Going Back in Time - Riots & Water Fights in Bangkok!

A couple of Thai girls celebrating Songkran on Khao San Road. It's customary to mix clay and water together and wipe it on people's faces : - ) That's what they're carrying in the buckets.

Only a few of blocks away the "red shirts" take to the streets in protest.

Back at the water fights...... Travelers coming or going can't escape the blasts, backpacks and all. At the sound of someone shouting "dry person", water would be sent their way from all angles. Most people were good about it and had a laugh but some people got down right nasty if you sprayed them. One woman hit me and tried to throw a plate at Chelle!!

It's hard to imagine during the fun and festivities that not too far away things are heating up and turning violent.

Day 4 and Kim "Sniper" Boundy catches two people unawares!

The government decides to step in.

This is the money shot! Chelle didn't see that one coming!

After Chelle and I lodged our applications for our Indian visas we had 11 days to kill in Bangkok. The Songkran festival (Thai New Year) kept us cool and wet for 4 solid days when temperatures soared to the high 30’s with incredible humidity. Songkran turned out to be the biggest water fight that either of us had ever been involved in with thousands of people taking to the streets armed with super soakers, buckets of ice water and pots of clay. At the same time however, only a few blocks away, people were also taking to the streets in the form of protests. The “Red Shirts” were holding demonstrations aimed at getting rid of the current government.

One day as Chelle and I returned to our hotel in a tuk-tuk we accidentally drove right into the centre of one of these demonstrations. From what we could see, the “Red Shirts” had stolen a police van and were running around wearing the police riot gear. We didn’t stick around to see what happened next. The next day the protests escalated into violent riots, a state of emergency was declared and the Thai army intervened. After the Australian government issued a travel advisory for Bangkok, I received numerous phone calls from my Mum. I gave her daily updates as the events were unfolding and reassured her that neither Chelle nor I were in any danger. I even got interviewed by a correspondent from the ABC television network in Australia!

We've put some photos together to show both sides of these crazy events.

Free Tibet!

I'm sure most of you are aware of the plight of the Tibetan people. Many of you have probably seen t-shirts and bumper stickers with the slogan - Free Tibet. Their struggle has been a long and arduous one and as time's gone on their plight has been in the world media spotlight less and less. There's one place, however, where their cause is very much a current affair and that's in Dharamsala, India which is home to more than 250,000 Tibetan refugees; the Dalai Lama being one of them. It's been 50 years since China entered Tibet to "liberate" the Tibetan people and in that time hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have fled their homeland to seek refuge in India. How did they get here? They crossed the Himalayas, on foot!

Just today i was chatting with a Tibetan woman who shared with me her experience from 9 years ago when she made the decision to flee her country. She made the trek, over some of the highest mountain passes in the world, along with 27 others and it took 23 gruelling days. She remembers being freezing cold and bone tired with no food to eat or water to drink but she had to keep pressing on. Despite the fact that it was painfully hard and she didn't think she'd make it, she did. She was one of the lucky ones. She said that many people however, especially the elderly or those travelling with young children are not so lucky. Many people die en route. She also said that in addition to being exhausted and having no nourishment you have to be very careful to remain unseen by Chinese soldiers who patrol the passes. In fact, not too long ago some mountaineers filmed footage of Chinese soldiers opening fire on a group of Tibetans trying to escape. Their footage, which I'm told is chilling, has been made into a documentary.

The Tibetans have proved to be a very resilient people. They've established a Tibetan government in exile and continue to fight for their freedom. They've set up Tibetan schools and cultural programs to preserve their language, culture and religion. And the Dalai Lama continues to promote peace around the world while shedding light on the Tibetan people's struggle through his talks and teachings. Along with being resilient they are also a very gentle and spiritual people. The Buddhist way of life is evident everywhere you look here which gives it a very different feel to anywhere else in India.

McLeod Ganj, which is a small village located above Dharamsala, is where the Dalai Lama's residence is along with numerous monasteries. It's beautiful here and our guest house is nestled amid a forest of pine trees where eagles like to soar in the mid-day sky. As i type i'm sitting on our balcony from which i can see a snow-capped peak of the Himalayas. It doesn't always make an appearance though as it's often enshrouded by rain clouds but when it does it's breathtaking. The rain they get here, which is a lot, only helps to add to it's beauty by making it lush and green year round. When the rest of India is unbearably hot it's a nice reprieve to be in the cool of the mountains where you actually have to cover up at night!

There are a lot of Tibetan monks and nuns here and they make an awesome sight coming and going in their bright red and orange robes and bald heads. Kim and I feel like we belong here with our hair-doos! Sometimes we can hear them debating Buddhist philosophy or chanting from the roof top of the monastery and you can't help but feel an energy or vibration in the air. It's very beautiful.

