The Kama Sutra, The Taj Mahal, The Pink City, and The Indian Head Bobble
After our time in Varansi (or Verynasty, as Ron so affectionately called It in our previous blog entry’s comments section) we took another quick flight to Khajuraho. Khajuraho is a small town famous for its thousand year old temples. The temples, in turn, are famous for their art, most notably their erotic carvings of the Kama Sutra. After entering the temple grounds I immediately was reminded of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There were far fewer buildings here, and these temples were Hindu and not Buddhist, but the intricate carvings and the shape of the pillared pavilions were definitely reminiscent. The carvings themselves were really beautiful, and though this place is known for its eroticism, the non-sexual sculptures (gods, warriors, animals, etc.) were far more prevalent. Ok back to the stone-porn. There were a lot of well endowed ladies in sensuous positions all around (so far so good), but the ones with one or more men were what held many peoples’ attention. There were orgy scenes aplenty, with the crazier ones involving people in headstands and/or strength defying positions. Women “helping” each other out was not uncommon, though no homosexual male carvings were to be seen. However, there was one scene involving a man and his unlucky horse. I’m pretty sure that’s not in the Kama Sutra, but if I’m wrong please correct me. The temple complex itself was extremely relaxed compared to Delhi and Varanasi as it was calm, clean, and quite empty inside its walls. It took about 3 hours to check out the whole thing, and even if there was no erotic art on the walls the temples would have still been magnificent (though just not as awesome).
The next day we headed to the town of Agra to see the Jewel of India, the Taj Mahal. We first hired a car to Jhansi before boarding a train in coach class to Agra, which was an interesting and crowded 3 hour experience (before Di’s friends scold me, first class was sold out!). We arrived in the evening after a long day of travelling and crashed early so we could wake up in time for sunrise, supposedly when the Taj Mahal is visually at its best. The Taj, completed in 1653, was erected by Shah Jahan, ruler of the powerful Muslim Mughal empire at the time. He built it in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died giving birth to their 14th child. Legend has it that he was so distraught when she passed his hair turned grey pretty much overnight. We woke up at 5 to make it in time for dawn, and when we got there the Taj Mahal not only lived up to the hype, it blew it away. It was the most beautiful building I had ever laid my eyes on, and just looking at it actually invoked an emotional response in me, the first of any edifice to ever do that. Maybe it was its faultless symmetry, or its elegant lines and perfect proportions, or its sparkling white marble with the gentle pink dawn sky as its backdrop. Maybe it was because it was built out of love, or the grieving heartbreak of death. Maybe it was all of that, and something else indescribable. Whatever it was, it was a wonder to behold and something I couldn’t remove my gaze from. It was not only stunning from afar; a view up close revealed the unparalleled skill and mastery of its builders. The carvings, the calligraphy, the domes and arches, they were all amazing. Though obviously biased, when Shah Jahan beheld the finished building he said it made ‘the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes’. I don’t think he was too far from the truth.
Afterwards we hopped on a bicycle rickshaw for 2 kms to check out the Agra Fort, nicely made of red sandstone and white marble. Much to the rickshaw driver’s delight Ron switched spots with him and pedaled the last bit to see what it was like. The palace/fort actually ended up becoming a prison for Shah Jahan during the last 8 years of his life as his son forced him there after usurping the throne. If we saw that fort anywhere else in India, I would have said it was pretty sweet. The unfortunate truth was that we saw it immediately after the Taj, so it was painfully underwhelming in comparison. Even writing this in hindsight I really don’t have much more to add as I couldn’t hold my attention to the structure while I was there, which is a shame.
Early next morning we parted ways with Ron as we went to Jaipur in the province of Rajasthan while he headed to Egypt. We caught the train (in 1st class this time) and made it in about 6 hours. After we checked into our guesthouse we quickly headed to the Amber Fort just outside of town to fill our afternoon. With a long train ride to compare it to instead of the Taj Mahal, I found the huge hilltop fort to be pretty cool. We actually got lost for a bit inside while checking out its maze of rooms. With a picturesque lake and garden below and defensive battlements all around the fort is definitely a worthy setting for an epic Bollywood story of love and war. The next day we headed to the old part of Jaipur, otherwise known as the Pink City. It was painted “pink” back in 1876 by the then Maharaja to welcome the Prince of Wales and it has remained that colour ever since. I put “pink” in quotation marks because it looked more like an ugly orange with a thick covering of mildew and pollution added in for extra flavour. We first checked out the city palace which also doubled as a museum, housing an impressive collection of art, weapons, and fabrics. We then walked around the corner to Hawa Mahal, Jaipur’s landmark. It’s a 5-story honeycombed structure that was built for the royal ladies so they could people watch in safety. The face of this building was definitely the cleanest and up kept of all the buildings in town, thus giving its viewer a glimpse of what the old city may have looked like at one time if not dirtied by the stains of time and pollution. We did find the unique honeycombed façade to be a lot more impressive than the building’s comparatively plain interior. After sightseeing we walked around the streets of the old city checking out the bazaars and daily Jaipurian activities. The mad traffic, dirty streets, thick smog, aggressive shopkeepers and general craziness prompted us to stop that quickly. Our guidebook recommended that for a break we should experience afternoon tea at Rambagh palace, an ex-residence of the Maharaja now converted to a luxury hotel which costs up to 5000 USD a night. So we walked up to the gates of the massive property looking forward to some cucumber sandwiches and scones. Our eagerness was met with rejection by the gate staff. Ouch, in our face! Supposedly the hotel was fully booked so its courtyard and restaurants were open to guests only. Disappointed, we headed for coffee at a far classier joint, McDonalds. Back in your face Rambagh!
