Escape to Thailand

I know it has been a while since I posted, but it's only because I have been having a fantastic month traveling! After the wonderful insanity of Holi, Hannah and I had two days in Delhi before heading off to Thailand for two weeks. Since the first month of our grant, my roommates and I had discussed going to Thailand together after its completion as a last hurrah before going our separate ways. Fast forward nine months and Hannah and I are the only two left in the Malviya Nagar nest, and we would be damned if we weren't going to take that vacation. 

Getting the Skytrain to Chatuchat

 We arrived in Bangkok on the night of March 29th and headed straight for my cousin Eric's house, located in a beautiful building in the heart of the city. After a night in the most comfortable bed of all time, we awoke to freshly cut fruit on an immaculately lain table, sunlight streaming in the windows overlooking downtown. We went to Chatuchak Market, a giant bazaar open only on weekends, full of stalls selling everything from pets to souvenirs, clothing to spices, dishes and silverware. I had been to the market on my previous trip to Bangkok, but it was great to go again and experience it with my shopping buddy of the year. We stopped for a lunch of noodles and fried chicken, cooked to perfection, and returned to Eric's for an afternoon by the pool on the roof.  Our friend Sarah, who had been an ETA in Madurai and has been traveling in Southeast Asia since she resigned her grant in January, came back to Bangkok to meet us, and joined us at Eric's that evening. Eric's awesome-beyond-words live-in housekeeper, Kuhn Eid, made an incredible Thai dinner, and Eric's good friend and colleague, Elsbeth, joined us with her husband. It was so great to be in someone's home, not eating Indian food and free of the pressure to go back to the crazy teaching in Delhi. 

With Eric at the State Tower

The next few days flew by, Eric treating us like royalty, wining and dining us all day and even taking us for foot massages. We went dancing one night in his neighborhood--such a relief to feel totally comfortable going outside in Western clothing at night. Eric runs a gem and jewelry business in Bangkok and we got to visit his office and see the gem cutters at work. 

Gem cutting at Eric's office

He took us for drinks at a hotel with an amazing view of the city, and then to a buffet at the Sheraton at which we could have sworn we'd died and gone to heaven, complete with Thai food, a raw seafood bar, sushi, steak, mashed potatoes, caesar salad, an array of cheeses, creme brulée, mousse and a dozen other little desserts. On our last night in Bangkok the three of us joined Eric and some of his friends for the best pizza I've had since New York, before he left for a cruise with his parents the next day. Living it up in Bangkok truly felt like a dream.

Longtail boats on Railay Beach

Sarah continued north to go to Cambodia, and Hannah and I flew to Krabi, a small town on the west (Andaman) coast of Southern Thailand, where we found a small hostel run by a crazy Rastafarian Thai guy who acted like a caricature of a beach town hippie. We met up with our friend Kelly, another Madurai ETA whom I was particularly close with in the time we spent as a big group, who was also doing the rounds in Thailand following the grant. We spent a few days on the stunning beaches of Railay, meeting some fun Swedish people (who, incidentally, abound in Thailand like peanuts in pad thai), and soaking in the sun.

From the longtail ride to Railay

Hannah, Kelly and I then departed on a bus and then a ferry to Ko Phi Phi, an island famed for being featured in the Leonardo DiCaprio thriller, "The Beach." Phi Phi is actually two islands: Phi Phi Don, where people stay, and Phi Phi Leh, which is a protected nature reserve. We took turns staying with the bags while the other two looked for a hostel, walking around in the heat of the afternoon after the long ferry ride. After settling in, we walked around, went to the beach and relaxed (again) before enjoying the party vibe on the beach in the evening. 

Ko Phi Phi Leh

 The next day we bought some beers at the local 7-11 and talked to the driver of a longtail boat, negotiating a price to take us around Phi Phi Leh for the day. 1500 baht later we were on our way, jumping out of the boat to snorkel in the crystal clear water every time the boat entered a different cove. The beach that is shown in the movie was beautiful, but packed with tourists and therefore less than picturesque. But the more isolated parts of the island that we saw were incredible. 