The village of McLeod Ganj sits at 1770 metres and is built on a fairly steep hill. Walking is the main mode of transportation here and anywhere you go, any way you look at it you've got to walk up or down to get there! This proved to be a blessing in disguise last week when we took a two day Indian cooking course. Okay, we knew that Indian wasn't the healthiest diet in the world but holy crap! Ladle upon ladle of oil, pad after pad of butter, a ton of cream and some more oil for good measure. No wonder it tastes so good! All that "goodness" combined with simple yet pungent spices makes not only for an incredible taste sensation but many trips to the toilet the next day as well! Kim and I have come to the conclusion that Indian is a treat to be enjoyed once every month or so. That being said, we look forward to cooking for all of you one day and impressing you with our culinary skills. Until then just know that we're thinking of you and hoping that whatever you're doing you have a smile on your face!

Thailand - A Montage!

Kim buying tom-sum thai from a vendor on Khaosan Road in Bangkok. Tom-sum thai is a dish made from various fresh fruits and veg using a mortar and pestle. The spicier the better!

If a scene like this doesn't make you realize how lucky you are i don't know what will. This was taken on a street in an upscale part of Bangkok where just around the corner there are mega malls housing expensive shops and restaurants. I highly doubt this guy cares about the sale at Dolce & Gabbana.

Kim marvelling at the destruction caused to a hotel swimming pool by the tsunami in Khao Lak. In this particular area about 4 metres of water would have passed through. It's crazy to think about but reminders of it are everywhere in Southern Thailand.

Here we are chillaxing at one of our favorite spots in Khao Lak. White Sand beach was our home for many days until some grumpy Germans complained about us having a cooler filled with beer. We're still not sure why we were asked not to come back!

The view from our beach chairs on White Sand beach.

Kim cooling down in our own private rock pool. This place was heaven on earth and we returned day after day after day!

The Floating Bamboo restaurant, 25 kms north of Khao Lak. We found this little gem one day while we were exploring on our scooter. We almost turned around 5 mins before but decided to keep going just a little further. We're so glad we did because it turned out to be our favorite restaurant and we went back again and again!

Even though all the food here was incredible the curried crab dish was our favorite! I think during this particular meal we had the crab, a seabass dish, squid, mixed veggies, rice and a few beer to wash it down with and our bill came to the grand total of $20!

One day we were at our favorite rock pool when it started to rain so we took shelter under a nearby hut. Soon after a Thai family came along seeking shelter as well. Long story short, we ended up spending the entire afternoon and evening with this beautiful family. They didn't speak English and we don't speak Thai but through gestures and a few common words we shared many moments and laughed a lot. The father who is the one pictured above owns a karaoke bar and we've come to affectionately call him Mr. Tiger Mountain Karaoke!

This is another great group of people we were fortunate to meet and share an evening with. Sitting next to Kim is Songkran and his wife Oi. We met them at a market in Khao Lak where they were selling beautiful hand crafted jewelry that they make. The next thing you know we're back at their place drinking beer, sharing food, chatting and laughing until the wee hours. You gotta love those random moments!

The eating area on our liveaboard dive trip in the Similan Islands. An amazing experience with 16 dives over 4 days! Well, truth be told we actually did 17 dives because Kim lost a torch during one of our night dives and the next morning we had to do a search and recovery dive to look for it. I'm happy to report that we found it!

The bottom deck where we'd get suited up and ready to go.

A curious turtle swims up to the back of the boat hoping for a banana!

Mom arrives in Phuket and we throw her on the scooter. Just like a local family we were. Actually if we were a local family we would've had a couple of kids on there too!

Kim & his ladies on one of the many beautiful beaches in Phuket.

A boat trip we took while Mom was with us on Koh Phi Phi. The boat is a traditional Thai fishing boat called a longtail.

Because we were in Thailand over a month ago and are just now getting around to posting something about it we decided to do a montage (every blog needs a montage)! We also figured that a picture speaks a thousand words. We picked a few photos from each of the spots we went to. Our trip actually began in Phuket (which is at the bottom) on February 4th and ended in Bangkok (which is at the top) on April 17th. We're still figuring this blog thing out which is why the photos are in the wrong order! In any case, we hope you enjoy!

The Boundy Baldies!

Cooling off at a waterfall in Rishikesh.

