Future Visits to Bangkok

The place I stayed at in Bangkok is building a new Hotel right across the street.....Dang Derm Hotel.

I would definitely stay at the D & D Inn in the future. Cost was 550 baht per night ($17.00)...single room...own bath and air-conditioned.

The restaurant just down the way....by Madame Joe's....Ranee's is also a great place to eat.

Bangkok seems to be the gateway to other Asian places....so I know I will be back one day!

Working Transvestites

I don't know any transvestites in Calgary........I've only really seen a few performing on stage.

In this country you seem them everywhere.

They actually have day jobs.

You see them catching the bus.

You see them as sales girls in jewelry stores.

You see them as massage therapists.

They are everywhere.

And....let me tell you....they are all very well made up with makeup...nails...dresses and perfect shoes.

They even look better than a 'real' girl.

Can I say that?

My Massage Guru

My massage teacher....Porn....is really a nice lady.

I found out this morning when I went to say goodbye that her boyfriend lives in Holland. She sees him about 2 or 3 times a year.

I think he is half Chinese....she showed me a photo of them together.

Loads of 'Asian' girls here have boyfriends that live in other countries.

That would be the perfect relationship if you ask me.

Bye Bye Bangkok

I'm hanging around these last few hours waiting for my mini airport shuttle as my flight is later on tonight to Tokyo.

My big goal of getting my blog current is almost achieved!

Yipee...as I know that if I don't do this before I get home.....it will never be done.

I love Bangkok and the country itself....Thailand.

Great people and super awesome food!

I will miss it.

I Miss India

I miss India so much that I had to go to the Indian Market here in Bangkok....Phahurat:

http://www.bangkok-hotels-bangkok.com/phahurat-indian-market.htm

I know....call me crazy.

I really had to get a salwar jurta stitched and I had to look for an Indian Taylor....as all the Thai Taylors around where I am staying only sew suits and other professional type garments.

For 400 baht ($12.00) I got it done and I met a really nice Indian family in doing this! The whole family was in the little store. Grandma complains all the time about the lack of vegetarian food. The dad comes from Delhi. The mother was born in Chiang Mai...Indian parents. The daughter ..who is in her late 20's...speaks fluent english, thai and hindi. A very interesting visit...the first to get fitted...and the second to pick up the finished product.

Getting this done in India would of only cost me 150 rupees ($1.50).

I blame Grace.

She was on a sari and material buying frenzy and got me into it as well.

Peer pressure.

Big Bills

It's been really difficult getting large money notes cashed in these countries.

Both India and Thailand give you 500 notes...which is really only worth about $12.00/$15.00.

Exchanging a 1,000 note is next to impossible.

The ATM's need to spit out smaller sized notes.

OR........maybe they are TRYING to get us to spend more money.

Hmmmm............smart people if they are!

It works.

Say NO to Baby Travelling

I really cannot understand why parents torment their babies and young children by bringing them to places they should not.

Why bring them 'travelling' when all they do is cry and get sick?

Exposing them to a different culture at that age is not a benefit to anyone.

They have no idea what is going on.

Just the parents....which get grumpy....and all the other 'travellers' that you are disturbing with your yelling child.

I call this abuse.

It's sort of like over feeding a child.

Smiles and Kitties

Thailand is a great place!

Everyone smiles and it's a safe country for the kitty cats to wonder around.

No one will eat them.

I think.

More Movies

I purchased a few more movies:

• Gandhi
• The Kite Runner
• The Constant Gardner
• The Darjeeling Limited

Some of my past purchases from my start of the trip.....most purchased in Burma:

• 21 Grams, Babel, Crash, Finding Nemo, Little Children, Death Proof, Blood Diamond, Paris Je T'Aime and Crouching Tiger Dragon

I also got a few CD's.....Lenny Kravitz (Love Revolution) and Madonna (Hard Candy).

Let's hope these babies work back home!

Beautified Me

I spent 850 baht ($27.00) for the following treatments on Friday night:

• 9 step facial with vitamin mask......450 baht
• Pedicure & manicure........................200 baht
• Body Scrub.........................................200 baht

This country rocks for this kind of stuff.

Dirt cheap and they know what they are doing.

Where in the world can you get a 1 hr massage for 180 baht???

That's less than $6.00.

God bless Thai people.

Graduation Day

On Friday May 30th, I was presented with my Thai Massage certificate(s).

One in Thai and one in English....just for me.

How cool is that?

I will obviously not be a practising masseuse.

Sleepy Me

Early this morning....when I was still really sleeping....as I didn't have a great sleep (I was worried about my roommate attacking me)...I plugged in 10 baht to the wrong machine to operate the computer I was sitting in front.

Dummy Me.

They have these cool internet cafes that you just sit in front and plug in coin for time. Prices range from 30 baht ...80 minutes. 20 baht...50 minutes and 10 baht....20 minutes.

The internet cafe I found with all the loud kids is only 20 baht for 60 minutes.

Cheap cheap cheap.

Peace & Harmony

My horoscope I kept from one of the earlier days when I left Canada:

'You gain much in terms of wisdom and understanding. A strong shift in focus makes you more keen on achieving peace, harmony and balance within yourself, your life, work, family and the immediate and larger environment around you."

This might be true.

Especially the wisdom part!

Google rocks.

OD'ing on Food

I'm not sure if you can OD on having the same food everyday.

Pad Thai, Vegetable spring rolls, Watermelon.

Oh....last night I did have Tom Tum soup.

I'm going to go for another one as soon as I finish off my time on this coin operated internet cafe.

I love Thai food.

Friday Program

Today is really Friday...not Thursday as it says on the blog.

My day is pretty busy...........

AM: Finish off massage course. This really means .....get a message.

PM: Shopping and just hanging around. This really means....go to ATM and Internet cafe.

Evening: Pick up massage certificate. This really means....get a facial, body scrub, pedicure and manicure.

I love Fridays.

Subtitle Comedy

Many of the English movies shown in India or Thailand have been played with English subtitles as well as the spoken English.

I find this a great way for them to learn the language.

Problem is......the subtitles are incorrect 80% of the time.

