the outskirts of the city, I
found myself walking along the steps of the Bathing Ghat. As I felt the hot steps under my
bare feet, I watched believers bathing themselves in the Ghat, and a few
tourists self-reflecting as they watched the still water a few feet from them.
The
steps were surrounding the Ghat on all four sides, and right opposite the gate
I had entered from, my friend noticed three girls sitting at the topmost step
of one set of stairs. Two were wearing traditional dresses from the state of
Rajasthan, and a younger girl was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.
This time my
friend nudged me. “Take their photo. Three women seated together. This is
exactly what you are looking for”. My conscience forced me to ask them whether
they would feel comfortable if I took their photo. One of the three ladies
responded. “Mine?!”. I replied back in Hindi, the Indian language I felt most
comfortable with. “All three of you, please”. To which, the younger girl said,
“No”.
I understand (okay a bit upset at the lost opportunity, but I understand),
and I walk onwards to a small stone canopy. Sharing that canopy with two other
tourists, both foreigners, I resisted talking to them. After all, I wanted an
authentic Indian experience.
But no sooner did we start, thanks to my friend, we shared one of the most intellectual conversations I have ever had on my trip so far.
The conversation was enhanced only due to the deeper knowledge of India
that my friend possessed. As we were sitting there in the dimmest of lights, all
others began to leave the Ghat. Yet, we continued talking, about pollution and
cleanliness in India, commercialization for the sake of tourism, respecting
local customs and religious beliefs, and the differences we experience
travelling alone versus with a companion. The one point that was raised time
and again was the need to have open discussions between and within countries
for continuous improvement.
The avant garde solo travelette in me, the rebel, couldn’t care less about cars and flights. In fact, my ultimate fantasy would be to use the cheapest form of transport to get anywhere in the world.
Put me in a bus, a truck, or a small boat and despite the hours of nausea and exhaustion I will recount it as one of my fondest memories. I guess I have a penchant for travel torture.
Once the tickets were booked with my aunt’s credit card, the advice I received was to refrain from talking, looking, and smiling at anyone. Oh, and no eating anything served on the trains. Totally unlike me! But I heeded the advice and not once did I even glance at another soul.
Ok, I lie. I glanced.
My movie-like desire to feel the wind and view villages passing by had been dashed! I tried to console myself; "Who cares if it is not perfect"! No use.
A few hours later, I was surprised by an unfamiliar voice calling my
name. My friend's friend had come to visit me in the train for a handful of
minutes, to give me a quick bite to eat while the train had stopped at Surat. Context
– I had bought a sandwich at the railway station in Mumbai when I set out, but
as it was not grilled, my friends and family told me it may not be safe to eat.
A few bites of the Dhokla I was given by my newest friend, and my mood was
uplifted in an instant! Isn't it amazing – how a network can be built across many miles just to
uplift one spirit.
I took autorickshaws in India, Cambodia, and Myanmar; intercity tourist cars in India and Vietnam; taxis in India, Vietnam, and Myanmar; local buses in India and Vietnam; overnight sleeper buses in India and Myanmar; and local and overnight sleeper trains in India.
I have learned how to find reliable intercity tourist cars.
I have even downloaded mobile apps to call for local taxis in India (Ola Cabs for cars and Jugnoo for autorickshaws), and other apps (m-Indicator) to find out when and where to catch local buses and trains, right down to the platform number and name of the train and bus stations.
It has been my driving force that has determined where I will stay and what mode of transportation I will use to travel. And, this has been a typical year for me where my health is concerned! I do not know about others, but I don’t think I have ever been perfectly healthy throughout a year. Lol.
- Bruises fade away.
- So do small burns (Although I know the key catalyst for my burns to fade away was a popular Mumbai cream called zakhmerooz)!
- I love sleep and it really helped with my heat-induced headaches and colds and coughs.
- I avoid antibiotics with all my heart, but once in a while it did speed up my recovery.
- Moisturizers really help with rashes.
What else?:
- Lip balm helps reduce the sting of dryness in the air.
- Hiking in the wilderness helped with my knee pain.
- Hand sanitizer is effective for mosquito bites.
- My insect bite gel was an excellent investment for particularly stingy mosquito bites.
- Painkillers were essential when I could not bear my menstrual pain.
And, finally, hurrah for WhatsApp when I missed my friends and family.
Winter marathons for youth and adults across India; seniors waking up early to catch the sunrise while walking in their local parks; youth playing badminton on the streets at night and practicing yoga by lakes in the park; and outside gyms in Vietnam and Delhi (India), so local residents can exercise any part of their body on open-air machines at all times of the day.
