My suitcase is working overtime :)
December 25, 2013
December 24, 2013
Dubai Mall
Take every store on 5th and Madison plus most of what's in Soho. Add an aquarium, ice skating rink, waterfall, a few hundred restaurants and a few million people, and you have the behemoth that is the Dubai Mall!
December 23, 2013
My last day
I'm going to miss ordering room service :)
Heading to the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa later today!
December 22, 2013
Dubai
So you know that crazy palm shaped island in Dubai? Well that's where I am!
The view from Fairmont Palm:
So long, India!
It's hard to believe, but somehow I made it through 3 weeks in India without contracting a major illness, getting into a car accident or suffering digestion problems. And while it was overwhelming at first and comically frustrating at times, I can't deny it was a rich experience, one that I'm very happy to have had.
Houseboat at night
I thought it would be peaceful, quiet here at night. First a blaring radio, then children singing, drums banging, loudspeakers blasting chants from nearby temples. Now fireworks, and a group of boys bathing next to me, conversing, splashing, spitting. So much for relaxation! I don't think the concept of silence exists in this land...
See, doesn't it look like it should be quiet?!?
See, doesn't it look like it should be quiet?!?
Uh oh....
Stuck on a house boat for the next 20 hours and the menu is basically everything you are not supposed to eat in India - raw veggies, freshly cut fruit, lukewarm sauces.
Hmmm, lets see how this goes!
And the beer isnt cold. Seriously, it's a boat! How can you not have cold beer on a boat?!?
Neither the captain nor the chef understand more than a few words of English.
Well, it IS peaceful....
Lost in translation
A sampling of some of the conversations I've attempted:
What kind of vegetable is this?
Drumstick!
Huh?
(Big smile)
Camel milk is used to treat AIDS and cancer.
What?! How?
(no response)
Yuuuufrm?
Excuse me?
You coming from?
Periyar.
No, country!
Oh, sorry. NYC.
Turmeric paste is good for skin. It is antiseptic and good for spots like yours. (!)
These are freckles. They're from the sun.
(Skeptical look)
What year was this built?
Yes.
Kerala
I'm ending my trip in the lush, green, humid state of Kerala in southern India. The pace is more relaxed, the traffic more sane (there are traffic police here, what a concept!) The shopkeepers apologize for their northern counterparts.
I'm visiting Kochi, originally settled by the Portuguese, Periyar, the land of tea and spice plantations, and Aleppey to explore the backwaters by houseboat.
Tea plantation
Backwaters of Kerala
Chinese fishing nets, used for hundreds of years in Kochi
Tea plantation
Pronunciation
In India, no one can pronounce my last name. I would see their eyes widen in panic when they saw it, and then they would just mumble some wild combination of the letters. I get really annoyed with Americans and especially Brits when they say my name wrong (since its British and only 8 letters long), but in India it was such a relief. Their struggle matched my own in trying to say their names! So go ahead, Hindi speakers, pronounce it however you like!
Udaipur - the lake city
Views of the city palace and lake palace, where the Bond movie Octopussy was filmed.
December 20, 2013
Travel guide: book vs person
I think a combination is best. The local guide is going to have passion that can never be matched by a book, plus the guide can answer questions as they come up and help you explore places you might not go on your own. However, the guide books are (usually) written by fellow Western travelers and tend to highlight things that are unique from an outside perspective. My local guides have not traveled outside of their countries, so they lack the perspective to make cross cultural comparisons. Sometimes things I find really interesting strike them as banal- they are so used to the paintings / songs / traditions that they don't find them notable. Also guide books usually give information on sensitive issues (like religion) that might not always be appropriate to ask a local. I have found my local guides invaluable and crucial to making me feel safe, but I'm not giving up Lonely Planet!
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