Broken toe, broken brain?

Broken toe, broken brain?

Well it's a good thing that last night when I arrived in Kathmandu I possessed neither the energy nor the mental ability to write a blog entry because you would have gotten the most sad, delerious, and depressing thing I've ever written, because as my Grampie used to say, "I'm hanging on by a thin thread."

But alas, today is a new day, and after a much needed meal, hot shower, and sleep, things are (slightly) better than they have been since I arrived in this part of the world.

Part of me would like to say that things can only get better from here but I said that before leaving Varanasi and they definitely took a turn for the worse! Let's just take it one step at a time then...

I left Varanasi and took a local bus to the Indian-Nepalese border which is about 250km away. Would anyone like to hazard a guess at how many hours that took? 13. Yes, 13. Do the math. That's just under twenty km/h on a hunk of shit bus with Indian men spitting, snotting, and pissing around me. By the time I got to the Nepal border it was dark and I was mental and had no clue what I was doing. I was led by a random man to a table down the road with a sign written above it that said Indian immigration. Just a table in a shop on the side of the road with one man watching cricket on the tv who took my passport for a few minutes and then handed it back with the appropriate stamp. I then walked across the border and went into an only slightly more sophisticated room with a little Nepalese man who did the same thing. He had to leave to go and get someone to sign my visa though. The random man then led me to what I guess they consider a hotel. I can only describe it as a place where people go to die. In all my travels I have never stayed somewhere so awful and so sketchy, including the night I spent on the Mekong river in rural Laos in a room with plywood walls and drug deals going on in the room beside me. If you've seen the movie "The Beach" and you remember the room that the crazy guy Daffy kills himself in at the begining of the film, this was pretty much the room I stayed in. No electricity. No water. And I listened to men wreching outside my window all night. It was one of the longest nights of my life. Oh, I almost forgot, the best thing about this "hotel" was that it was called hotel paradise.

The next morning in my state of misery I broke my big toe by walking forcefully into a concrete step and then spent from 6:30am until 4:30pm on another local bus through rural Nepal. This time, the woman sitting in front of me vomitted out of the window and onto me! Awesome! The only good thing that happened on the bus was that a cute little girl asked me for my autograph. From India to Nepal I've gone from a circus freak to a celebrity. The bus through Nepal was crazy. Winding through the mountains on these terribly windy roads passing buses on the shoulder reminded me of the bus rides I took in Costa Rica when I was 17. It was sickenly scary then but this time around I didn't care. Part of me wanted the bus to flip over and crash down into a gorge just so I wouldn't have to be on the bus anymore.

So, I'm now in Kathmandu and trying to figure out what to do with myself. I've decided that this trip to India is much like the decision I made to go bungy jumping: something I felt I had to do in order to prove to myself that I could. Just like jumping off the bridge, I didn't really want to, but my pride made me. Stressfully, scary, and something that I'll never do again once it's over.

I've realised more and more while here that despite being a fiercly independent person, I do not do well without social interaction. Sitting on buses all day long and going days without having a real conversation in english with someone gives you way too much time to think. And for someone who already thinks too much and is a little bit on the metal side, a happy woman this does not make. I honestly think that over the past week or so I've thought about every aspect of my past, present, and future: every friend I've ever had, every guy I've ever liked, every job, every regret, everything. I know part of traveling on your own for an extended period of time is to award you the time and space to do this, but right now I would kill for a great conversation and hug from someone I love. Traveling alone can be so awesome but it ebbs and flows and unfortunately right now I feel so very lonely.

This I think is one of the major differences between me and my Dad and my brothers who always seem so content to travel on their own. I spend so much time while I'm traveling thinking about my Dad and wishing that I could talk to him about this trip. I know he would absolutely hate what I'm doing right now (quitting your job to travel around the world alone? No way!) despite the fact that he did the exact same thing at my age! And he was going to crazy places before it became trendy or normal to do so. I know he came to Nepal and India in the 60's and I would just love to be able to compare notes with him on what it was like then compared to now (Asia, Europe and New Zealand too!)

Anyway, I'm trying hard to soldier through. I met a nice Canadian girl last night from nova scotia who I'm hopefully going to get together with again. Count on those maritimers to go out of their way to be kind and friendly.  She's been living here for a while and volunteering so I'm hoping to get some much needed advice. I met with the coordinator of the centre for physically disabled children today and will probably go and spend some time with the kids there. I just made friends with a tabby cat who is now sitting on my lap and purring so I am now happier than I've been in a long time. Did I mention I dream of spike on an almost nightly basis? Sigh. Cats are amazing.  