'Sorry' is 'store'. 'Flies' is 'fries'. 'Duck' is 'Down'. 'Could' is 'Good'. 'Muslim' is 'Museum'

It's quite funny to try and follow the movie by listening to it and also reading the subtitles at the same time.

Every movie is a comedy.

Professor Tips

I meet this really smart guy on the train way back when who knows something about everything.

I found some scribbled notes with some of this advice...which was on pretty well every topic known to man.

Tip 1: Drink carrot juice everyday. It maintains youth. I can't verify that on google...but I did find a good article on the benefits.
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/carrotjuice.html

Tip 2: If you believe in palmistry....you should stamp an imprint of your hand every 3 months....as lines on your hand change that often. Having your palm read every 3 months will also reflect all these changes. I don't even care to google this one.

Tip 3: If you are having issues with your loved one....sit down and write a letter to each other. 90% of your problems will be solved this way as you then sit down and discuss the letter with each other. Now that makes perfect sense to me. No need to google verify that.

I Love Bangkok

There is so much to do here in this fabulous city!

Because I did a lot of stuff last time I was in Bangkok and Northern Thailand.....I am just hanging around not doing much.

Things I am not doing:

• I am not going to hang out by the pool. It's full of twenty year olds. It's good to see that some of their bodies look like shit. Cellulite is not a great thing when you are 20 years old. Neither is fat. Or.......super bleached hair.
• I am not going to another temple. I've seen enough religious places.
  
• I am not going drinking. I'm spending what little money I have on material things.
• I am not getting a tattoo. Oh....I might have to rethink that.

Things I am doing:

• Eating. I can't stop. I love the food here.
• Shopping. It's a need.
• Going to internet cafes. Air-condition need.

I love my life.

10 Commandments To Be A Summer Babe

I thought I should buy Cosmo and keep up with all the twenty year olds.........

1. Thou shalt not skip thy meals.
2. Thou shalt not be a lazy slob.
3. Thou shalt not be afraid of color.
4. Thou shalt not ignore thy appendages.
5. Thou shalt not be a bear.
6. Thou shalt not punish thy hair.
7. Thou shalt not make a messy hairdo.
8. Thou shalt not be ashamed of thyself.
9. Thou shalt not ignore SPF.
10. Thou shalt not berate thyself.

Thai Massage Confusion

I'm having a tough time trying to understand my Thai massage instructor...Porn.

I had forgotten how bad her English was.

'Pu' 'Pus' 'Clack' 'Clack' 'Meber' 'Tree' 'Rock' I can go on forever.

I've given up.

I have 3 hours left in my course.

I think I'll just have her fill the time by giving me a massage like she did this morning on my last hour of instruction.

She is really good at what she does....she just cannot communicate it.

Good thing I don't have an exam.

No Tobacco Police

The Tourist Police....about 8 of them...just walked into this Internet spot and told us that it's NO tobacco day.

Okay. No problem.

I don't think this will work with all the tourists here though.

Most of them are smoking tobacco and everything else in sight.

This place is insane.

Many of the girls look skanky and the boys are drunk 24/7.

Don't let your babies grow up and go to Bangkok (Willie Nielson song).

Unwelcome Roommate

I have a roommate.

A big f**** cockroach.

I noticed it late today and went running down the hall to find one of the hotel cleaning staff.

The first person I saw was a boy he/she (most of the young men here look like boy/girls). I tried to explain cockroach in Thai. Yup. Very difficult.

He had no idea what I was saying...just kept repeating the word 'cockrah' 'cockrah' 'cockrah'...while I was jumping up and down and making crazy hand movements. I also was yelling for him to hurry and follow me. No way did that work. He kept smiling at me and repeating 'cockrah' 'cockrah'.

He finally went to find another staff member....a girl....and he was trying to explain what I was saying to him....'cockrah''cockrah' and jumping up and down.

By now I'm laughing my head off and they both think I'm crazy.

At least the girl knew a bit of English to follow me to my room. Of course the intruder was nowhere to be found at this time. I insisted they spray my room. This was done by holding my hand up and trying to pretend spray the room and making crawling motions with my other hand.

I'm crazy..... but she understood and sent the he/she back in the room to spray the floor.

I'm now scared to go back into my room.

It's raining like mad so I'm staying here until it gets a bit better for me to venture out for something to eat.

I hope the big fat cockroach does not reproduce in my room while I am away.

Trim vs Three Inches

I went for a 'trim' today.

I should know by now that when you try to explain a 'trim' to people that have no english skills you end up with a HAIRCUT!

It only cost me 50 baht ($1.50). My hair color was 350 baht ($11.00).

I love this country!

Knock Off Movies and Music

I know this is bad for the industry............but........too bad.

You can get 6 DVD's for 500 baht ($16.00). Not as cheap as in Burma but still a good price.

Today's purchases:

• Half/Nelson
• American Gangster
• Control
• La Vie En Rose
• Happy Feet
  
• Alvin The Chipmunk

Indian Post

Two of my parcels made it safe & sound to my fathers address. They both took over 3 weeks from shipping date to arrive.

I've also mailed two 'book post' parcels. This is where you can ship back books...they parcel up so customs can see one side. Very cheap. Those will take several months.

All my important parcels were sent by air mail. Expensive.

My last shipment was on May 12th.... two parcels from Delhi. Cost was over 3,000 rupees ($75.00).

Ouch.

Anti-Social Me

Here I am in Bangkok.....all by myself....and really enjoying it. I need my space.

Well....this morning...just before my massage course....I hear tapping on the glass windows and two people are pointing at me.

It turns out to be this couple that I met at the Tibetan cooking class in Dharamsala! I can't remember their names. She has blond dreads (really bad job) and he has a big tongue ring that makes him lisp his words (why he has one is beyond me when it messes with his speech).

This also happened to me in Dharamsala when I was walking down the road on my own and hear two people screaming "Bella" "Bella".

I'm thinking who knows me here. Is it His Holiness the Dala Lama?

Nope....turns out to be Emily and Jason. I volunteered with them in Jaipur. They were travelling up North to escape the heat.

It really is a small world.

Rain Saves Money

It's raining right now...so to stop buying stuff....I came inside.