Maya Beach, of "The Beach" fame

After two days in Ko Phi Phi we headed for another ferry-bus-ferry combination to get to Ko Tao, an island on the east coast of Thailand, famed for its inexpensive, high-quality scuba diving. We spent a full day traveling and then made ourselves at home at Ban's a resort that certifies more people per year than any other facility in the world. The atmosphere on the island was very laid back, with people from all over the world converging to take advantage of the diving and scene. Hannah and I went for our initial diving certification, while Kelly did a course to get her advanced certification. We were in a small group taught by the dive shop's head instructor, an eccentric English guy who has been teaching diving for 20 years, following his retirement from the Royal Ballet (no kidding). He was on the crude side, but was a great instructor and we felt very safe in under his teaching. When we practiced in the pool I was a little nervous and found it a bit anxiety-provoking to breathe underwater. But as soon as we got in the ocean, I felt like, well, a duck to water. It was as if I had done it a million times, I was so comfortable and had very few problems maintaining the right buoyancy necessary to move freely. The fish were beautiful, swimming through lush anemones and brilliantly textured coral. I had the sensation of seeing something so familiar, yet so foreign at the same time. Long story short, I absolutely loved diving and can't wait to go again. It also made me feel a nice connection to my brother, who wanted nothing for his 14th birthday but diving classes and has been a fanatic since. We met some very nice people, ate good food and Hannah and I really enjoyed the last few days we had together before parting ways. 

Ko Tao livin'

At the end of two weeks we returned to Bangkok on an overnight bus to fly back to India. My friend Sári was arriving from Hungary and we were to travel together for a few weeks, while Hannah's aunt and uncle were coming from Atlanta to do the same. We returned to our apartment and enjoyed the last night of many we'd had alone in the apartment in Malviya Nagar, reminiscing and watching some of our favorite shows, tying up loose ends with our landlord and beginning to process the whole year's experience as a whole. Thailand was an awesome adventure, but it was nothing compared to the entire ten months we spent learning, growing, struggling and enjoying all that India had to offer us. I will miss India immensely, but am very ready to leave and move on to other endeavors.

To view all of my photos from Thailand, click here.

Pitaji in Mother India

I was lucky enough to have my dad visit me in India for a hot second, which we spent going to Agra and Amritsar. In Agra, I finally saw the Taj Mahal, the jewel in India's sightseeing crown, as well as the lovely Agra Fort. Amritsar is a city in Punjab that lies a few kilometers from the Pakistani border in the northwest of the country. It is home to the Golden Temple, the holiest site of the Sikh religion. Both cities were places I had been meaning to see but had not gotten around to. Here is the link to my photos of Agra and Amritsar. Enjoy!

Agra: Mughal Magic

Amritsar: The Urban Turban

Mataji in Mother India

I just had a great two weeks traveling with my mom (Mataji) in this fine and varied land. We spent a few eventful days in Delhi, where she visited my school, enjoyed the great weather, and successfully avoided food poisoning! We then spent a few days in the Thar Desert and the city of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan in Western India. After returning to Delhi via overnight train, Hannah joined us as we flew to Bagdogra in West Bengal (Northeast India) and drove (ahem, were driven) to Darjeeling. Following Darjeeling, we drove through the Himalayan state of Sikkim before returning to West Bengal and then flying back to Delhi. It was exhausting...but awesome! Here are the links for my photos. Click and enjoy!

Delhi and Jaisalmer

Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kalimpong

Chutti

It had been up in the air for a while as to whether our winter break would begin on December 25th, as we had been told way back at the June orientation in Austin, or on the 31st, as schedule changes aren't technically changes when there never was a schedule in the first place. Tired of waiting for a decision, Hannah and I booked a flight to Goa for Christmas Day and away we went. 

We spent the first night in Anjuna, a touristy, fairly gross beach town, before discovering that the nicer beaches were north of where we were. Our cab pulled up the next morning to Mandrem Beach, where we fell in love with the quiet, clean, white sand and parked ourselves for a week. 

The view that made us stay.

Our home for the week

Beachside restaurant

We literally did nothing all week but lie on the beach on wooden loungers, taking the occasional dip, reading and getting up every once in a while for food. On the 30th, our ETA friend Sarah, who was placed in Madurai, joined us, and we spent New Year's Eve with some people that we met. We stayed up all night, dancing, hanging out on the beach, and enjoying the company. I unfortunately lost my phone in the process, an annoying price to pay. At midnight we were getting out of a cab, running to avoid having sparks rain down on us from the fireworks being set off all around us. It was the perfect way to bring in the new year, a great follow up to last year, when I went to Times Square with some friends visiting from Sweden.