I guess there are only two possibilities – one is that there is no recourse for those who must travel for work and work in the heat, and the other is that those who do have recourse can find comfort under fans and ACs in restaurants or shops.
Kangaroo? Imagine - a 2-year old running around the entire house, singing at whim, pouring you imaginary tea, spreading powder on her face and yes, refusing to sleep!
Yet, I fought the urge to sleep and captured my environment on camera so I could really feel its power, if not in the present then in the future. There were also times where I admired the architectural prowess of heritage structures while battling with the knowledge of the pain and death involved in their making. In some cases, death has followed some structures until recently because star-crossed lovers have decided to leap to their deaths from them.
She was passing under an expressway when she asked me, “Did you see them fighting”. I hadn’t. To which she responded that she had once intercepted a fight by walking over and hugging one of the people involved in the fight. The person she hugged automatically calmed down. “Do you want to do that now?,” I asked. “Should we?”. “Sure!”.
A U-turn, a quick parking, and off she went to mediate. Not too long later, I saw smiles on some of their faces. Her presence had obviously made a difference, and she had spent more than a few minutes with them, listening to both sides and nodding her head to imply she had heard them.
When she returned to the car, I asked her whether she would return the next day and whether she thought she had made a difference. A practical person, she responded that she may not have. But I truly believe she had in that moment….
Some I have met who explain and assist me graciously. Others who care only for their self-interest, avoiding any services that may be in their professional package but cause them inconvenience. Still others who claim ignorance when they are alerted to their lack of service.
All this to say, I must learn that no trip is perfect, no person is perfect. But, I continue to be an ill-fated optimist that everyone has a soft, pleasant, kind, caring corner somewhere deep down in their heart of hearts.
In Vietnam, I spent USD $265 on a hike. Too much right?
After months of city dwelling, I needed it. After all, that is where I have always found pure happiness – amongst the trees!
With my training in Antarctica, I patiently waited for an hour on the second floor of a lean, tall, three story wooden structure. Staring through the camera my friend loaned me, I noticed something harsh and brownish on the lake surface.
I zoomed my friend’s camera to focus some more, and omg! There, far in the distance, after being told they were not around, I and only I saw the teensy weensy eyes of a croc! I took one hazy photo and then it disappeared, not giving me a second chance to hold the camera more stable.
But, the walk to the lake and back to the hotel was the best part of the experience. As I walked amongst the trees, I mulled over my thoughts while listening to cricket-like chirping around me, an orange jacket around my waist, and drinking my bottle of water in the humid heat. I realized how much I had missed hiking. Solo or not. This was #MyNature.
On this trip I have realized my best experiences may not necessarily be solo, but they must involve hiking, pushing myself, and feeling the incredible physiological and mental satisfaction of achieving something while being out and about, amongst the trees!
Case in point – Myanmar.
My favourite experience there was the ride along a narrow stretch of water that turns into a wide lake and then begins to be spotted with floating farms with cows and chickens, houses and shops on stilts with clothes hanging outside to dry, and tufts of green dotting the lake.
Despite the stopovers at the tourist markets and only one small child asking for payment (uncharacteristically) to park our boat, I enjoyed watching the clouds above me with squinted eyes due to the harsh sunlight beating down on me.
As I lay there face up in the boat, staring at the sky, I could feel the boat leaning forward, landing in the water with a whoosh everytime there was a dip in the river. Inle Lake is known for its fishermen who row the boat with one foot while using their hands to hold their coned nets and catch fish.
Many of us choose to idealize this picture and the simple way of life, with local residents bathing in the river, and their children fishing with makeshift rods.
I choose to remember this serenity of Inle Lake, and wonder whether I truly understood the economic and emotional state of its residents #MyNature.
India
In India, I enjoyed my brief, 90 minute walk from my resort, on the outskirts of Pushkar, to the Bathing Ghat in the city town.
Hiking in my Merrells in the desert sands, I felt I could tackle anything in front of me. Heat? Pshh! Sand? Pshh! #MyNature. I heard kid’s voices in the distance. Oh sweet village children; innocent, smiling, children. But my naivety was shattered.
First asking for chocolates, then for my bracelet, and finally for money, I wondered where their innocence had disappeared.
And, whether genuineness could be preserved while also building infrastructure, spreading technology, and encouraging tourism.
Cambodia
And finally, the environment was totally different in Cambodia, which took me back in generations to a time when a whole city was dotted with differently built Hindu and Buddhist temples.