I catch up on my blog when:

1. It's too hot to be outside and I can find an air-conditioned internet spot.
2. It's raining and I need to stop shopping.
3. Internet cafe's are cheap.

I'll soon be able to throw out all my notes on what to blog.

This is how I remember what to write about.

My next big investment will be a laptop.

Cheap Dinner

I love Thailand!

For two nights in a row, I've eaten great food for less than $1.00! Wow.

Pad Thai with egg...25 baht.
1 veg roll.................. 10 baht.

For those of you that know me....I hate spending loads of money on food.....as you know where it ends up.

Price wise.... cheap food makes me happy.

My Sun Sign

Another book I read when I was at the Orchard Hut retreat: My sun sign- Sagittarius

This is what it told me:

• Normally restless. Hate to sit or stand still.
• If you want the truth, go to a Sagittarian.
• Transparently free of harmful intent.
• Lovable, likeable, intelligent, idealist.
• Extroverts, talkative & forward.
• Rebel against confinement.
• Can never successfully tell a lie.
• Outspoken.
• Slightly clumsy.
  
• Sees world exactly as it is.
• Don't 'tell'...doesn't want to be ordered around.
• Mistakes friendship for love and love for friendship.
  

Life is secretly a circus, and I am the clown...rolling & tumbling through purple hoops in a sky-blue suit, my face smeared with the bright colors or greasepaint, and my eyes glittering with curiosity and fun.

As the music gets louder, I stumble & fall, yet execute a perfect somersault on the back of a prancing pony.

On my fingers I wear three turquoise rings, on my toes are bells that ring like the chimes in a distant church that disappears into the clouds.

I pin a large carnation over my big heart, and curve my bow toward the sky.

When I aim straight, I shoot higher than man can see...past the stars to the place where all dreams are really born.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_%28astrology%29

Classes and Courses

I seem to always sign up for whatever course is being offered.

I also like signing up for any FREE class offered.

I'm realizing that learning a little bit of anything confirms to me that I really know nothing about anything.

Never use me as your phone a friend for the 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' show.

Meditating Bella

I took a meditation class from the guy that runs the Orchard Hut back in Chamba.

There were 4 of us that decided to get up for the 7:30 am class.

All I remember:

• There are 7 chakras.
• You should meditate for 30 minutes everyday.
• Breath In.
• Om chant out.
• Do this for about 10 minutes.
• Then sit still for a good 15 minutes.
• Breath In.
• Om chant out- quieter this time.
• Place palms over face and sweep down 3 times.
• End in the prayer hands position.

I've googled for more info:

http://www.how-to-meditate.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation

Bella needs more instructions as she cannot sit still.

Yummy Yummy Fill My Tummy

Yesterday was insane for me for food.

I just had to have a blue cheese.... brown bread baquette with lettuce, tomato and onions. Oh...how delicious that was. The ONLY cheese you get in India....paneer.... an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or other food acid (pressed into a cube and then sliced or chopped). It's also impossible to find baquettes....especially brown ones. Chapati or roti's are the norm.

I also had to eat the watermelon and mango's they cut up fresh for you.

The pad thai with egg was also delicious.

So was the whopper jr I just had to eat for lunch today.

Although I loved the Indian food....I sure missed the variety of foods one can get in the 'Western' world.

Bangkok is definitely 'Western'.

Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll

I was in for a shocker yesterday walking around in Bangkok.

It's been over 4 months that I've seen any people acting 'Western'.

Well..............Khao San Road is crazy full of it!

Loads of drunk people walking around.
Loads of people walking around barely dressed.
Loud music blaring from all the stands on the street.
Scantily dressed Thai girls selling whatever.

The list goes on and on.

I went from a religious state to a rebellious state.

I love it!

Kitty Cats

There is this cute little kitty sitting on one of the computers sleeping.

So cute.

It was a very rare occurance to see a kitty cat in India.

I love kitty cats.

Ice Ice Baby

Yesterday I had ice for the first time in over 4 months.

Wow!

Little Boys and Games

I found this really cool internet cafe that has a card reader for me to borrow so I can upload some photo's on facebook.

I had about 10 minuter of peace before a whole group of little boys in their school uniforms charged in and took over.

There are about 15 of them and they sure are loud when they play their games.

I did not see any kids in India being able to do this.

I'm now back to MY reality.

Smart People Google

My group got to know me as the 'google it' person.

Elle later told me to google JFGI.

I did.

A to Z's of India Part Two

I played this game once again on the train.

This time we were on a reserved seat train from Pathankot to Amritsar.

We had quite a few Indian men standing around waiting for us to let them sit next to us...so they played the game with us instead when we didn't let them squeeze in on the RESERVED bench.

What comes to mind in describing India to you...one word only:

A: Aggressive. Aroma. Annoying. Awesome.
B: Basic. Busy. Beautiful. Blunt. Bold.
C: Charismatic. Chapati. Confusing. Contradiction. Colorful. Cows. Chai. Cockroaches.
D: Defying. Dogs. Diverse. Diabetes. Dirty. Dusty.
E: Elephants. Everyone. Enlighting. Exasperating. Enticing.
F: Fucked. Friendly. Fast. Frightening. Fraudulent. Flies.
G: Giving. Gorgeous. Goats. Graphic. Gross. Guru.
H: Henna. Hindu. Hassle. Haggling. Hot. Humid. Hills.
I: Ice-cream. Inviting. Incredible. Intense. Independence. Intelligent. Inventive.
J: Jargon. Jaded. Jeeps. Junk. Juicy.
K: KamaSutra. Karma. Kurta. Knowledge. Krishna. Kind.
L. Luminous. Lively. Loud. Language. Long. Leadership.
M: Mad. Mountains. Mystics. Masala. Meditation. MountEverest. Mud. Momo's. Mosquitos. Movies.
N: OOPS.......I forgot this letter......
O: Obnoxious. Old. Originals. Organized. Overweight.
P: Persuasive. Punjab. Pravin. Pressure. painful. Public. Pee. Polite. Pickle.
Q: Query. Questions. Quick.
R: Rude. Rapid. Rattle. Radical. Restless. Religious. Rickshaw. Ripoff.
S: Spectrum. Spit. Squat. Stress. Safety. Saris. Sleepy. Smells. Spices. Sensational. Satisfaction. Smart.
T: Tasty. Touchy. Tea. Trouble. Tourist. Technology. Traffic. Trains. Tuk-tuk.
U: Unbelievable. Understand. United. Universal. Unique.
V: Victory. Vast. Vegetables. Varied. Variety. Van. Vicious. Vacation. Vultures.
W: Wisdom. Weird. Wonderful. Wise. Waterfalls.
X: X-ray.
Y: Yelling. yellow. Yummy. Yearning. Yoga.
Z: Zoo. Zebra.