After our sultry coffee in aristocratic red and yellow plastic surroundings we decided to head back to our hotel to call it a day. When we got outside to the waiting rickshaw drivers they surrounded us, vying for our rupees. I showed them our hotel business card, written in Hindi and English, when something very humbling happened. I realized that most (if not all) of them were illiterate as they all asked me to tell them the name of the hotel after blankly looking at the card. I looked up the stats and as of 2008, 40% of India still could not read. I offered 50 rupees to the group to anyone who would take us back, and they all denied, as usual. I turned around to walk away, which usually prompts one to grab me and say OK. I should have known there was something wrong when only a young guy agreed to the price while all the others were shaking their heads. We hopped in, and within 10 minutes we knew he was completely lost. He kept taking our hotel card and showing randoms on the street, asking for directions. These conversations would always attract others, and every time he asked there seemed to be a conglomeration of strangers trying to help us. After about 20 minutes he realized he was in over his head and said in broken English that our hotel was too far and he wanted more money. I could tell by the dejection in his face that he wasn’t lying (plus all the more experienced guys were not willing to take us for that price), but I was still kinda pissed off at the situation as he adamantly said he knew where our lodgings were when we hopped in. So I just gave him his 50 rupees and Di and I got off and started walking away, with both us and him being quite disappointed. We then entered the nearest store and showed the 2 guys there the hotel card and asked for directions. They discussed the issue for maybe a minute before one of them, with a wide smile and decent English, told us to get in his car. He drove us for about a kilometre and dropped us off at the front of our hotel, shaking our hands and wagging his head, grinning as he left. That experience actually sums up a lot of what we’ve felt while in India. At times it can be mind-numbingly frustrating, but then the cheerful help and the warm smile of a stranger inevitably comes, more than balancing out the initial negative experience. Di and I are working on our head-bobble so that hopefully before we move on to the next country we can respond to all the random acts of kindness here with that uniquely Indian gesture we are starting to love.
Bustling Delhi and Holy Varanasi
Eug and I are very lucky people. Right after we parted with our dear friends in Bhutan, we met up with one of my best friends Ron in Delhi, India. Ron had one week in India with us and one week in Egypt on his own before heading home to Seattle. He really wanted to see the Taj Mahal and the rest was up to us. Our one week itinerary with him was to visit the sights in Delhi, Varanasi, Khajuraho, and saving the best for last, the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Eug and I were in Delhi a day before Ron arrived, and we were running errands like there was no tomorrow. I felt more like a local who just moved to a new city than a tourist. It was a bit frustrating having to run around everywhere, especially when we ended up not being able to get anything done. We wanted to mail our wedding outfits back home, get Myanmar visas, and fix the most essential gadget of our trip, our SONY netbook. Unfortunately our netbook was dropped by the cleaning lady in Bhutan, and it turned very slow ever since. We need it to upload pictures, research places to stay, and most importantly keep up with our blog! We were sent to a few places and given a few telephone numbers, but they all led to dead ends. The netbook is useable still but it’s slowly dying day by day. For example, Didi gave us some of the wedding pictures he took for us but they all disappeared from our hard drive. Thanks Susan for uploading them on Facebook for us! I hope our netbook can survive 3 more months before it completely dies. And yes, only 3 more months left for our around the world trip, crazy hey? Due to the Diwali holiday (the Festival of Lights, India’s most widely celebrated Hindu event) we weren’t able to get visas, and the post office was not helpful either. So big thanks to Ron for offering to take our wedding outfits back home with him.
I was very excited to see Ron in Delhi. The last time I saw him was in March in Portugal which seemed like a decade ago. And I was looking forward to doing some sightseeing again like worry-free tourists and not having to run more errands. We first visited the Red Fort, a massive 2 km long structure. The Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan completed this fort in 1648 but never moved his capital from Agra because he ended up being imprisoned in Agra Fort by his own son Aurangzeb. The fort was pretty cool and we walked across the street to the market in Old Delhi after to see Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque. To our dismay the mosque was closed to tourists that day. We weren’t sure why but a scrawny uniformed man with a bamboo stick came out of nowhere and shooed us away without providing an explanation. Even though we didn’t see the mosque, we had quite an eye opening experience just walking through the market (Chandni Chowk). We certainly had never seen such poor hygiene and stunning poverty in the countries we visited so far and Ron had never seen anything like that, period. Eug and I walked through numerous busy Middle Eastern medinas and souqs, so we thought were used to the sensory overload. But we definitely weren’t prepared to witness something like ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ right before our own eyes. It served as another reminder of how lucky and blessed we all are. Afterwards we checked out Humayun’s tomb which was very pleasant and peaceful to walk through in comparison. The city of Delhi itself was beautifully covered in lights and flowers due to the Diwali festival. The lights were meant to guide the Hindu god Lord Rama home from exile, and at night there was a constant barrage of festive fireworks.
We then took a short flight (instead of a long overnight train ride, thanks to Ron since he only had a limited amount of time with us) to Varanasi. Varanasi (picture above) is one of the holiest places in India. Hindus believe that they can wash away a lifetime of sins in the sacred waters of the Ganges River, so a lot of them come to bathe in this water. They also come here to cremate their loved ones so their ashes can become one with the holy river. Lastly, many Hindus come here to die with the belief that it offers liberation from the reincarnation cycle of birth and death. As soon as we checked into our guest house on the riverbank, we quickly got ready, eager to take a stroll down the Ganges to see some action. Our eagerness soon dissipated after walking no more than 20 minutes down the river. First of all, the street was covered in cow and goat and who-knows-what droppings left and right. If you only looked up for a second, you could easily step on one of the dangerous fresh poopie-traps. There were a ton of stray cows walking around aimlessly, as they are holy to Hindus and this is their holiest city. Lots of locals (both adults and kids) were just walking around barefoot, not caring if they stepped on crap. What I found to be the most disturbing was seeing a street dog eating a pile of faeces. I was seriously grossed out. Secondly, everyone who passes by you seems to want to shake your hand and talk you into visiting their stores or accepting their massage or shaving service. No thank you! I was lucky that they didn’t try to shake my hands because I am a girl. Poor Eug and Ron had to stick their hands in their pockets to avoid the constant physical contact because once they grabbed your hand, they wouldn’t let go. Thirdly, witnessing 4 visibly clear corpses being publicly burnt on top of 4 separate stacks of wood didn’t exactly make us feel particularly pleasant. The sight and smell of everything foul combined together was just unbearable. It was not an easy stroll I tell ya. Finally, the Ganges River from up close was very obviously dirty. There was garbage floating around everywhere and the water was dark greyish brown in colour. All 116 cities on the Ganges dump raw sewage into it. Water safe for swimming is supposed to have less than 500 faecal bacteria per litre; the Ganges has 1.5 million/L! Even with all that, the river was full of people bathing, swimming, drinking, and submerging themselves in its waters repetitively. We turned back after walking across the cremation site and found refuge in the rooftop restaurant of our guest house. It had an amazing view of the Ganges minus the distractions from the street. That evening, Eug and I got a sore throat and Ron got a severe bug bite on his cheek that didn’t stop draining pus for the rest of the night. We should’ve done what the Japanese tourists did and wear those SARS masks. We recovered shortly but oh boy, what an introduction to the city.