Okay, send me some positive vibes! And for those of you who have done Nepal (alex, tim, Katherine, Tony I'm talking to you!) please send me advice re: anything, esp treks. Is there something quick and easy I can do? I'm still scarred (and scared) from my altitude sickness on kili so I want to take it easy!

Oh yes, and I now have my forth phone number in half as many months in case anyone wants to get in touch:
011 977 981 3565098

Much love from a gal with a few loose screws...     

Varanasi

I don't know where to start. I don't think words can describe everything that I've been going through and witnessing here in India. This country is far crazier in every respect than I ever expected. Every other place I have traveled in the world, even the slums in Kenya and Cambodia, have nothing on this place. The level of dirt, poverty, and harrassment are exponential.

Right now I am in Varanasi, which is considered to be one of the holiest Hindu cities in India. Many people do pilgramages to here because it is thought that if one dies here, they are released from the cycle of re-incarnation. You would think that because this place has such religious meaning that it would be less mental, but it is quite the opposite, it may in fact be the craziest place I've been so far. It is really interesting though. Varanasi is on the Ganges River which is considered very very holy. The river is supposed to have spiritual and healing power, so many people bathe in it, and pray in front of it. When people die here, before their bodies are burned, they are doused in the river. They are then burned in public, on the river banks at places called ghats. I watched many bodies being burned yesterday which was a very strange experience. There is a certain science it seems to creamating the dead, calculating the exact amount of wood it takes to burn one body. Also, if you are of higher class, you can be burned with better wood-sandle wood is the most expensive. The cremations are performed by people of the lowest caste (I learned that they were called the "untouchables" because no one wants to touch them on account of their handling dead bodies).

(stacks of wood ready for the cremations)

I think the worst thing about Varanasi is that the Ganges river is the most polluted body of water I have ever seen. The water is actually considered septic in many areas, which means that it is so polluted that there is no oxygen in it. There is something like 24 places along the river that pump raw sewage into it. The government knowingly does this despite the river's spiritual qualities and despite the fact that people bathe in and drink the water. This sickens me. Something I've noticed in the 6 or so days I've been here is that Indians have no regard for their surroundings. Its strange, especially for a country that is so based on religion and respecting faith, they have no respect for their surrounding environment. Other poor countries I've traveled to obviously have pollution and littering problems as well, but normally when you talk to the people, they still have a sense of pride in their country. They are proud of how beautiful their homeland is, and they do make some sort of effort to keep it beautiful. It is not so here. I haven't been able to figure it out. It's like no one cares about anything here. I know that part of it is the sheer population, and part is the lack of infrastructure, but there is something else too, its like they just don't care about destroying their environment and making everything as dirty and disgusting as humanly possible.

I've been told that the 3 worst places in India for harrassment are Delhi, Agra, and Varanasi, and I have now been to all 3, so I am hoping (praying) that everything else in India will be easier than this first week. I think I mentioned that I've cried a lot since I've been here. Yesterday was no exception. You should have seen how out of line my behaviour was yesterday. It's so hard to keep your cool though. I can handle people haggling me for money. I understand that. I'm white, I'm a tourist, they see me, they see dollars. But the disgusting men, I just can't handle! Train rides are the worst. I've taken 2 overnight trains since I've been here, but you can't sleep on them because I'm the only woman on the car, surrounded by Indian men, who just stare at me all night long. Sounds relaxing doesn't it? They even try and sneek photos of you on their cell phones. Its so strange their obsession with Western women, and tyhis obsession makes Indian women not very friendly either. Everyone is so shocked to see a bare arm, but walking down any busy street, you see men pissing and doing other not so pleasant things, but that is considered okay. Sigh, oh India.

Yesterday, while walking down by the Ganges, I met a British guy Duncan, who I tagged along with for the rest of the day. That has become my new M.O. I am "the tag-along." Honestly, I've never been that kind of traveler, but since being here, everytime I see I white face, I siddle up to them and find a way to tag along. It is SO much easier being with another person/people than it is to be on my own. When I arrived in Agra, I jumped in a taxi with a French man I didn't know. When I arrived in Khajaraho, I jumped in a rickshaw with a French couple, traveling to Satna and Varanasi, I tagged along with a German couple and British couple, and then yesterday, I was with Duncan. I have become the traveler that I hate! haha!

It's good to meet other travelers though just to have someone to laugh with, because honestly, when I'm not raging at men, or bursting into tears out of frustration, I am laughing my ass off. Everything is SO absurd here, that you just have to laugh. Example: yesterday I was shit on by a cow! I'm glad I was with Duncan, so that someone else witnessed that! Apparently, it is supposed to be good luck, but I'm not so sure...

(after being pooped on)

 (river ceremony)

(The Ganges at night)

Unfortunately, none of the computers here have SD card readers so I haven't been able to upload any photos (it seems that the USB cable that came with my new camera doesn't work, or I just totally don't know how to use it!) I really want to post some pics to go along with these stories, but I guess that will have to wait.