Knock Knock

Knock Knock.

Who's there?

Isabell.

Isabell who?

Is a bell broken.....I've come to fix it.

Updating Blog

How can you tell I don't want to stay in my room?

My blog gets updated!

I also don't want to read my Thai massage manual to prepare for my class tomorrow.

It's in Thai.

Four Needs for Success

I also read this from the same book on Indian call centre's...when God speaks to them.

There are 4 things a person needs for success.

1. A medium amount of intelligence.
2. A bit of imagination.
3. Self-confidence.
4. Failure. You have to experience it, feel it, taste it, suffer it. Only then you can shine.

The Game of Life

Life is a game.

Some fail and some pass.

American's Trashed

I was ready this book written by an Indian author about call centre's in India.

It's a pretty lame book....but there are some funny parts.

They all have to do with describing Americans and the training they give Indian's to deal with them over the phone.

As quoted from the book:

35=10 rule
A 35 year old Americans brain & IQ is the same as a 10 year old Indians brain. This will help you understand your clients. You need to be patient as you are when dealing with a child. Americans are dumb, just accept it.

Very funny.

WWBD

Everyone has heard of WWJD....What Would Jesus Do?

So.....I just HAD to purchase the book called 'What Would Buddha Do?'....WWBD

I am now spinning this to....What Would BELLA Do?

I'm not really sure I can do this....especially seeing as the answer might not be what it's supposed to be if answered by anyone as big as Buddha or Jesus.

Oh well.

I'm special.

Tribes Clarified

I was a bit confused on what a 'tribe' was when Pravin and I had a few discussions about his heritage from Nepal. He kept saying his 'tribe'....I kept saying he was not from a 'tribe'.

Of course I had to google it....and...surprize...I was wrong once again.

Boy....I just keep getting smarter and smarter when I google stuff!

Tribe definition:
1: a social group comprising numerous families, clans, or generations together with slaves, dependents, or adopted strangers
2: a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest

I am also from a 'tribe'........ now that I know what it really means.

Back To Work

I need to get into the 'back to work' frame of mind soon.....

1. I will be an enthusiastic performer that has a strong sense of purpose and deep values.
2. I will have a compelling vision.
3. I will make informed choices with clarity of thought.
4. I will be commited to open communication and new ideas.

I will also be purchasing one lottery ticket every week.

OH.....5. I will win the lottery one day!!!!

It's All About You

Only YOU can motivate and empower yourself.

Sugar Addict

Living in India for over 4 months has turned me into a sugar addict. This is how short a time you need to develop an addiction.

The chai in India is super sweet.

I now SUPER LOVE sugar.

This will have to stop soon.

Happy Flags

Prayer flags are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras.

Tibetan Buddhists for centuries have planted these flags outside their homes and places of spiritual practice for the wind to carry the beneficent vibrations across the countryside.

Prayer flags are said to bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity.

http://www.prayerflags.com/

Phone Services in India

Subscriber trunk dialling-STD

International Subscriber Dialling-ISD

PublicCall Office-PCO

Leaving India

I'm so SAD.

I'll be leaving Indian soil within 7 hours.

Cancelled Trains and Broken Buses

Our night train last night from Amritsar to Delhi was cancelled last minute.

Pravin managed to get us on an overnight bus. Lovely.

These buses have seats as well as boxes on top of the seats where either 1 or 2 people sleep on the ground of this box.

My 'sleeping' arrangement was 19/20...part of a double...with Pravin. You sleep opposite...feet in each others face. No hanky panky.

I was not looking forward to this. I had lucked out so far but I had no choice last night. Especially after Pravin went to all that trouble and he also convinced one guy to switch his single seat...that was in the cab with the driver and about 4 other guys just standing around.....to switch with me as I was insisting I did not want to be at the back of an overcrowded bus. I was well prepared to stay in Amritsar on my own and take a morning bus. Poor Pravin.

These two spots were at the very end of the bus. Smack at the end. On the floor. The WORST sleepers on the bus. A bus with no toilet. Yup....they do these overnighters with no facilities. The drivers assistant just wakes everyone up around 2 am and turns all the lights and yells out in Hindi that there is a bathroom break as well as food break.

I know this because I certainly was not sleeping. Especially after one hour of us leaving Amritsar when the guy that switched with me wanted his seat back. A seat that someone else made me give up to take another aisle seat in the middle of the bus. Oh Oh. The guy that was kind enought to switch was a bit upset.

My cuteness got him to give in to me staying where I was......'but if I don't feel well...I will need you to switch with me.' 'Of course' I said. 'This is kind of your seat'.

GOOD THING he fell asleep for the night

I have no idea how anyone can sleep on a very bumpy road.....driver blaring horn every minute....2 stops to fix the tires....1 stop to get gas...and another ONE HOUR stop for the bathroom/food break.

The drivers assistant had to wake up quite a few passengers when our wheel burst at 7:30 am. We waited for over 1 hour to see if the bus would get going. It didn't, so Pravin had to call us taxi's. Luckily we were only about 45 minutes from Delhi. While we waited for the taxi's...the bus got going again.....we hopped on for the very slow ride until we met up with our taxi's.

We got into our hotel this morning at 10 am.

I'm soooooooooooo tired but I have to stay up to make my 1 am flight to Bangkok.

Maybe I'll get some sleep on the airplane.

I hope so.

Orchards and Huts

Our two day trek started out in Dalhousie to Khajjiar.

Morning start of 8 am. 6 hrs. Up/down. Quite a few difficult spots.

We had lunch by the river.