We woke up very early the next day and hopped on a boat ride down the Ganges to catch the sunrise and the dawn prayer ceremony from the water. The boat ride was much more comfortable than being on foot. The devout prayers and washings of the pilgrims were fascinating to see but the most memorable part of the river trip was seeing a dead corpse floating face-down on the river. When I saw it, I quickly looked away and asked Eug and Ron in Cantonese if it was what I thought it was. Eug was like “no, it’s a mannequin”. Then there was a long pause before Eug and Ron both agreed it was indeed a body. We learned that there were dead bodies in the Ganges from other travellers and our research, however, I didn’t think we’d really see one. Supposedly some poor families can’t afford to buy firewood so their relatives’ bodies would just be placed in the water. Others would buy wood but not enough due to lack of funds, so partially cremated bodies would also be placed in the water. Our boat driver was considerate enough to row away from it, but not another boat that was just 5 feet away from us. There were 3 western tourists on that boat, and their boat actually rowed into the corpse as it got knocked away. One of the girls covered her mouth immediately, she looked like she was about to throw up; I felt so bad for her. At this point, Ron was trying to hold in his laughter so badly that his body was vehemently shaking. He didn’t laugh because it was funny, but because the whole thing was just so far-fetched that you couldn’t help but to react in some way. I just had a very grossed out face. Needless to say, for the rest of the day we chilled in our guest house to recuperate both mentally and physically. We did manage to find a nice restaurant with an excellent view of the river to have dinner. In the evening, the river was beautifully lit with lotus flower candles set adrift from the shore, and there were fireworks on land because of the Diwali festival. We also checked out an evening ceremony which attracted a huge friendly crowd. In contrast with the day, it was a rather delightful evening.
That was quite an experience for our first 3 days in India. I am not sure if I’ve digested all that myself yet, but I know our eyes have definitely been widely opened. Ron, Eug, and I talked about some of the living conditions we’ve observed and if there could be any feasible solutions to improve these conditions. Hopefully with the massive economic growth in India we all hear about the government will be able to increase funding in education, infrastructure and housing, thus putting India’s poor on the first rung of the ladder of economic development, lifting them out of abject poverty.
Bhutan – Land of The Thunder Dragon
In an age where most countries measure their achievement by their Gross Domestic Product, Bhutan’s fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, decided to measure his countries’ success by the overall wellbeing of his people. He thus created his now famous Gross National Happiness (GNH) index. He believed that “unless an inward change in human consciousness and perception occurs, the mere creation of wealth and economic growth alone cannot guarantee collective human happiness”. This approach was quite easily implemented in his kingdom for a few reasons. Firstly, his subjects absolutely admire him and truly believe he is an enlightened and selfless ruler. There is no other country we’ve been to so far where everyone so universally loves their leader. They all call him wise, farsighted, and passionate about their wellbeing, and from what I can see that does actually seem to be the case. Secondly, Bhutan is a deeply Buddhist nation, and Buddhist ideology stresses the impermanence of material things. The notion that happiness comes from within is deeply rooted in its teachings. We, on the other hand, are constantly bombarded by commercials that tell us happiness is measured by how big our house is or how many cars are sitting in our garage or how many Apple gadgets we have. Though I’m not saying one approach is right and another is wrong, I think it’s great that Bhutan has a different (and arguably better) take than the rest of us. If you want to learn more about GNH, I suggest you check out www.grossnationalhappiness.com. It’s pretty cool stuff and a completely different perspective on nation development than any other county on Earth.
I forgot to mention that the King recently did one thing that was quite unpopular with his adoring citizens. He abdicated his throne back in 2006 at the age of 51 after ruling for 34 years. Was it because of some scandal or some ridiculously unsuccessful war effort? Nope. It was because research has shown that citizens are generally happier in democracies than in Kingdoms, and he wanted to do what he thought was beneficial to the welfare of his people (from a happiness and a democratic governing standpoint). Have you ever heard of an all-powerful King doing something like that? Ya, me neither.
We visited the Western part of the country, staying in towns like Paro, Thimpu, and Punakha. We hiked high up to the mystical Tigers nest monastery (pictured above) that literally clings to the side of a steep cliff, straight out of the pages of some epic movie. Punakha has a beautiful dzong (fortress/monastery) that looks like it’s built from what mythical Himalayan legends are made of. Bhutan even has a unique animal called the Takin. Legend says it was created by a magical saint/monk who combined a goat with a cow (which is exactly what it looks like) when asked to perform a miracle. Eat that Napoleon Dynamite, your Liger has nothing on a Takin. But even with all those spectacular sights, it truly was the spiritual, humble, and peaceful aura of the people that touched us the most.
Bhutan is by no means a wealthy country; you’re not going to be seeing a Porsche dealership opening here anytime soon. However, it also doesn’t seem like a poor country either. The roads are all paved, infrastructure is good, cities are quite clean, and there are no signs of homelessness or extreme poverty. Its citizens are definitely not rich, but they do seem very happy. In fact, I don’t think we’ve seen more genuine smiles from people of all ages in any other country. It also helps that the Bhutanese valley is strikingly gorgeous. Add to that the beautiful, well-preserved and busy monasteries, temples, and dzongs with hundreds of red-robed monks and you’ve got an amazing place. Driving on the road you’ll have no problems seeing archery contests (where dudes hit small targets 145 m away!) among farmers harvesting rice, you’ll see big penises painted onto the sides of houses as a sign of fertility (awesome), and you’ll see groups of children in traditional Bhutanese wear running to school. Since it’s so isolated, the almighty tourist dollar doesn’t seem to have seriously affected the monastic way of life or the peoples view of tourists. English is spoken amazingly well by the average citizen and they had no problem, be it monk or student or waiter, engaging us in friendly conversation. Bhutan’s strict tourism laws, which everyone groans about, actually seem to be a very good thing now that I’ve seen the results. For those who don’t know, in order for you to visit Bhutan, you must spend a minimum of 200USD a day per person and be on a personalized tour. You basically have to wire the money over first to them before you can get a visa. Though this does include hotel and food, it is still extremely pricey. This part of our trip has hands down been the most expensive portion. However, by forcing people to spend that much, the Bhutanese have been able to attract the type of tourist they want. They’re typically getting the traveller that is very interested in their culture and less interested in drinking as much alcohol as they can at a hotel’s open bar (which very quickly creates a jaded general population). Also by making it that expensive, it really limits the number of visitors coming into this tiny nation of 700 000 people so the locals really don’t get overwhelmed.