Tomorrow I head to the Nepalese border and then to Kathmandu. I'm really excited for Nepal. Tony Pringle's friend just came back from living there for a while, and his gf is still there. She's a teacher in Kathmandu and has offered to put me up and help me find a volunteering gig. I think I'm going to help out at a charity for physically disabled children for a while before I head off and do a trek in the Anapurnas. I think Nepal will help me chill out before returning to India for part 2. I'm still not totally sure about where I'm going to go, but I might check out Rishikesh in Northern India which is where the Beatles went in the 60s, and then head down to Pushkar in Rajistan before heading further south to Mumbai and Goa, and then ultimately Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the far south. Tim stayed with a guru near Channai when he was here a few years ago so I may go and check that out, try and deal with some of the rage! Its worth a try!

Anyway, this has been a sort of disorganized ramble, which is exactly how my brain feels! I'll update once I get to Nepal where hopefully things will be a bit less nutso.

Cheers!

1, zip, India

Well well, it has been an interesting 3 days, that is for sure! India is kicking my ass a little bit (or a lot) but I'm trying my damnedest to fight back! I am determined not to hate India as much as I do right now.

Whoever said that India is not a difficult place to travel is either lying or not a single woman. The feminist inside me hates me for saying this, but for the first time in my life, I really wish I was traveling with a man. It would be so much easier if I were. I pretty much feel like a circus freak here. I have never been stared at so much in my life (and I am including being in Kenyan villages where children have never seen a white person before). The men here are disgusting, and its really hard to take. And there are no women ANYWHERE. All you see is a sea of men. It is bizarre, especially for a country that should have somewhere in the range of 500 million women, they are nowhere to be seen. I never really expected that to be the case, especially because in East Africa, you see women everywhere. They are the ones that run the show. Not the case here.

I guess a lot of things have gone wrong right off the bat. I got ripped off on my SIM card (long story) and I got ripped off on booking a trip to three cities through a government travel agency (even longer story) and the icing on the cake is that i woke up after my first night with swollen hands and a swollen left arm (think Popeye) because I got some sort of bug bites that I reacted to which got infected. Great.

Delhi is a pretty awful city to be honest. I'm hoping I can avoid going back. It is so dirty, it is unfathomable, and the dogs, oh lord, the poor street dogs. There are so many and they make me so sad. The infrastructure here is so bizarre. They have traffic lights and street lights but then you see a horse/camel/donkey drawn cart being pulled alongside a bus, rickshaw, and taxi, all of them honking their horns, not for a real purpose, but as to say "I'm here!" The poverty is bad. And I know I've probably seen nothing yet, so it must be really bad. I think the most frustrating thing is that you can't talk to anyone, or ask anyone for help. As I said, there are no women around, so you must deal with men, and every single man just lies to you and tries to get money out of you. I think in the past 3 days I've burst into tears 6 times, all in public, out of pure frustration. It has to get better than this, right?

(Dirty Delhi feet)

I'm currently in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, and if Delhi is the worst hell hole I've ever been to, Agra is a close second. That is not to say however that the Taj Mahal isn't beautiful because it is, breathtakingly so, but I think because they know everyone comes here to see it, they can just treat you in whatever way they want to. I was surprised to find almost 100% Indians at the Taj Mahal. I thought that it would be a lot of white tourists, but I only saw a handful. A lot of Indian families, school groups, and men. Of course, the men. I had so many men come up to me and ask if they could take their picture with me. Again, I am a circus freak here.

Tonight I am taking a night train to Khajuraho which is where the Kama Sutra temples are. It is supposed to be really cool, with not too many people. They only bad thing is that my train doesn't leave until after 11pm tonight, so I have to loiter around and find something to do for the next 5 hours. Right now, I am in a nice email cafe, and I think I'll stay here for as long as they'll let me. It is my first truly positive experience in India. The man who runs it is very nice and kind, we have been chatting about India, religion, Canada, traveling etc. His friend teaches at Western University in London, Ont. I've learned all about him over a cup of chai.

After Khajuraho, I am headed to Varanasi, which is the most holy place in India. I've heard really interesting things about it from my friends Ben and Jeni, who I traveled with in Thailand. From Varanasi, I'm headed overland into Nepal for a few weeks--go to Kathmandu, go trekking, and maybe volunteer somewhere. I think Nepal will help me clear my head and get me ready for the second part of my India trip. That's what I'm telling myself anyway. I know it'll get better, it has to right, b/c too many people I know have been to India and loved it, so I'm giving it a go. If I weren't so stubborn though, Delhi would have put me back on a plane to Canada.