Overnight at the 'Hotel Mini Swiss'. No TV. The guys at the front desk tried to accommodate me by showing a movie in their 'theatre'. A big room with chairs. Nice. I watched 'Blood Diamond'. Private screening. Too bad the power went out just near the end. I need to buy the movie so I can see what happens.

The next day we left at 9 am to trek to Chamba. 4 hrs. Not as difficult.

We then had a short ride for our 20 minute hike up to the 'Orchard Hut'. Family run.

Our accommodations for the next three night. A very secluded spot.

http://www.himalayanlap.com/orchard.html

Host: Prakash Dhami

My knees have been bugging me....so no more hiking.

I took it easy and read books. Played with the baby. Watched lunch being prepared. Booked a massage.

I like secluded places.

But only for a short time.

I need my TV.

Zorbing and Me

"One of the goofier pieces of sports equipment..............the 'zorb' is a human-sized hamster ball made from clear inflatable plastic. Passengers climb in through a tiny porthole and the zorb is pushed to the edge of the slope."

I was a zorbonaut for a few minutes in Khajjiar when we had the opportunity to try it out.

For 100 rupees each, Claire and I got into one of the balls and just started to scream!!!

It was a blast!!! I love being 5 years old.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorbing

Trains In Canada

I was asked by Ellie about our train service in Canada and I have to admit that I know nothing about it.

I did tell Ellie that it wasn't a popular way for us commuting and then thought I should google this just to make sure. I google everything.

This is now verified.....Canadian train service is more for planning vacations.

http://www.viarail.ca/tourists/en_tour_dpop.html

I remember taking the train from Edmonton to Jasper with my aunt, Anna and Bernice just for the experience.

Very slow and not as exciting as they make it sound on the web.

Nailpolish and Indians

The Indian ladies here do not refresh their nailpolish like their Western counterparts.

Nailpolish on both the hands and feet are always chipped.

Very yucky.

Sari Obsession

I went shopping with Grace yesterday afternoon and discovered that she has a sari obsession.

Grace is Peruvian living in Australia. She does not wear sari's.

This did not stop her from buying 3 of them for a total of 7,000 rupees.

I went along for the free chai and also to bargain the price for her.

I love spending other peoples money.

Border Closings

On our last night in Amritsar, we went to see the Wagah border closing ceremony.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagah

'Wagah is the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan and each evening splendidly uniformed guards on either side of the border perform a biazarre but proud performance to lower their respective national flags at the closing of the border. The ceremony attracts spectators on both sides and is a poignant reminder to the Partition of 1947 when Punjab was divided between two nations.'

This place was insanely busy. There must of been over 5,000 people...all locals....trying to get a good spot to view the uniformed guards.

We were all getting fraustrated with trying to move a few steps without getting squeezed to death.

Pravin came to the rescue by getting us to pretend we were the 'press'.

We got in by pushing and shoving our way through the metal detectors.

Very entertaining.

It did however look like the Pakistan side was much better organized with their spectators.

Turbans Everywhere

We just spent 2 days in Amritsar- the largest city in Punjab. Population 1.4 million.

This city is home to the Golden Temple, the most sacred place of worship for the Sikh religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh

We went to see the Golden Temple on our first evening. Thousands of people were there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Temple

The next morning we went to Jallianwala Bagh and to see Durgiani Temple:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre

http://www.indnav.com/servlet/Browse?mt=goToName&name=Durgiana+Temple

I'll blog separate entry on our evening activity.

Smoking Kills

The locals smoke 'bidi' here.

A very strong tobacco.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beedi

Killings vs Abuse

Back home you hear a lot about domestic abuse.

Here in India you hear about honor killings.

Loads of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing

Old Meat

Mutton is on all the menu's here.

Lamb, mutton, and hogget are the meat of domestic sheep. The meat of an animal in its first year is lamb; that of an older sheep is mutton or hogget. ...

My Pea Addiction

My pea addiction is back!

I can purchase pea's here in the hills.................

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Jimmy Butchers Michael

We went to a movie one night in Shimla.

'Jimmy'.

What an awful show!

'Jimmy' had really bad hair....was a bad actor....AND.....butchered a song of Michael Jackson's.

Definitely not worth the 75 rupees we each paid to go see the movie.

No wonder we were the only ones in the theatre.

Hotel Room Disasters

When we first checked into our hotel in McLeod Ganj I noticed a funny smell in our room (I'm sharing with Ellie). I thought it might of been a cleaning solution so did not pay much more attention to it.

I went out and returned after a good 6 hours and the smell was still in the room. A real unhealthy smell. Moldy smell. The kind of smell you can die from if you sleep in it.

Of course I had to make my way to the front desk and let them know that I was not sleeping in this 'death trap'.

After several different staff members all visited the room to see what I was talking about.....I had to point to the mold on the wall (white spoungy stuff) and hold my nose for all the other staff seeing as they spoke no English.....they finally referred me to the Manager who could actually understand English.

The Manager agreed we were in a bad situation so he had his staff move us to a 'suite'.

Now....realizing we are in India......'suite' can mean something different.

A 'suite' in India means:

• There is one double bed only for 2 people sharing. The bed is one that does not separate. Indians see no problem with this. Same sex just sleep in the bed....however many of you there are. I had them bring us a cot. A cot in India is a wooden table with short legs that splits in half and bends downwards....not flat. It's also just about ready to break. The mattress on the wooden table is also very thin. I requested a second mattress....but then changed my mind and slept on the couch. It took 2 staff members to move stuff around and open up the table, get sheets and mattresses.
  
• The toilet does not work. Yup...the lever that sits on top of the toilet bowl had disappeared into the bowl so you had nothing to pull. It took 2 staff members to fix it.
• The TV is unplugged seeing as the wires have been cut. A new TV was ordered and just about working before the power went out. This blew the whole cable programming when the power finally did come back on. No TV worth watching. This only took one staff member to go up one floor and get our old TV from the 'moldy' room and then remove old TV while hitting his knee on the makeshift bed cot. At least he kept smiling the whole time.

The next day they promptly move us back to our 'moldy' room and tell us the problem has been fixed. 'I DON'T THINK SO' is what I yell back at them. An open window all night does not get rid of mold. Crazy Indians.