So what do we think of Bhutan? We love it. A lot. It’s a truly, truly amazing place unlike anywhere else on Earth. Much of the world believes happiness is the physiological response to a favourable stimulus, like a new big-screen TV. Governments have thus created policies and economies which have the ultimate goal of making more money for its citizens. Bhutan’s more humanistic (as opposed to materialistic), holistic, and spiritual approach to happiness gives it an unrivalled uniqueness among its peers. You can definitely feel the positive effects this has had on its populace. But as with everything, things can change. Bhutan is still investing in economic growth as well as it does want to increase its level of development. The younger people (who really are the future) are wearing traditional clothes less and less, and with easy access to the internet they have a larger understanding of the outside world and its many luxuries. Bhutan has made huge investments into the education of its youth and the promotion of its culture internally. Only time will tell if they will modernize and progress into the 21st century while maintaining their distinctive view on what constitutes a happy society. I’m really hoping that they can achieve their goal of socio-economic development paired with the preservation of their Buddhist and Bhutanese cultural values. It’s a fine line to walk, but I’m highly optimistic that they can do it.
Bye-Bye Bachelorhood
He Said:
Up here in the extraordinary land of Bhutan, nestled in the Himalayas, Diana Chen married me with the blessings of the head monk at the Dechen Phodrang monastery in Thimpu. Yes, a real-life beautiful girl married me! Even I’m having a tough time believing that.
After learning more about Bhutan, Di and I made the decision to get married there a few weeks before we went. We asked the tour company to organize a small ceremony for us, which they graciously did. Though Bhutan doesn’t have much of a wedding industry (none in fact, catered to foreigners) they were able to provide a wedding bouquet freshly cut from someone’s yard that morning. We could tell it was fresh because there were still small caterpillars crawling inside the flower petals. They also took us to a shop the night before to get us fitted in traditional Bhutanese wear. The ladies all got a Kira each and Didi and I bought a Goh. Susan and Lorea decided to buy identical outfits to fill the bridesmaid role, while Didi looked pretty sweet in his Goh combined with my Converse kicks. I had to borrow the dress shoes he brought instead, since the Bhutanese guys wear a Goh with black leather shoes at formal events. Di looked graceful, elegant and absolutely beautiful in her Bhutanese Kira. After we got all prettied up, we headed around town to visit a couple of auspicious sites for good luck before our ceremony. One was a large stupa that we had to walk around 3 times in a clockwise direction, and another was an old monastery on top of the hill overlooking Thimpu where we were to ask for blessings. We then made it to the monastery where we got married amid monks chanting and playing music. The chanting was monotonous and the music was quite basic but put altogether with the monastery and monks it was a surreal experience and I don’t think we could have picked a better place to do it on this trip.
After letting everything settle in we took a few pics with the monks and our guests (who included the people from the tour company). Didi then got us to change into the western clothes that he brought for us. Di was stunningly gorgeous in her white dress! Seeing her was breathtaking, and no I’m not exaggerating. We took pics around the monastery with the young monks all running around. Some of the teenage monks were playing volleyball so I decided to join in with them. Even Di came to serve a couple of times in her wedding dress. Pretty soon we had the whole place surrounding us watching the game and laughing. I never thought I’d be playing volleyball in a suit with a team of monks in a Bhutanese monastery, but I’m super happy I did. After that we headed to the centre of Thimpu to take a few pictures as well. It was quite a sight, for all the Bhutanese! Our guide told us that everyone watching on the street had probably never seen a girl in a white wedding dress before. A large crowd of onlookers quickly amassed around us, taking pictures with their cell phone cameras. When we wanted to take shots on the road, the traffic cops helped us out. When we wanted to take shots in people’s cars or from peoples windows, they quickly let us in. Everyone was extremely accommodating. As I’ve said before in this blog, I’m no model; uncomfortable is an understatement of how I felt with the crowds watching us and Didi shooting. But the pics turned out great, especially if you focus more on Di’s face and less on mine. Thanks Didi (and his assistants for the day Susan, Lorea, and our guide Dhendup)!
I’m extremely grateful to Bhutan, its monks, and its people for giving us the wonderful opportunity to get married in a place that felt perfect for us. The people at Blue Poppy travel and our guide Dhendup (dhendupnill84@hotmail.com) did a remarkable job. We were originally planning to do a wedding with just the 2 of us somewhere on this trip, but having Didi, Susan and Lorea join was a fantastic surprise.
Di and I have had an incredible journey for the past 8 months, and now we’ll have the rest of our live to continue the fun. Rock On!
Oh I forgot to add that technically we aren’t married yet by Canadian law as they don’t really recognize the marriage certificate given by the Bhutanese monastery. We’ll still have to register back home, so you know what that means? Bachelor paaarrrttaay!
The Happiest Moment in the Happiest Country
She said:
“Are we married yet?” I whispered, Eug replied “I have no idea.” I looked back at the monks chanting in unison and one of them gestured us to walk up to the head monk. We shuffled along (alright, it was mainly me because I was in the traditional Bhutanese kira and I kept on stepping on it) and came to a stop when we reached the head monk sitting higher up on a raised platform. He had looked very serious when he was chanting earlier but he instantaneously broke into a warm smile and gave us his blessings. He then handed us a certificate (only our names were legible to us, the rest was in Bhutanese) and sent us back to our seats. “We are married?!” I asked Eug while trying hard to refrain from jumping up and down since the monks continued on chanting. “Yeah, I guess so.” Eug replied quietly. He looked like he was about to let out some tears of joy, or was it tears of sadness parting with his bachelor-hood? Then we decided to do a quick ring exchange on the side to say the magical “I Do’s” to each other before a cup of hot milk tea was brought to us. We were told to take turns feeding each other some tea to signify that we were one together (or something like that). I was too excited to remember the details but I did remember the tea being very good and the biscuits that came with the tea were delicious too. I couldn’t stop eating because I was famished by then. And I couldn’t stop smiling because I was ecstatic. We got married!!!