Send me good thoughts and calming vibes. I've told way too many Indian men to F*ck off today.
Cheers!

Intro to India

All I can say is "Holy Shit! I'm here!"
I am so exhausted after 2 days and nights without any real amount of sleep, so I will soon crash for the rest of the day, but just wanted to let everyone know that I arrived in Delhi without (too) much of a hassle.

One of the first things I saw when I got off the plane where two armed security guards with automatic riffles. Right. I forgot about those things. I managed to get myself a SIM card and an Indian phone number, but it was a process. I guess everything you do here is a complicated, lengthly ordeal, which I wasn't really expecting! To get a SIM card they needed to take my picture, get a copy of my passport, what is my fathers name etc etc. Crazy!

Anyway, for the next 8 weeks I'll have this number, so if anyone wants to chat or text with me, here it is:
011 91 9716894175

I took a public bus into New Delhi and got off at the train station, and with a few people's help, made it to the area where most tourists stay along  the "Main Bazaar" in Paharganj. I've already been hassled a million times by rickshaw drivers, shop owners, and weird men who want to talk to me, but surprisingly I have kept my cool. I found a decent place to stay and have already had my first Indian meal for about 2 bucks. It isn't quite as overwhelming as I thought it might be, but I'm sure its coming, so I'll try to be ready for it. The honking of car/rickshaw horns though is enough to make you scream. I don't think I'll stick around Delhi too long. Tim told me to check out the museum which I'll probably do tomorrow and then I think I'm gonna get a train to either Agra to see the Taj Mahal or go straight to Varanasi to spend a few days before I head into Nepal.

Holy moly! Can't believe I'm here!
Cheers!

P.S. There are A LOT of hippies here who I think have been here too long. Not to judge (well, actually, yes I am judging) I think they need to go home, cut off the dreadlocks, and replace their prayer pants with a pair of trousers. Just saying...

"The Beach," Lanta, and leaving...

Hello!
I know it has been a while since my last update, but don't worry-I am alive! I have just been soaking up the sun and surf on the southern islands where internet is not always the most reliable. It is currently 6am-ish and I just got off an 18 hour plus bus ride to BKK (complete with a black and white version of Avatar with no sound and a German man with smelly feet-natch) so I'm a bit alien-like, but excited for my last day in Thailand and pumped to pick up my passport with my brand new Indian visa and head to Delhi 24 hours from now!

So, what have I been up to? Well, last I wrote, I had just gotten to Koh Lanta and was liking it a whole lot more than Railay beach where I'd been before. Lanta is just so relaxed and chilled out. There are people there, of course, but because the island is pretty big, everyone has their own space. That is a very nice thing when it comes to beaches!

On Tuesday, Jeni, Ben, and I, headed to Koh Phi Phi which is the epi-centre of Thai tourism. Phi Phi is where they filmed the movie "The Beach." Because of that, and other mitigating factors (ie, it is beautiful) Phi Phi is known for being busy and expensive. I found that both of those things were true, but I didn't mind as much as I thought I might. Perhaps this is because I didn't spend the night on the island proper with all the other tourist yahoos, I slept on "the beach" from "The Beach" which is another small island just south of Koh Phi Phi Don, called Koh Phi Phi Lay. WOW. This was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done and mos def the best 70 bucks I've ever spent!

Before that though, we met up with my friend Ewan, and met another traveler from Slovenia named Joze (we called him "J") and did an amazing day trip on a boat ("I'm on a boat...") with just the 5 of us which was so cool because most of the time they pack tourists on those little boats like sardines! We we able to get some snorkeling in which was awesome because the area around Phi Phi has loads of sharks (small ones) and I got to see two while in the water! They are just incredible, the way they move, so graceful and quick. We also got to do some cliff jumping which for me was a tad of a disaster! As I was climbing up to the rocks, this huge wave came out of nowhere and knocked me down on the shell encrusted rocks, scraping me up pretty bad and taking one of the hilarious "diving" shoes right off my foot. Jeni and I then had to "share" her left shoe for the rock climb which was rather ridiculous. The thing I find interesting about cliff jumping is that no matter how many times you do it, and how low it is (and despite the fact that I have now jumped out of an airplane and off of a bridge) it is still scary, no matter what. Also, I was feeling a bit rough after my wave tumble, so I did a modest jump of 8 meters (maybe it was 4m?) while others did 18m. Eek! It was fun though. 

Our guide then took us to a little lagoon/bay to eat our lunch which is probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The colour of the water! Just unreal!

Next stop was "the beach" which is also called Maya Bay. Arriving wasn't as spectacular as I thought it would be because there were loads of people there and it is a small place. Once 5pm rolled around though, and the boats started taking people back to Phi Phi, I saw how incredible it is. At one point, my friend and I were the only 2 people on the beach! (Only 30 people camped over, and they had all gone to check on food etc).