We then got moved to another 'suite'. This one is working okay for the moment.

Last night Debbie and Claire had to move from their room as the whole floor was covered in water. It just seeped up from the floor. There was no leaky bathroom. Very scary.

Shortly after this we notice that Peter and Guido are also moving rooms due to their floor oozing out black water as they walk on the floor.

Pravin was at both these moves. He was a bit surprized at me yelling at the staff when they tried to put Peter and Guido in the 'death trap' room I was in 2 nights prior.

They just don't get it.

Maybe they are trying to kill us Westerners.

I noticed that the locals have the luxury suites.

Pravin advised that the tour company will be using another Hotel in the future.

I guess it's to keep the Westerners alive.

Preserving Cultures

We all went for a visit to Norbulingka Institute here in India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbulingka

Tibetans are such peaceful people.

Tibetan Day

I just completed a Tibetan cooking class.

200 rupees for 2 hours.

We cooked 'Momos' (Tibetan dumplings). Spinach and Cheese. Mixed vegetable. Potato one's. AND...the best of all.....CHOCOLATE one's. All steamed. Yummy!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_(food)


I also went for a 1 hour Tibetan massage. 500 rupees for 1 hour.

There are five major massage strokes used in Tibetan massage

1. Stroking - application of oil, long longitudinal strokes (effleurage)

2. Rubbing - vigorous circular motion, friction.

3. Kneading

4. "Acupressure" - deep localized, circular motion

5. Triple technique

My massage therapist was a cute Tibetan boy.

He was also very yummy.

Five Point Plans

Peace..........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Point_Peace_Plan

Buddists Bible

The collection of Tibetan Buddhist sacred literature representing the “Word of the Buddha”—as distinct from the Bstan-’gyur (“Translation of Teachings”), or collection of commentaries and miscellaneous works. This body of canonical literature contains more than 1,000 works, most of them originally written in Sanskrit and most translated (with great care) after the 8th century. They were gathered together in the 13th century, and the collection has been published in 100 volumes.

The Bka’-’gyur begins with a vinaya (“monastic discipline”) section, the only group of works having much in common with the Pāli literature of southern Buddhism. Then follow a few hundred sūtras, mostly of the various Mahāyāna schools but including a number of Sarvāstivāda (“Doctrine That All Is Real”) works, and several collections of avadānas (legends of “noble deeds”). Finally, there are several hundred Tantras, the special ritual and meditation texts of the Vajrayāna form of Buddhism characteristic of Tibet. These latter are divided into four groups, containing, respectively, worldly rites, religious rites, traditional yogic practices, and the esoteric forms of Tantric yoga.

Second to the Big Guy

The youngest political prisoner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchen_Lama

Free Panchen!

Tibetan Me

I'm in McLeod Gang (Dharamsala) the home of 'His Holiness The Dali Lama'. It is also the headquarters of the Tibetan Government in Exile.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalai_Lama

This place is amazing! I love it...............

So peaceful up in the hills.

You would never know you are in India.

I'm learning so much about Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Buddhism

Tibetan's are wonderful people.

Measure of Quality

The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction.

This is accomplished through the use of two Six Sigma sub-methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV.

DMAIC process (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) is an improvement system for existing processes falling below specification and looking for incremental improvement.

DMADV process (define, measure, analyze, design, verify) is an improvement system used to develop new processes or products at Six Sigma quality levels. It can also be employed if a current process requires more than just incremental improvement. Both Six Sigma processes are executed by Six Sigma Green Belts and Six Sigma Black Belts, and are overseen by Six Sigma Master Black Belts.

New Group

My new tour group.........

Tour Leader: Pravin. 30 years old. Indian...with Nepalese heritage. Buddhist. Very Western dressing. Super long hair. Earrings and an eyebrow ring. Pravin has been a tour leader for 8 years. He plans to leave next March and go back to Darjeeling to farm (his home town).

Passengers:

• Peter. British. Retired. In his 60's.
• Guido. Swiss.
• Debbie. Australian. Early 40's. Works in Insurance.
  
• Claire. Australian. 18. Taking a year to travel and working at Camp America for the summer.
• Ellie. British. 21. Training to be a teacher.
  
• Grace. Peruvian living in Australian. She just started working at the Perth Intrepid office. They get 85% off trips and trip allowances as a benefit. Known as the 'it's alright' gal when asked how things are going or tasting.
  

Bella In The Hills

This is where I am.........

http://www.hill-stations-india.com/shimla/

To Let OR Toilet

They use the term 'To Let' when a property comes available to 'rent'.

You have to be careful of this sign when you see it from far away.

Sometimes it looks like 'Toilet'.

Mind you...........I'm sure some of these rental properties are just like a toilet.

Four Hour Luxury Train Trip

Our group left Delhi early in the morning to take an express train to the city of Kalka for our next train trip on the toy train.

This express train was the best!

• Air-conditioned
• Free litre of water
• Free breakfast
• Free tea
• Free newspaper

AND..........I meet several local people on the train that made the time go super fast!

• A Professor that knew something about everything. He started talking to me when he noticed I was reading up on the six sigma stamina.
• This same Professor can also read palms. We had a circle of Indians around us when he was doing this. I told him I am a non-believer so I didn't get him to read my palm. He did tell me he can do a birth chart for me if I send him my exact time of birth. I might do this if I find someone that can tell me this.
• A family that was travelling with their mother-in-law. She was a diabetic who was getting advice from the Professor on how to control this without prescription drugs.
• This same family is being supported by the one young man that has several silver stores. They were travelling with their 'servants'. I hate that term.