That all took place in the Dechen Phodrang monastery in Thimpu, Bhutan. We took a short flight from Kathmandu to Bhutan and the time change was a difference of 15 minutes. I thought that was strange. Bhutan is supposedly the happiest place in the world. It measures neither GDP nor GNP but GNH – Gross National Happiness. Since then 90% of the people have been ‘happy’, so we were told by our passionate and enthusiastic guide Dhendup. Dhendup also pointed out that there aren’t any traffic lights in the entire country. They aren’t necessary because the drivers tend to let others go first. I might also add that there aren’t any Stop signs either. The Bhutanese people lead simple lives and their beloved King encourages the people to strive for true happiness derived from within and not from materialism. McDonald’s and almost any stores we are used to seeing don’t exist in this country. In such a place, you might question how did Eug get a suit and how did I get my wedding gown and makeup? Especially since you can probably count out all the times I’ve actually worn makeup, which is not much at all. Thanks to our dear friends, Didi, Susan, and Lorea, everything worked out perfectly. Eug looked like a rock star (yeahhhhh! That’s my husband!) and I was able to get the most gorgeous wedding dress, ample makeup supplies, and even a curling iron! They brought everything necessary. Didi is also an excellent photographer and a professional model himself, so the pictures he took were absolutely amazing. I really can’t thank them enough. When we booked our Bhutan trip, we only expected to be in some Bhutanese traditional wear with our jeans and our guide would help to snap a few pictures here and there for us during the ceremony. Initially, Susan and Lorea were going to join us in India, but they couldn’t make it in November so they decided to join us earlier instead in Bhutan. And Didi offered to shoot some pictures for us in Bhutan around the same time too. It all worked out incredibly well somehow. Thanks for everything guys!
We will have a celebration back at home with everyone next year. Stay tuned! 🙂
Bowstaff skills, Nunchuck skills, and now I got Sword skills too
We took another overnight train to get from Beijing to Xi’an, the next stop on our China trip. At one point Xi’an was called Chang’an, and it was home to the first Emperor of China. This first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, unified China by defeating the 6 other Warring States at the time. He standardized its currency, measurements and writing. He also completed huge infrastructure projects, laying miles and miles of canals, roads, and the first version of the great wall. Unfortunately he was also quite a tyrant who liked to burn books on good days and bury scholars alive on bad ones. Before he died he had an army of terracotta soldiers built for him to accompany him into the afterlife. This subterranean army is the main reason we came to Xi’an.
The Army of Terracotta Warriors is about an hour out of Xi’an so we caught a minibus from the city to get there. The site itself is pretty big and split into 3 different pits. The first one is the most impressive with over 6000 horses and soldiers in battle formation. Other parts of the museum let you see bronze chariots, chrome-plated weapons, and different types of soldiers (a kneeling archer, a standing archer, a cavalryman, an officer, and a general) up close. The detail is absolutely incredible, especially considering that they are all well over 2000 years old. What’s also remarkable is that no two faces of the soldiers are alike. We’ve seen some pretty amazing tombs over this year of traveling, including the ones in Egypt in the Valley of the Kings, but to have a full standing army built to go with you into the afterlife is pretty badass. Say what you will about the ruler, his influences on Chinese culture as we know it are still felt today.
When we got back to Xi’an that night we walked around the Muslim quarter. There is a sizable Muslim population which has been around for hundreds of years here. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Xi’an is the beginning of the Silk Road, though I’m unsure if that’s the reason. Either way, the Muslim quarter is a pretty cool part of town and that’s where we ended up having a massive dinner of cumin-doused street-meat-on-a-stick and beer. Pretty good combination if you ask Phil.
The next day we decided to go to Hua Shan (Mount Hua, pictured above). I climbed this mountain 6 years ago and liked it so I thought I’d take everyone there to do it again. For those who don’t know, Hua Shan is the most sacred of the top 5 Taoist mountains in China. It’s one of those legendary, mythical places where immortal Taoists hang out and meditate, dispensing the truth for those who are willing to be disciples. It also holds an allure for those of us who are into Kung-Fu movies and stories. Supposedly, the Hua Shan sect’s style of swordplay was invincible as they knew the Nine Swords of Dugu style (I know, awesome, right?). A great movie illustrating what I mean is Swordsman II starring Jet Li and Brigitte Lin. The Chinese believe in this thing called Chi (or Qi) like in Tai Chi. It’s kind of like a life energy, sorta thing. Anyways, Hua Shan is supposed to have a lot of sword Chi. So seeing as I’ve been up the mountain twice, my sword skills must be pretty killer due to the absorption of the sword Chi. We took the gondola up to the North Peak and from there we hiked another 45 minutes to get to Golden Lock Gate. The views were stunning, and Hua Shan is truly a granite beauty with striking vertical rock faces. Poetry and Taoist proverbs are also skilfully carved into the mountainside. It’s regrettable that we didn’t have enough time or it would have been nice to do the whole 6 hour hike from the very bottom without taking the cable car. Unfortunately the bus ride to and from XI’an was a gong show and took way longer than expected, so maybe next time we’ll bite the bullet and hire a private driver. If I went up another time though my sword skills would probably be outta this world. I dunno if I could handle that much power.
On our final morning in XI’an before heading back to Hong Kong we rented bikes and cycled the old city walls which took about an hour. Xi’an is one of the few cities in China whose ancient walls are still left standing. They are over 500 years old and from the Ming Dynasty. The bikes we were able to rent also looked like they were 500 years old and from the Ming Dynasty. While Phil was cycling the pedal completely came off his bike. Luckily he didn’t crash and fall so the historic wall wasn’t damaged.
After Xi’an we hopped on a flight back to HK for a few days before Phil and Talica went back to Vancouver. There really isn’t much to say about that except that we partied like it was 1998 (the first of many years that Phil and I went back together to HK). A lot of his friends from Halifax were in town, and a lot of my friends from Vancouver were also there. This conglomeration resulted in a pretty powerful combination which then resulted in Talica and Di doing the robot for about 4 hours in this club called Volar. Supposedly I was belting out Justin Bieber (that’s Steve Jue and Christine Pang’s fault for introducing him to me) as well. Good thing I didn’t have a sword in my hand while I was dancing Bieber styles, I don’t think Volar or any of its patrons would have survived that.