Angkor Wat.
After a long drive in a tuktuk, hiking in the heat from
5am in the morning till 3pm in the afternoon, past trees enveloping the
temples, in the dirt, up each temple’s steep steps, along the temple’s
corridors, and finally sitting outside the temple by a murky, green lake
watching the sunset.
I could not get enough of it, gulping down mouthfuls of water and trekking in my Merrell shoes was the best feeling!
I could not get enough of it, gulping down mouthfuls of water and trekking in my Merrell shoes was the best feeling!
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In the past two months, I have learned that if one enjoys travelling, it
doesn’t matter if it is solo or with someone (only the right companion is required).
#MyNature is one in which I can be outside and push myself physically and mentally.
I have hiked in national parks, deserts, villages, and cities. I have experienced minor and rare incidents of sexual harassment, a fascination for foreigners, and commercialization and exploitation of tourists (local and foreign).
I have appreciated architectural prowess while feeling overwhelmed by my historical knowledge of wondrous monuments.
I have gone entirely vegetarian and experienced difficulty finding vegetarian food.
I have learned that there are advancements in the East that I have not come across in the West, and I have learned women are pursuing any and all professions around the world.
In all these experiences, one thing is for sure, I feel most comfortable in #MyNature, one in which there are trees and I can hike. In fact, did you know that Stanford researchers have found a positive relation between hiking and mental health!
#MyNature is one in which I can be outside and push myself physically and mentally.
I have hiked in national parks, deserts, villages, and cities. I have experienced minor and rare incidents of sexual harassment, a fascination for foreigners, and commercialization and exploitation of tourists (local and foreign).
I have appreciated architectural prowess while feeling overwhelmed by my historical knowledge of wondrous monuments.
I have gone entirely vegetarian and experienced difficulty finding vegetarian food.
I have learned that there are advancements in the East that I have not come across in the West, and I have learned women are pursuing any and all professions around the world.
In all these experiences, one thing is for sure, I feel most comfortable in #MyNature, one in which there are trees and I can hike. In fact, did you know that Stanford researchers have found a positive relation between hiking and mental health!
Before I end this post, I have been asked to share my tips on 5 essential
things I think every person should travel with. What I have learned I should
never travel without:
- Working phone – I used it to take photos, access maps, order taxis, and Google top destinations I wanted to visit. I also kept in touch via WhatsApp with family and friends.
- Hand sanitizer and toilet paper – So very important when I needed to sanitize any injury, when I found myself dotted with mosquito bites, and when I needed to use the bathroom!
- Menstrual underwear (yes this is directed to women) – I wanted to make sure I did not leave behind a large environmental footprint and that I was travelling light.
- Medication, including painkillers and cold medicine
- Local currency cash, and a valid credit card – No matter what Google tells you, I have learned not everyone accepts US dollars!
Of all these, except for #3, you can find the others at local stores and at
the airport.
My secondary list would include:
- Universal adapter with a high quality USB cable - I have come across so many types of plug outlets around the world!
- High-end portable charger – Smartphones run out of battery quickly. So annoying.
- Synthetic fibre clothes that can wash and dry fast. Super helpful!
- Excellent hiking backpack that won’t break your back
- Healthy snacks for midnight hunger pangs!
I am in the process of preparing a video to share all my experiences with you in Asia. Do stay tuned and thank you for continuing to check if and when I make a post!
P.S. There is also a new website (onewomanempowered.com) that will lead you to all my different social media accounts - Instagram for photos, my facebook page "One Woman Empowered", and Twitter. Please do not forget to leave a comment, and like my facebook page so you can continue to be notified of new posts, which will I hope be more frequent going forward!!
Wish you a perfect day!
Had been waiting for a long time for your blog. Lots of information. Would like to know more about the places n it's history n culture.
ReplyDeleteWebsite looks great, and your instagram pictures are amazing. I didn't realize you covered Galapagos and Macchu Picchu as well. I really like the tortoises' pics :-)
ReplyDeleteShawn
Thanks Shawn! Glad to know you're still following and supporting!!
DeleteForgot to mention, I loved the haircut story. I can imagine it now, the back of your hair totally uneven. I know when I travel, haircuts, shaving, and looking presentable takes a relative back burner especially in hot, tropical countries. Looking back on my adventures, I can say with pretty good authority, the gentleman saved you :-) Looking forward to your next post.
ReplyDeleteShawn
Lol. Thanks. I totally agree!!
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