I indulged in my first (and last) bucket drink which is a staple of the partying tourist in Thailand. Pretty much, they take the kind of sand pale you play with when you're younger and fill it with cheap Thai liquor, redbull, and pop. Disgusting.

Sleeping on the beach, under the stars, just meters away from the waves, and waking up there to see the sun rise, with only a hand full of other people, on pretty much one of the nicest beaches in the world (in my opinion) was a dream come true. Honestly, I fulfilled a fantasy of mine: who gets to sleep on a deserted desert beach?

We even did a group picture shot before leaving just like from the movie (lame, I know, but fun nonetheless).

The rest of the day was spent on the beach on the main island where, despite sitting in the shade, I got a killer sunburn that put me down and out for about a day. I also discovered the reason Thais hate Western tourists. His name is Bernie.

This picture is not posed which is ridiculous, absurd, and sad, all at the same time. He came stumbling down the beach at 1 pm, beer in hand, his entire body the colour red, and passed out unconscious next to us. Later when he came to, he told us a slew of ridiculous things, like that he is a "legend" and "local celebrity" on the island, and that he was supposed to start a job that day, and that there is nothing wrong with being an alcoholic. Oh God. I get so embarrassed by white people sometimes. Like, how can the locals not hate us with people like Bernie roaming around?

Anyway, we all headed back to Koh Lanta on the ferry that afternoon, and that night, we took Ewan to our favourite restaurant which we called "The Greek." I probably went there about 8 times during my stay and it was hilarious! We became obsessed with it, the food, the music (a Whitney Houston remix CD) and the owner's daughter who is maybe the most hilarious 8 year old I've ever encountered. Just take my word for it.

The last two days on the island I spent riding around on a scooter exploring. Only because the bike was manual (with gears) did I let Ewan drive it with me on the back. I did however make sure that we had a long talk about his unconscious misogynist need to not allow a woman to drive him around on the bike. Clearly, I had to!

One of the days, we got caught in a huge rainstorm and had to pull off the road and take shelter at someone's home with the chickens! It's funny how predictably unpredictable the weather here is. It'll be soooo hot and blue skies, and then around 4pm, a huge black cloud will move in and just pour rain. Downpour. But it will clear up in time for you to watch the sunset and have dinner. Convenient eh?

The sunset on my last night is probably the nicest one I've ever seen. I think it would give anyone's a run for their money. 

Also, there was a couple who got married on my last night which was also the full moon. Despite being a bitter, love-hating negatron, it was cute. Really cute.

Now I'm getting ready for India, which is wild. If anyone out there has tips or suggestions, I'm desperate for them! My plan so far is to stay in Delhi for a few days, then head to a place called Varanasi before heading to Nepal for a week or so. After that I want to hit up Agra to see the Taj Mahal and eventually make my way south to Mumbai and Goa, but I have 8 whole weeks to play with, so I am very open to suggestions!

I'm off to collect my passport and eat my last few meals of cheap noodles before 2 months of Indian food.
Much love!

Earthquake and Koh Lanta

I found out about the Japanese earthquake just after I finished writing my last post. It's horrible. I was able to catch some BBC news and it just looks awful. All my thoughts and prayers go out to those in Japan and their families and friends. It seems as though this part of the world has taken a real beating lately. But really it's everywhere. In the past year there have been major earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and now Japan, and terrible floods in Pakistan and Australia. I can't help but think that this is mother nature's way of showing us that we have done too much damage to her and that we need to stop. I wish more people paid attention to these things and thought about what kind of impact we've been doing to the planet. I can't believe that I live in a country where our prime minister doesn't belive in climate change. Maybe he should take a trip over to Christchurch or Haiti or northern Japan and try to tell the people that have been affected that.

It's a little bit nerve-racking to be where I am right now because I am in the exact place where the tsunami hit in 2004. But I am on the opposite coast of where the earthquakes are happening now and I'm only here for another nine days so I think I'll be okay. It is still freaky though to see the evacuation signs that they have posted along the roadof this island in case something were to happen.

Me and my friends Jeni and Ben arrived in Koh Lanta yesterday and it is so much better than where we were before. I've decided I'm going to stay here and chill for a week. Last night we went to the last night of a cultural festival called Laanta Lanta which only happens once a year and it was really cool. Traditional musc and dancing, food stalls, carnival games, and a night market. We got there on a motorbike(all three of us piled on) and I forgot how much fun motorcycles are. I just took Jenni and I on the bike down to the pharmacy which was so much fun. We found this amazing place to stay called Sonyas which is super cheap, clean, and friendly with free wi fi AND they have cats! In a few days I'm going to do a day trip to koh phi phi which is where the movie the beach was filmed. It's crazy touristy and really expensive so I won't stay there. I'm just going to take a boat there and see what paradise looks like!