Yours truly

We spent the last few days taking walks, exploring the beaches beside Mandrem, and feeling grateful for our good fortune to have been there. 

Me and Hannah, happy campers

On January 2nd, Hannah departed to Kolkata to visit her boyfriend and I went to Mapusa, the nearest "city," to get a bus to Mumbai, where I was catching my flight to Israel. Mapusa is so far the yuckiest place I've been in India. Granted, I was only at the bus station, and any bus station is bound to be aesthetically disappointing, but waiting there for two hours by myself was a fairly unpleasant experience. I did meet a nice Canadian guy, though, which made the experience a little better. After an overnight bus to Mumbai, I paid 100 rupees to leave my stuff at the Salvation Army hostel, and spent the day wandering the city.

Getting to the airport in the evening was a nightmare. Cab drivers were saying it would take three hours to get there, and were charging crazy amounts. After it took half an hour to go about a kilometer, the driver dropped me off at Victoria Terminal to take a train, where I was promptly told I could not get a train from there to the airport. Exhausted, anxious and not knowing what to do, I started crying in the middle of the train station. No sooner did the tears start to flow did two men who looked to be in their sixties come over to help me out. They were distressed by my distress, taking me to the ticket window where people in line unquestioningly let me cut them when they saw how upset I was, helping the guys to help me. I even had to insist on paying for my own ticket, as they wanted to do everything for me! One of the guys put me on the women's car of the correct train, before hopping on another car and waiting for me at the terminal station and putting me in a cab. I had to go to the domestic terminal to pick up my Israeli passport, which I had forgotten at the check in counter in Delhi and Hannah's boyfriend, Kundun, had facilitated transporting it to Mumbai. Of course, the airline people had no idea what I was talking about, prompting cry #2 and a phone call to Kundun, who set her straight and got them to help me. Passport in hand, I got in a prepaid taxi to go to the international terminal a few kilometers away, only to look at the price list to see a 2,200 rupee tariff (about $40), and force them to stop and let me out. Some fierce bargaining later, I was in an auto and made it to the El Al security counter, where I said my bag had been in a hostel storage room and was told it had to be emptied and checked. At my wit's end, tired beyond beliefand desperate to have this ordeal behind me, I cried a third time, prompting confusion and hesitation from the poor security guy. I assured him that I was fine, to do what he had to do, I was just tired and not feeling great, but I could tell he felt bad for making me cry. And at last, I was on the plane. Sweet relief! 

I slept for a lot of the flight and easily made my way to Haifa from the airport on the train. It was so reassuring to be in a place so familiar and unchanged. I of course spent the first few days totally sick to my stomach, requiring a quick dose of heavy antibiotics before infecting my poor, unsuspecting grandparents, but you can't expect India to stay where it is. I met my cousin Yuval's baby Roee, born in August.

Roee, Yuval and Tami

I went to lunch at the kibbutz, seeing kids who had grown feet since last I saw them, and meeting kids who hadn't been born during my last visit in 2008.

Shlomo, Odelia, Avishag

Avishag, Orya, Daniela and Me

Cousins! The cutest.

The week I spent in Israel was the rainiest and snowiest in ten years. Train tracks were flooded and everyone was receiving picture messages from friends and relatives in the mountains and in Jerusalem, making snow angels and snowmen in feet of white powder. It was a great excuse to stay inside and just spend time with people. I spent the night at the kibbutz, hanging out with Shirit and her boys, Yinon, six, and Roee, twelve. Before I knew Roee, I never liked working with children. It was really my relationship with him, more than anything else, that made me see the fun and reward of spending time with kids. We always had a special connection, and it was such a delight to see him, his voice changing, tall and mature and yet still the sensitive, unique child I remembered. There was a part of me that was sad, as if I had never had the opportunity to say goodbye to who he was as a small child. In any case, seeing him was a total joy. 

I caught up with my mom's friends and the other Yaeli, with whom every time we meet it's like we never parted. I ate lots of cheese and olives and pickles and salad, not to mention the schnitzels and ktzitzot my grandmother had waiting for me in the fridge. And I got to spend lots of quality time with my grandparents, who are positive and curious as ever.

Grandpa Everett and his harmonica

We also ogled at the picture of the newest addition to the family, their first great-grandchild. My cousin Carla gave birth on December 26th to Leo, the cutest baby boy on this side of the Equator.

Carla and Leo

It was great to go to Israel and see everyone; I hope it won't take me four years to get back again!