Six Hour Toy Train Trip

• The train is one of the most unique railway tracks of the world.
• Distance of 96 km from Kalka through the curving tracks, up to Shimla hills- the summer capital of colonial India.
• The toy train trek from Kalka to Shimla is adorned with resplendent panorama of the valley and the picturesque stations along the way.
• The train passes through 103 tunnels, 969 bridges, 919 curves and 20 railway stations in its entire journey.
• The Guinness Book on 'Rail Facts and Feats' included Kalka-Shimla Railway as the greatest narrow gauge engineering achievement in India.
• The Rigorous Track Kalka Simla Toy Train has about 7 coaches that can accommodate least 200 passengers in a single trip.
• The diversities of challenging weather do not extricate the pertinacity of the 700 horsepower B-B type diesel engines. They run energetically taking up the hazards of adverse weather conditions - temperatures ranging from 0 to 45°C, heavy snowfall -average recording 2 feet during winters, and the annual rainfall of 200-250 cm, perceived by the valley. The train acquires up a moderate average speed of 25-30 km throughout its passage bestowing its travelers to luxuriate in the full splendor of the picturesque valley.
• The Picturesque RouteThe rail route indeed, possesses 107 tunnels but the train passes through 103 tunnels, big and small. The toy trains cross the longest tunnel at Barog in 3 minutes. Besides the Barog tunnel, other 3 big tunnels on this route are Koti - 2,276 feet, Taradevi - 1,615 feet and Tunnel no. 103 - 1,135 feet.
• The rail track rises from Kalka at 640m to the freezing zones of Shimla at 2,060 m.
• The toy train twists its way gradually through the hills up to the alpine, approaching of the demeaning Himalayas. Through the way some of the awesome views of the landscape can be cherished at Kushalya River, Koti, Barog, Kanoh, Jabli 1,240 meters above sea level.

Holy Toledo

On May 13, 2008, a series of bomb blasts in the Indian city of Jaipur killed as many as 80 people and injured nearly 150 others.

Good thing I was on the toy train on my way to Shimla when this happened.

Pretty scary..............

Crossing Paths

You never know who you are going to meet along the path of life.

Crazy people?

Bad people?

Nice people?

Strange people?

Or..... do you sometimes meet people just like you?

AMAZING people.

I Really LOVE Getting Presents

The other day I got another amazing present from a very special friend.

A beautiful Sari!

Bright green and pink.....with extra material to make the little blouse.

I love it!

Missing Me

I hope one day you will miss me terribly.

No matter how hard you look for me, you will not find me because I want you to miss me the way I am missing you.

Passion and Destinations

Are you passionate about arriving at your destination?

If so...your feet move as you imagine.

Feet and Tasting

Butterflies taste with their feet.

More Mountains

I have loads to blog........but in the meantime..........here is my upcoming agenda these last few weeks in India:

• Back in Delhi...which surprizingly is a much better experience than the first time I was here way back in January.
• Take a toy train up to Shimla.
• Head over to Dharamsala via Mandi.
• Dalhousie to Khajjiar to trek over to Chamba.
• Visit the big city of Amritsar and then back to Delhi.

I'm back to Delhi on May 26th and then take a flight out to Bangkok at 1:00 am (May 27th).

I can't believe I'll be going home soon.

Back to the Rocky Mountains.

Nepal Rocks

I really didn't know that much about Nepal prior to me just showing up.

It's an amazing country!!!

I have to go back one day to see more of it.

Flying High

I was scheduled to take a mountain flight on one of those small planes (16 seater) the day before I left Kathmandu...............however..............the olympic torch put a damper on my morning.

Here I was...up at the crack of dawn....4:30 am.....so I could get to the airport prior to 6:00 am for this 45 minute flight.

Buddha Air...$156.00 USD for the "I did not climb Mr Everest...but touched it with my heart!" once-in-a-lifetime experience. The flight takes you over all these gigantic mountains- with the most popular of course being Mt Everest at 8,848 meters.

I get to the airport and patiently wait....as they always do a pre-flight to make sure all the mountains are visible with good weather....to find out that there is a 99% chance that the flight would be cancelled. Not because of bad weather...but because of the olympic torch!

The olympic torch was making it's way over to China and they had a no flying zone over the mountains I was going to fly over. Great.

Good thing I had the next morning to do this.

May 9th was the day that Bella saw Mt Everest and all the other amazing mountains from up high.

They were just sticking out on top of the clouds. The clouds looking like big cotton puffs.

Amazing!

Nepal Movie

This afternoon I went to a movie with Ashok.

We went to the biggest and most popular theatre in Kathmandu. Gopi Krishna.

The movie was called 'Kismat'....how a city guy falls in love with an innocent village chhori.

The movie had some pretty interesting scenes.

Nothing like the end though.

TO BE CONTINUED.

A movie with a 'to be continued' ending!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ashok told me that there will be a sequel next year sometime.

And....NO...he had no idea there was no proper ending.

He just told me to come back next year to see it.

Crazy Nepalese.

I Love Presents

I got a present in Nepal!

A beautiful traditional designed pashmina shawl made in Nepal.

It came with this note:

Mom Bella,
I am so glad to know you. These 8 days I spend with you I never forget in my life. These 8 days are nostalgic day for me. Thanks God you are giving me lovely mom.
Mom, this is a short memory to my friendly Mommy Bella.
Mommy Bella, never forget you have one bad son in Nepal. Ok?
See you soon!!!!
Your loving son...Ashok

Awww.................how sweet is that?

15 Minutes

No wonder I was late all the time!

There is a 15 minute time difference between Nepal and India.

Get Out Of The Way

You see mules everywhere as these are what the villagers use to bring them supplies.

The mules...7 or 8 of them all loaded up with stuff on their backs.... follow one lead mule that has a bell on its neck. You need to get out of the way pretty quick as they don't stop for anything but the mule guy (whatever he is called).

I made the mistake of calling them donkeys and was corrected by Ashok.

Mule: The sterile hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, characterized by long ears and a short mane.

Good thing I wasn't involved in what I thought a real mule was.......

Slang.... A person who serves as a courier of illegal drugs.

Trekking Defined

1. To make a slow or arduous journey.
2. To journey on foot, especially to hike through mountainous areas

Yellow Raspberries

You see yellow raspberries growing all over the place while you are trekking.

Small but delicious.

Peace and Love

Never

End

Peace

And

Love

Hills Not Mountains

I was reminded often that I was climbing hills NOT mountains as I kept referring to them.