Beijing – The Capital of China
I’m not a big fan of overnight traveling, but taking a new fast overnight sleeping train doesn’t seem bad at all. And that’s what Phil, Ta, Eug, and I did to get to Beijing from Shanghai. The sucky thing was that we couldn’t all be in the same cabin but the good thing was that we all got top bunks in the 4 bunk rooms. And it was Ta’s first time taking the overnight train too! I was super stoked to be in Beijing because I’ve always wanted to see the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square. The last image of Tiananmen Square that was embedded in my brain was a line of military tanks driving slowly towards a student protestor who was blocking its way. That was 1989 before we moved to Canada. Like a curious but shy kid, I anticipated the visit to Beijing with mixed feelings. On one hand, I couldn’t wait to see the sites; on the other hand, I wasn’t sure if I’d like what I was going to see. It turned out that my worries were absolutely unnecessary. Beijing was far from what I thought it was as a child and the sites we managed to cram in during these short 4 days were incredible, and we had some really good meals too.
We wasted no time to try the yummy Peking duck after checking into our serviced apartment. Finally, Peking duck in Beijing! We went to Da Dong Peking Duck and it was really the best Peking duck I’ve ever had. The skin was crispy and the meat was lean yet full of flavour. The wrap itself was almost paper thin. So good! The squab was probably the best one I’ve had as well and every other dish we ordered was delicious too. The price wasn’t cheap by China standards but it was definitely worth it for the quality we got. Having satisfied our appetite, we headed towards the Forbidden City. We took the subway to the Tiananmen East station and walked to the palace. The palace was huge and seemed never ending, gate after gate, and each got grander and grander. There were other exhibits on the sides as well. By the time we wanted to check out the clock tower and the treasury, they were already closed. That was a bummer but what we saw was tons already.
Right across the street in front of the big picture of Mao by the entrance of the Forbidden City is Tiananmen Square. As we were walking towards it, my heart sank a bit recalling the image of the tank. Even though it was just across the street from the visitor packed Forbidden City, there seemed to be only a few groups of tourists on the square side. Tianamen, which is actually the world’s largest public square, was surrounded by big boxy gray and imposing communist style buildings. It was such a great contrast between the posh, new capitalistic steel and glass buildings in Pudong that I almost forgot we were just in Shanghai the day before.
The next morning we visited the Great Wall. Eug was here about 6 years ago and he snuck into the Great Wall at 5 in the morning with some friends when it wasn’t opened yet to catch the sunrise. He raved about the experience so we did the same this time. Our driver picked us up at 4am and we were dropped off at the Mutianyu section of the wall. Eug previously snuck in at the Badaling section so we thought we’d try another area that many actually consider more beautiful. We hiked up to the wall in half an hour in the dark and the drizzling rain with flashlights. It wasn’t exactly clear and sunny but the misty surroundings gave a different feel to the place. As the sun came up it didn’t take long for us to start appreciating the mysterious and majestic look of the Great Wall, especially wrapped in clouds and with no other tourists in sight. We couldn’t see the sunrise though, next time! We also visited the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. Both were equally extraordinary. We were told Beijing has a more cultural aura compared to the modern and posh Shanghai, and we did find that to be true. Our Shanghai friend Heidi told us we must visit the Hohai area so we hung out there one night despite the rain. It’s a long strip of pubs and bars surrounding a lake. At night time the outside is well lit by a neat row of red lanterns. You’ll hear live bands performing different songs from every single bar, Chinese oldies, pop, western hip hop and rock and oldies as well. All were sung by talented local singers and bands. We had a really good time there. We also checked out the famous Wangfujing shopping area. There’s a night market that has all these weird creatures for you to consume and it’s in almost all the travel shows you see. Things like star fish, silk worms and scorpions are all on the menu. NO THANKS! And even though I love stinky tofu and pig’s blood and other crazy stuff that Taiwanese people like, it was pretty gross to see people actually eating live scorpions. We double dared Phil to eat the scorpions but he chickened out. Plus Talica wasn’t going to kiss him afterwards if he ate them. But mostly it was because he chickened out.
Though we liked it here there were a couple of negatives. The air isn’t exactly of the best quality as the cities’ constantly covered in thick smog (thicker than in LA). The traffic is also insane, and we were almost never able to hail taxi in less than half an hour. The Mandarin spoken here is completely incomprehensible to my Taiwan Mandarin ears. But there’s something about Beijing that lures you in and you somehow can’t get enough of it. Being here made me realize that the image I had was from a long time ago and China is definitely a different place now. Word on the street from those in the know say Beijing is more fun than Shanghai, and we can see why. Beijing is kind of like Shanghai’s older, cooler, and more confident sibling. It doesn’t try to shove the “I’m popular and people want to be like me” vibe down your throat like Shanghai does with its brash parties, big lights and flashy architecture. Beijing knows it’s cool, and it has no problem letting Shanghai take the spotlight. I wish we had more time here to ride out the rainy days and see more sites as we still missed quite a few. And if the epic partying in Shanghai didn’t leave us in such a tired state we would have liked to have taken in more of the Beijing nightlife. Luckily we have a few friends living here, which gives us an excuse to come back to visit soon!
Shanghai – The Future New Centre of the World?
We had an awesome time in Shanghai. First we came to visit one of my closest friends Shingo, who has been living here for a couple of years. In addition, Di’s parents showed up with their Taiwanese friends for a short 5 day tour of Shanghai that coincided with the days that we were there. And to top it off, my BFF Phil and his girlfriend Talica came from Vancouver to spend the next 2 weeks with us. Sweet!
Shanghai doesn’t have as much of a dignified history as cities like Beijing and Xi’an. In fact, there was a time when corruption was rife, gangsters ruled, and many different European countries controlled large sections of the city unhindered by Chinese law. Opium dens and gambling joints were ubiquitous with this extremely busy port town. I’m actually not sure if the Shanghainese are proud or ashamed of this past, but I’m quite positive that they think extremely highly of their current position in China and the hopes they have for their future on the world wide stage.