Thai Tourism

Well. I wish I had better things to say about Thailand this time around, but it seems that in the 3 years since I was here the first time, tourism has really taken a brutal turn and the environment is suffering for it.

I left Bangkok 3 or 4 days ago and took an overnight bus down to the southern province of Krabi. The bus trip left something to be desired (I was stuck beside an old stinky Italian man who clearly doesn't know what the idea of personal space is) but I got to watch Inception and Salt, and even with Thai subtitles, they are good movies!

I arrived in Krabi town and hopped on a long tail boat taxi to head to a beach called Railay. There are lots of different kinds of beaches in Thailand--party beaches, family beaches, honeymoon beaches--but unfortunately they don't have a "lonesome backpacker beach" so I settled here, haha. Things here turned out to be more expensive than I thought (pretty standard) but I met a really nice British couple, Jenni and Ben, and because they are also cheap, we decided to get a "bungalow" together, and by bungalow I really mean wood shed with cockroaches! Anyway, its been nice hanging out with them the past few days because I was starting to get a wee bit lonely. I suppose when you do a big trip on your own, the happiness factor ebbs and flows. Don't worry, I'm not complaining, I know how lucky a gal I am, I just miss a lot of you people on the other side of the world.

The beaches here are nice, but crowded. The environment surrounding the beaches is beautiful. There are tons of limestone caves and cliffs jutting out of the ocean. The sunsets are pretty nice too.

Unfortunately on some of the beaches I've been to, they are littered with people's garbage which makes me really upset. There are a lot of terrible tourists out there who either don't have a brain or don't care about anything other than their suntan and the number of photos they can capture and it gets really hard for me to watch. I have gotten into a few spats with people the past 2 days--the first for the treatment of a wild monkey (honestly, I can't get into it, it'll make me too upset) and the second was today about throwing sliced green (yes, it was green) bread into the sea. As each day goes by on this trip, I feel better and better about my decision to leave teaching and go into environmental law. I just hope that I can make some sort of a positive difference.

Jenni and Ben just came from 6 weeks in India, so they have been giving me loads of great tips (and Tim if you're reading this, I need you to tell me where to go!) I'm nervous about going though because I know that the attitude towards the environment, animals, and people, is only going to get worse, and it's going to be really tough to see. Also, I still don't have a visa for India (I checked the website today and it just says in process) so who knows if I'm even going to get there!?!

Anyhow, tomorrow I'm heading a little further south to an island called Ko Lanta, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a bit better in terms of the consciousness of people, than it is here. Sorry this post isn't as positive as the others have been, but after a while you really start to think about your effect on the world in terms of tourism, and it's not that pleasant. It is so important to be a responsible traveller and respect the amount of beauty around you. I just wish more people felt that way.

Back in Bangkok!

Well, I have finally made it to Thailand, country number 5 on this trip, and its cool to be back somewhere where I have my bearings and know what's what.

My last full day in KL I went to the Batu Caves with a nice British bloke who was staying at my hostel and it was really cool (and brutally hot!)

The other thing I forgot to mention about KL is how AMAZING the food is. You can get Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian, and it is all so good and so cheap! A big meal with some sort of drink runs you about 2 bucks. I ate very well for those 3 days; it is literally is a vegetarian's dream! I made fast friends with the people working at Fatt Yan Vegetarian restaurant and they fed me well!

Last night (my first night in Bangkok) I went a little too far with the cheap, cold, delicious Tiger beers, and I paid for it big time today. Reminder: do not go to an Embassy where you have to line up for a long time to talk visas when you are hungover. It is NOT fun. I was at the Indian embassy to apply for my tourist visa for India because I kinda screwed up and didn't get it in Canada before I left. So, now my fate is in the hands of the Bangkok Indian Embassy. Keep your fingers crossed for me, because if it doesn't go through I'm going to have to change my flight and go to Nepal first instead. I find out on Friday if its a-ok.

I'm staying at the same hostel I did 3 years ago and enjoying the same cheap luxuries (I had a Thai massage tonight for just over 3 dollars). Not much has changed in the touristy part of Bangkok, which is somewhat comforting. Khoa San Rd. is just as tacky and crazy as it always has been, and they are selling all the same crap they were 3 years ago, but the new and improved version. Tomorrow I am going to look into heading south for the rest of my time here. A beach and a hammock are just calling my name!

Make sure you scroll down to check out my post from Malaysia, as I have now added some pictures.
Cheers!