Day 1: Left Kathmandu on a very full tourist bus. So full that people sit on top of the bus and just hang on for dear life. I had the co-pilot seat....which I was happy to get...but only for the first 5 minutes. This seat caused me terror for the next 7 hours! Why? Because I got to see EVERYTHING on the road from my big big window. Four overturned bus accidents were the worst. The road is very dangerous and nail biting to the end. I was also very hot with the blazing sun frying me like a lizard. Bella not happy and a bit scared at this point. The hotel check in went fine. Hotel was not a real 'villa'...just in name....and it was not in front of the lake...just the address was.

Day 2: One hour taxi ride to Naya Pul to start the trek. This is where a lot of trekkers start. This is where you also have to get registered into the Annapurna Conversation Area. We started our trek at 9:45 am and we arrived in Tikehunga at 12:45 pm. It was hot and I was bitchy when we arrived. I had no idea this was going to be all rocks and stairs. AND................my backpack of only about 7 kgs weighed a lot. Whatever possessed me to do this is what I was thinking at this point. Especially when our lodge had one girl that is a triathlon just completing the ABC trek just for fun. Can one say that trekking is fun? I don't think so. Thank god she left me a book to read. There is absolutely NOTHING to at the lodge. You are STUCK in some village. No TV ....no nothing. You also have no power at night. Good thing I was so prepared and had NO flashlight. Ashok of course came to the rescue and lent me his. I'm pretty sure he was scared of me at this point. 500 meters in 3 hrs. 1,200 to 1,700 meters. Oh...I had 5 huge bites on the back of my left leg and a big scratch that bled on my right leg.....not sure what happened on both occassions.

Day 3: We left at 7:30 am and arrived at 1:00 pm. Tikehunga to Ghoripani. 1,100 meters in 5.5 hrs. 1,700 to 2,800 meters. My guide slipped while trying to save me from slipping. He just fell on his knee....no major injury. This is when Ashok started to get comfortable with me and all his honest comments were coming out. There were also tons of bees everywhere. The trees have flowers and it was spread the pollen time.

Day 4: Left the lodge at 4:45 am to climb up Poon Hill to see the sunset. 2,800 meters to 3,210 meters. Up and down..total of 800 meters. There were loads of other people doing the same thing. Too bad it wasn't a very clear morning to see all 14 mountains that one can see on a clear day. We then left Ghoripani at 7:30 am and arrived at Tadapani at 12:30 pm. 5 hrs to go 200 meters. 2,800 to 2,600 meters. It was a very long f*** day. Ashok had to hold my had most the way. This was also the place I had my own room with a bath. Hair washing day....yippeeee!!!

Day 5: Tadapani to Ghandrung. 7:45 to 10:15 am. 700 meters in 2.5 hrs. 2,600 to 1,900 meters.

Day 6: Ghandrung to Naya Pul. 8:00 to 12:00 pm. 700 meters in 4 hrs. 1,700 to 1,200 meters.

OOPS....I can't remember all the details of Day 5 and Day 6....this is what happens when you try to update the blog several weeks after your first posting!

Annapura 1 mountain: 7,216 meters
Mount Everest mountain: 8,848 meters

Compared to my mountains...........
Lake Louise: 3,272 meters
Cascade: 2,997 meters

Big difference!

Pleasing Mommy Bella

"You look slim today."

"You look beautiful."

"I like your hair."

None of these comments were solicited by me.

Ashok just got smart.

Mommy Bella

My guide...Ashok......is 19 years old...going on 20 next month.

My life was in the hands of this small child. I am older than his mother....who by the way got married at 7 years old...his father was 14 years old.

What can I write about this good Christian boy???

• He lives in the city...Kathmandu...with his father and 15 year old brother.
• Mother lives in some village about 5 hours away.
• There are 2 sisters. The oldest is married ...25...with a 5 year old. The other sister is 17.
• Father is a guide. He is the one that got Ashok into the business 4 years ago. You first start as a porter then train to be a guide. There are tons and tons of guides and porters here in Nepal.
• When Ashok is not working, he goes to University. He is studying business.
• Ashok broke up with his girlfriend just 9 months ago as she had to get married....arranged marriage. Ex is Hindu. Ashok is Christian. The ex still loves Ashok and phones him constantly to tell him this....her new husband drinks a lot and beats her.

Ashok speaks very quietly so I had to often YELL at him to talk louder so I could hear him.

After day 1 we became good friends....such good friends that Ashok was not shy to tell me the following:

1. "You must weigh 70 kgs." Ashok says to me after he tells me he weighs 59 kgs and I say...oh...I'm 60 kg's.

2. "You are fat."

3. "You have white hair...it's time to marry."

I was not shy to tell him the following..........

1. Mommy Bella gets BITCHY from 12 to 2 pm when walking in the sun.

2. Mommy Bella also gets BITCHY when she is hungry, tired, hot and just whenever she feels like it.

3. I had to explain what BITCHY was to the poor boy whose English skills are average at best.

4. Mommy Bella used the F*** word A LOT on this trek.

5. I had to try and explain what the F*** word means.

I think I shocked him quite a bit.

So much so..... that today when we got back into Kathmandu he still wants to hang out with me.

We are going to a movie tomorrow afternoon.

Tuesday Night In Nepal

Fani (one of the owners of the tour company that booked my trip) was taking me out for dinner right after I met up with my tour guide. Fani comes from a family of 9 kids. His mother got married at 7 years old. Fani is 35 years old. Married. 2 teenage kids.

I'm not sure where we went for dinner, as I just followed him to this one spot...up the stairs...out of the rain. I ordered Dal Bhat......most food here is very similar to Indian food.

After a few beers, we head over to the casino. Yup....a casino in Kathmandu!

I was quite impressed with this place as it had 2 blackjack tables!!! Yippeee........ You can even play with Indian rupee chips. I played 1,000 rupees...aprx $25.00. This lasted for a good 30 minutes of entertainment.

After we lost our money, we headed over to the entertainment area where you grab a bite to eat from the buffett table and watch the show....about 10 performers on stage dancing and singing. I was quite enjoying this after being in conservative India for so long!

I wasn't ready to go home.....so Fani took me to a local club with all Nepalese dancers and singers performing. We were in this small club with all these local drunk people.

Who would of thought you could have this much fun in Kathmandu?