It’s because of this sense that Shanghai is the next “It” city for business and development that so many of our friends are here. As I mentioned, Shingo is here from Japan. When he came to pick us up from our hotel, in the car was Mits (a friend I hung out with in New York way back when) and Jeff (a Taiwanese guy who went on an exchange program with Di in Japan 13 years ago)! It was crazy to see those 2 with Shingo, having lost touch with them and not knowing they all knew each other; such a small world. In addition to that, sitting at the table next to ours at the club was our buddy Areef, who lives in Jakarta but was also in town for business. What are the chances? Oh, and our French friend Martin who we met on Kilimanjaro was also in town and partook in the festivities of the night. What I’m trying to say is that people are gravitating here. I met many others throughout the nights here, and they were from all over the world. When I asked them why they were here, pretty much the universal answer was “to get rich”. Most of the Asian guys had family business from other parts of Asia to expand into the China market, but pretty much all the European and American guys were here to seek new opportunities and make new contacts. I haven’t witnessed that kind of energy in any other city we’ve hit so far on our travels.
It was also good to grab dinner with Di’s parents and their friends. Since there was so many of them they split everyone up into 2 tables, with dudes on one side and women on the other. So I got to chill with Di’s dad and 10 of his Taiwanese speaking buddies. These guys were all from the South of the Island, which typically has a more pro-Taiwan/anti-China sentiment. However, at dinner it seemed as though the sentiment was more towards cooperation on the business front (I didn’t get into the political front as that would have opened up a can of worms). They were talking about how in their youth when they had to do military service, China was their enemy, but now those times are past and the future is about teamwork and mutually beneficial relationships. I for one was ecstatic to hear these guys say that, as I’m all about building bridges and I’ve been hearing the negativity in China/Taiwan issues for way too long.
We were able to visit most of the areas of the city we wanted to see, such as the Yu Yuan gardens, Nanjing Road, Xin Tian Di and the Bund. We lived in the French concession too which was a nice part of town. In addition we went to the world Expo for a day, which was immense, though not in a good way. We basically only entered 2 pavilions, which was enough for us as we had no interest in lining up over 2 hours to check out another one. In addition our friend Heidi hooked us up with river cruise tickets as her friend owned the nicest boat on the water. The views at night on both sides of the river were quite stunning, with one side the historic European waterfront of old Shanghai (the Bund) contrasting with the other side, the modern steel and glass financial powerhouse district of new Shanghai (Pudong). For those who visit I definitely recommend this cruise to get a glimpse of the new architecture (a lot of it nice, some like the TV tower, not so nice) that is being built at breakneck speed.
One quick note about food. Shanghai’s most famous dish is probably xiao long bao, a small steamed dumpling that’s ridiculously good when done right. Well, there’s been the argument that Taipei’s are better, so Di and I went out all over town to the most famous joints to give them a try. I’m sorry to disappoint the Taiwanese readers out there, but Jia Jia Tang Bao in Shanghai was tastier for us than Din Tai Fung in Taipei. And yes we know Din Tai Fung well, Di lives across the street from them and we eat there almost every 2nd day we’re in Taipei. When you’re in Shanghai you have to give Jia Jia a try.
5 days here gave us a pretty good feel for Shanghai, especially with so many local friends. I was here 5 years ago, and though it was developing a lot already there were still a lot of visible social issues, especially begging. This time around, I didn’t see even one panhandler on the street. And though the odd person still budges in line, it’s definitely rarer than my first time here. This city is evolving, and fast at that. The infrastructure is first rate, and the new buildings rival those of any built in the rest of the world. Though China is still a developing country, Shanghai is confidently leading the charge for its transition into a first world powerhouse. Being here, in the front line of change, almost made me want to grab a suit, a cell, and a notebook to join the army of entrepreneurs looking for excitement and their piece of the pie. Then I remembered I was travelling the world with Di, and Phil and Ta were along for this part of the ride, so I emerged from my stay-here-and-get-rich daydream and happily we moved on to Beijing to let the adventure continue. Shanghai definitely impressed us though, and I’m sure all of us will be back. Maybe by then it will fully attain that international city status the Chinese government so wants it to have.
Crazy but true, I’m not model material
Don’t let my chiselled features or Herculean-Calvin-Klein-underwear-model body fool you, I’m no Derek Zoolander.
At the BnB we stayed at in Hualien, the owner was a photography aficionado. On the top floor of his building he set up a mini studio, and part of the deal with his BnB was that you got some free studio shots if you stayed there. Taiwanese people love their studio pics, so we all went up to give it a shot.
Di and Ting-Ting were pretty good at doing what he wanted or what they thought would look good. I, on the other hand, was a miserable failure. I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time. I’m sure Di wanted some nice shots of us, but she’s pretty used to me taking bad pictures with her so I think she was cool. Ting-Ting is also used to me being a jackass, so I think she found some of my antics comical. The photographer, nice as he was, looked like he was getting slightly frustrated. So I took a seat and let the girls finish the pics as I sat and watched.
Here is my favourite pic. It’s funny to me because to stop me from cracking up Di told us to pose for the camera by making a scary face. I went ahead and attempted to do that; Ting-Ting obviously misunderstood and went ahead and did a “I’m scared” face; and Di, who came up with the idea, well I have no idea what she’s doing. What the hell is that?
Formosa Stylez
I was 16 when I first begrudgingly arrived in Taipei. I say begrudgingly because my parents and their friends basically enrolled the 4 of us (myself, my sister, and our friends Tim and Charlotte) in a free Taiwanese government run summer camp. Supposedly we were to learn Mandarin and about Chinese/Taiwanese culture. I know, to a 16 year old it sounded terrible. After arriving on the plane we were greeted by Taipei’s airport, by far the worst I had ever been to in my spoiled childhood. The taxi ride to the camp residence was equally disappointing; I had never seen so many crappy scooters in my life, and none of the car drivers were following the road rules I was used to in Canada (4 lanes on the highway here meant you could fit 7 cars across). In addition, Taipei back then in 1995 looked like a big dump compared to the 2 other Asian metropolis’s I had been to, HK and Tokyo. However, 2 months later I left to return home, having just experienced the best summer of my life.
Lots of our friends back in Vancouver are Taiwanese. Lots of our friends back in Vancouver are from Hong Kong (or are descendants of those from HK, like me). Thus there’s always been a friendly feud over which place is better; naturally I’m on HK’s side so I always poke fun at Taiwan. But in all honesty (and no I’m not just saying this because my girlfriend is Taiwanese) Taiwan is pretty awesome. I liked it here so much after the first time I came that I returned to do the summer camp offered for university students (again paid for by the Taiwanese government and aptly nicknamed “Loveboat”). On both of those summer camps I toured around the island, and since Di had never done that even though this is her native country (tsk tsk), we decided to brave the roads and go for a ride.