From Melbourne to Malaysia

Well. I'm sure by now you know that I loved melbourne. My last day there I spent in a super cool neighbourhood that rivals any neighbourhood I've been to in NYC. It was lined in vintage shops, local designers' boutiques, and cafes. I treated myself to a ring made by a local designer (it's the first thing I bought myself on this trip so I don't feel too guilty although currently the Australian dollar is stronger than the Canadian dollar which made it bloody expensive-eek). I Also went to the queen Victoria market for the last night of its summer night market (it will soon be autumn in Aus. Weird eh?) The market was fun. They had live music and beer and all the same crap that you see at any kind of market anywhere.

The one thing that I saw that was totally unique though were hand crocheted neck pieces. They were so beautiful. When I get access to a proper computer (I'm currently on my iPod) I will post pictures. They were the kinds of things that I could see a hip bride wear on her wedding day.
(If you think they're cool, check out her website: www.handyhookyarn.com)

The next morning was not the best as my alarm didn't go off and I woke up twenty minutes before I was due on a shuttle to the airport. It's a good thing I take no time to get ready or I would have been in real trouble!
The flight to kuala lumpur was bad. Now I know I may not have the best sense of geography but I really didn't think the flight was going to be so long. Almost 9 hours later I was in Malaysia and because I flew with one of those cheap airlines it was a nine hour flight with no movies and no food. Brutal.

The minute I stepped off the plane the heat and humidity hit me like a slap in the face. I knew I was back in south east Asia. I got on a ridiculous shuttle into the city and watched all the old fogie white tourists freak out about everything. It's funny how when you've done some travelling you take for granted that the chaos in this part of the world for the most part works out.

Kuala Lumpur is bonkers. It's like putting a city from Cambodia into Dubai. The contrast of money and development to the poverty and way of life for most people is quite astounding which makes it rather different from the other places I've been in south east Asia. There is a large Indian and Islamic influence here and a lot of rules. They also have some infrastructure, like they have their garbage collected and a public transit system.

Many other things are the same as the rest of SE Asia though: the smells-incense, fried food, garbage, the sounds-honking horns, voices asking you to buy things, and sights-traffic, people driving on the sidewalk, street vendors selling all sorts of food.As much as I loved New Zealand I really feel like I'm back in my element traveling here. Today I walked around and took in some of the sites. There is a jungle in the middle of the city here surrounded by sky scrapers.

I saw a monkey and a kitten cuddling together and KL has the highest set of twin towers in the world which are the headquarters for, surprise surprise, a huge oil company.

Tonight I went to china town to the night market and got tempted by all the cheap knock off items. Louis Vutton bags and Tiffany's bracelets all for about twenty bucks. It's funny that the more times you see something, even if it's really tacky, you start to think it's nice. Don't worry, I didn't buy anything (yet).

Tomorrow I am going outside the city to visit a place called the batu caves which also has a Hindu temple with 272 steps leading up to it. I'm probably going to melt. It's the kind of heat here that as soon as you get out of an ice cold shower you get hot again.

Melbourne update.

I am obsessed with this city and currently trying to think of a reason to live here. Semester abroad for law school?
Anyway, for those of you who aren't on facebook, I forgot to post the link for all my NZ photos. Here it is:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2466236&id=13604583&l=e3de1eb201
Ta Ta!

Melbourne!

Well, it was quite the process getting over to Melbourne, Australia, but I am here.
Because I am a cheap skate, I decided I wouldn't get a hostel room for the night before I left NZ as my flight was first thing in the morning. So, I tried to sleep on the sofa of the tv room in the hostel for a few hours, passed out unconscious from 12:45am-2:30am and was then awoken by a hostel employee who told me I could not sleep there. Classic.

Packed up my stuff and got on a bus to the airport and arrived at 3:30am. Brutal. There is honestly nothing worse then not sleeping and being in an airport. That, and continuously seeing your trip nemesis everywhere you go (and yes my nemisi, this tall Dutch boy, was on the bus with me and at the airport too, obv).
Flight was awful. 4 hours and they don't give you anything for free, not even a glass of water. No movies or TV to watch and screaming babies everywhere!

I finally arrived at my hostel, napped, and took a walk around the city to then meet 2 old friends from high school, Sarah and Pete, who just moved here. We had SUCH a fun night. Out for dinner in a neighbourhood called St. Kilda at Lentils as Anything, a not for profil restaurant that serves great vegetarian food and is pay what you can. They even let us drink our own wine, despite the fact they don't have a liquor license (and we started a trend, others followed suit). We then went out for some drinks and had a grand time reminiscing about high school and Ottawa etc.

 It was a blast, and I'm actually really sad I don't have more time in this city because it is proper cool. I've been trying to find a way to describe it or compare it to somewhere, but I'm not sure if I can. I would love to come back here, and even live here. You just feel comfortable and at ease in the city right away. It has he neighbourhood feel of Toronto, the natural environment of Vancouver, and the history and architecture of a place like Chicago. And top it all off with a great cafe culture, cool fashion, and a good university, this is a pretty wicked place.

Tonight I'm going to go to the famous Queen Victoria night market and just tour around. Tomorrow morning it is off to Kuala Lampur in Malaysia and time to say good bye to first world luxuries (boo!) and first world prices (yay!). I'm excited though to head back to what I feel is my traveling element.

For those of you wondering...Spike is doing well.

Oscar Review

Well. My favourite day of the year is over, so I thought I would give a little re-cap of my opinions of this years ceremonies because clearly I love to talk trash after the fact, but I'm not home to do this with anyone!

So...it took me some pretty extreme research skills to find a place in Auckland to watch the Oscars. I guess it isn't as big a deal in NZ as it is in NA. I eventually found a random cafe that had the channel and agreed to let me and my friend Ginny watch for the entire 6 hours. We even took over the remote, because we were making so many demands about volume control etc.

What did I think of the show? Well, as happy as I was to watch it (it is my fave event of the year after all) and despite the efforts of the Oscars to make it more young and fun, I thought it was pretty brutal.

The beginning bit? Hasn't the MTV Movie awards done that shtick every year for the past decade?
And Franco? Jesus, Franco, why don't you know how to make eye contact with the camera? And why did you smoke so much weed before the show? His awfulness only made Anne Hathaway overcompensate and try really hard. Way too hard. And god love er, she's very charming, and perhaps paired with a different co-host would have been amazing, but her unbridled enthusiasm made me feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Speeches? Melissa Leo needs to GO AWAY. Sweetheart, you knew you were going to win, because you campaigned like a beast, so don't pretend to be shocked and surprised. Also, don't drop the f bomb to try and be"bad" and current! Her speech lasted about 5 minutes too long. Sit down. Bale's speech was better than his speech at the Globes, but did he forget his wife's name momentarily? Also, we all know he's an asshole, so, just sit down.

The best speech of the night I think was the screen-writter who won for The Kings Speech. Heartfelt, humble, not too long, and with something interesting to say. That's what makes a good Oscar speech. Portman on the other hand (and I almost died when her loser fiancee walked up with her b/c I thought he was going to go on stage! he was just helping her up the stairs though, fair enough, she's pregnant) thanked her make-up person and craft services and everyone she's ever worked with. I understand that these are the people that don't always get the recognition they deserve, but perhaps a nice thank you card, or lunch would be a better way to thank them because honestly, the 1 billion people watching you win don't give a care about your hair dresser or the person who did the lighting on a movie you did in 1992. Say something important!

Colin Firth, as to be expected was amazing. Articulate, humble, charming, amazing. God I love him. He can do no wrong.

I thought the best parts of the show were actually Kirk Douglas and Billy Crystal. There is something to be said about bringing out some old timers who know how to do what they need to do. Worst? Most of the rest of the show, esp. how the show seemed to have no theme or flow to what they were doing. Yes, we all know that Gone with the Wind was the first film to win best picture, and that Bob Hope hosted the Oscars a bunch of times, but do we need to see extended clips of both?

And the songs. Oh god, the songs. I so wished that Brad and Ang could have been in the front row to judge Gwyneth! She was awful. And the songs are just awkward. Can't they just show an 8 second clip like they do for best Actor and Actress which is a much more prestigious award?

Let's talk fashion. Hands down the best of the night for me: Cate Blanchett. She can do no wrong. Amazing.

A close second is Mila Kunis.

Many others looked good too which was nice to see. I liked Michelle Williams' classic Chanel look.
Who I thought was awful: Jennifer Hudson. Her breasts were vulgar. Halle Berry. I've seen that dress a million times and its not good. Marissa Tome. Awful. Annette Bening. Awful. Nicole Kidman! AWFUL!
My Mum and I disagree about Gwyneth. My Mum loved it. I liked it b/c it was different and a bit of a risk, but I don't think it showed off her stellar body. Scar Jo looked good, but I hated the hair.

One more thing I have to say: Sandy Bullock. Love her to death, and I loved her presentation of Best Actor because she is charming, funny, and doesn't take herself seriously. But, is it just me, or did she look AWFUL? Like she had been run over by a truck. Can we blame it on new motherhood, stress? I don't know, but I hope she gets it back together!

As for the winners, I got 19 out of 24 correct in the pool because of 3 upsets (Director, Art Director and Cinematography) and because I foolishly listened to my brother about the Shorts and changed my pic from the correct choice to something different! Ah, always go with your gut!