After we had our fun in Taipei our friend Aven, who went to UBC with us and is Di’s god brother, lent us his car to check out the sights. Our first stop was Hualien, a city about 3 hours south of Taipei on the Eastern Coast of the Island. We checked into a fantastic BnB (more on that in the next blog entry) that DI’s best friend Ting-Ting had booked. Early the next morning, Ting-Ting (her English name is Jen, but I personally like her Chinese name Ting-Ting way more) flew in from Taipei to meet up with us, and we went river tracing. This entails putting on a wetsuit, a lifejacket, and a helmet and walking up the Shapodang river and then back down (see above pic). Most of the companies who do this are run by the minority aboriginal population, who descend from peoples more related to the Polynesians than the majority Han Chinese in Taiwan. The river was beautiful, cool, and extremely clean, and there were ample waterfalls and cliffs for you to jump from with deep pools to land in. The 3 of us had a ton of fun. River tracing here is actually very popular, and there were at least a hundred people doing what we were doing that day. Most were local Taiwanese from the big city which resulted in a lot entertainment for me. The faces and accompanying shrieks of a large number of the girls as they peered over the ledges of the cliffs they were supposed to jump off of were priceless. The corresponding loud encouragement from all the guys in unison (really cheesy, corny and not cool by our standards, though definitely warm-hearted) was almost as comical. Though I hate to stereotype, bravery and athleticism seemed to be missing in the majority of the female participants. However, Di and Ting-Ting were not the norm and had no problem tackling every jump, the tallest of which was 12 metres. All the local guys were momentarily dumbfounded at these 2 girls who were more courageous than a lot of them. Great job ladies!
The next day we drove 15 minutes out of Hualien to Taiwan’s top tourist destination, Taroko Gorge. It is an absolutely beautiful park with great hiking, beautiful rivers, and lush green vegetation covering its numerous mountains. We went for a hike and hung out on the banks of the Shakadang river for the day. Next time I come back hopefully I’ll stay in the park and not in town as it really is a serene and stunning place. Unfortunately Ting-Ting had to go back to Taipei that evening so we dropped her off at the Hualien airport and continued or journey south.
The next town we arrived at was Taitung. Again we found a fantastic BnB and explored for a couple of days. What we found was good food, really nice people, and a chill laid back vibe. Half an hour away from Taitung is the Chihpen hot springs, so that evening after dinner Di and I made our way out there. Of the many resorts at the springs we chose the Hotel Royal Chihpen (BnB recommendation) and at about 6 CAD dollars per person to use the facilities I thought it was a steal. We spent most of the night just soaking in the numerous hot-spring tubs in the spa-like pool area. Pretty relaxing.
The next day we drove to Kenting at the southern tip of the island. There is definitely a more resort like feel to this town, with surf, diving and nightlife in abundance. Though the beaches and the water may lack the staggering beauty of nearby SE Asian islands, it still is pretty nonetheless and there were tons of tourists here enjoying themselves. We serendipitously rolled into town the one night of the year they have this big festival where teams of men try to climb an extremely tall wooden pole to grab a red ribbon near the top. They do this by stacking on each other’s shoulders and there’s a big safety net to catch them if they fall. Oh and I forgot to mention, the pole is covered in grease. It was fun to watch, and fun to get into the excitement of the huge crowd even though I couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying. That’s because the southerners speak a different dialect of Chinese (from the Fujian province of China) that is unintelligible to my Cantonese/Mandarin understanding ears.
The following morning we first drove up to the town of Neipu to meet up with Di’s grandparents, who could easily compete with mine for being the cutest grandparents ever. Her 84 year old grandpa insisted on driving us to the restaurant to eat lunch in his Honda civic, and her hilarious 82 year old grandma ordered us a feast. When we were about to leave, a tropical rainstorm descended upon the town. Di’s grandpa, who literally can still move as fast as a ninja, ran out to the car to drive it to the front of the restaurant to pick us up. However her grandma was unwilling to walk the 4 steps it would take in the downpour to enter the car. So we watched as ninja grandpa was trying to convince reluctant grandma for about 10 minutes to walk while he was holding a big rainbow coloured umbrella. Super cute. Luckily the rain slowed and she got in, and we were able to make it back to their house where freshly cut fruit was waiting. After leaving them we drove 20 minutes to Di’s dad’s office where he was working at in Pingtung. He’s a well-known architect and just outside of Kenting he’s got a massive hotel that’s currently being built. Anyways, we had some more fruit and coffee with him and a great little visit. Our friend Mike (who also works in Pingtung) then met up with us at the office and he led the way to his house, 30 minutes away in Kaohsiung, where his wife Claire and daughter Kaitlin were waiting. It was great to see him as we all went to school together in Vancouver. He took us out for dinner where I watched him interact with his wife and daughter, occasionally in disbelief. Why? Because it was Mike, a guy we partied hard with as students, now a loving and devoted father and husband. Good job bud!
After crashing at Mike’s for the night, we took off to Taichung for one last stop where we had a meal with Di’s high school friend Flora. We had a good time catching up with her and hearing about her transition back to a Taiwanese life from a Canadian one. After dinner with her we returned to Taipei, having spent 6 days driving around much of the island from the eastern coast to the southern tip, back up north along the western coast.
A lot of things on this road trip have changed since I first did it in 1995. Firstly, the highways themselves are fantastic; smoothly paved and quite wide with clearly marked signs. 15 years ago, they were death traps on the verge of collapsing into the ocean. Kaohsiung and Taichung have completely transformed, with both actually being very nice, especially Kaohsiung. I remember Taichung as being a scary place (I saw a woman yelling and angrily waving a machete at another person) where I would have never considered living. Today it’s been redeveloped and Flora’s neighbourhood is extremely new and pleasant. There were tons of mountain bikers on the highways of the east coast, and with the road fixtures and the stunning coastline it’s easy to understand why. Though the infrastructure has improved greatly, the people haven’t changed. They are still as friendly and as warm as I can remember (minus machete lady). Coming back to Taiwan and driving around the island reminds me a lot of why that summer was up until that point, and maybe even up until today, the best summer of my life. This island will always hold a special place in my heart. Did I just write those words? The corniness of the local guys on the river tracing trip must really be rubbing off on me to finish with a sentence like that.
fromwonderintowonder 
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