As you can see, Kim and i shaved our heads! For a guy it's no big deal (they do it all the time don't they?!) but for a girl it's a whole other story. Doing it was definitely a holy shit moment but it's a totally liberating experience and something i think every girl should do at least once in her lifetime. I was that girl who was utterly and completely attached to my long locks. I was obssessed with brushing it (i know some of you will be laughing right now!) and it was very much a part of who i was. Then one day i grabbed some balls so to speak and got my hair cut, gradually going shorter and shorter. Before leaving Australia in February i got a super short pixie cut that i absoluely loved and i thought the shorter the better for travelling. I soon found out how wrong i was. Short hair requires frequent cuts to stay looking good so it's actually a really high maintenance cut for when you're on the road. So, i thought i'd have to grow it out again and knew i'd have to endure all the scraggly bits and those awful awkard stages. But, after only a month or so i became so impatient i that i thought screw it, i want hair like my husbands. So into Kim's barber shop i went and voila! It's cool. It's easy. And there's absolutely no maintenance required other than a buzz every week or so. So, for now we're the Boundy baldies who get strange looks from Indians where ever we go. But, hey, i'm sure they'd look at us strange hair or no hair!

Monkeys!

Cheeky monkey on one of his daily visits!

The view from our balcony.

We're still in Rishikesh and getting bendier by the day! We're loving our twice daily yoga clases and fall asleep exhausted every night before 10pm. The yoga and the HEAT are draining. A record was set here the other day with a temperature of 43 degrees. Apparently that's rather high for April. It's May now so the days will only get hotter from here until the rains come.

Because of the heat we don't do much between our morning and afternoon class. Yesterday, however, we did manage to get ourselves down to the river and have a swim in the Ganges. Calm down, i'm sure a lot of you are cringing as you read! Let me ease your worried minds. The Ganges here is actually very clean (from what we can see at least!) and it is cold and refreshing. Nothing here is cold, so when you get the chance to feel coldness envelop your entire body you take it! Just to emphasize just how hot it is i'll let you know what i look like right now. As i type i'm wearing a soaking wet sarong (it's michelle typing) with a wet scarf wrapped around my head (which is bald by the way. i shaved it!!!!) and i'm barely cool. I'll also be bone dry in about 5 minutes and then i'll have to go in for another soak in the shower! There's no humidity here whatsoever which is good. If there was i think it would be a pretty inhospitable place.

On other days we've wandered around the town which spreads out along either side of the Ganges. Being in India is like watching a movie, there's so much action and so much going on. Every where you look you see things that astonish you, repulse you, make you feel happy and make you feel sad. It's like being on a see-saw you see and experience all these different emotions in the matter of one or two minutes. Often when we go out we sit down at a street vendor selling chai and have a glass or two and watch the movie play on. When we're sitting there it's inevitable that people come up to us and want to sit with us and chat or just nod their heads and smile. So we end up buying them a chai as well and we all sit there enoying one of the best parts of India together. We've met some real characters this way!

On most days though, we do nothing. We come back from yoga, eat breakfast and sit on our balcony chatting, reading and puttering. That's not to say it's boring though, far from it. There's a lot of action that takes place on our balcony and it involves cheeky monkeys! There's a fat little guy, orange in colour who waits until you turn your back for a moment then sneaks into your room to steal food or rummages through the outdoor rubbish bins. He's a daily visitor. More rare, however, is the family of Langor monkeys (grey in colour with long tails) that hung out on the balcony for an hour or so a few day ago. There were 3 adults and two babies. One of them so tiny he didn't even have hair yet. (or do they have fur?) They are so incredibly human like in their mannerisms and postures that it's hard to take your eyes off of them. I think they find us pretty interesting as well. I'd give anything to know what goes on iside their little monkey brains!

Well, that's it for today. I'm dry now so it's time to go inside and soak myself again!

Namaste
(that's how you say hi & bye in India)

My First Train Journey! April 19th

A woman finds space amongst the chaos at the Delhi train station.

No room? No worries! A couple of straps and she'll be right mate!

A fellow train traveller enjoying the open doorway & the boy i shared some sweets with.

A counrtyside cricket match.

The train from Delhi to get us to Rishikesh left at 15:25. Chelle and I arrived on the platform at 15:23 and the train moved off as soon as we boarded. It turns out our clock was out by half an hour. If it wasn’t for the overpriced rickshaw we took to the station we would’ve been staying another night in “dust bowl Delhi”. The train was chockers, seating was three by three and there was no room for our packs in the overhead racks. No problem, we strapped the packs to the underside of the luggage racks in minutes, as the whole train stared at the crazy foreigners. We made sure they were stowed securely because a mother was nursing her baby directly below one of our packs and I don’t think we would have been too popular if a 20kg pack fell onto mother and baby.

The train ride takes about four and a half hours, with no aircon. Who can complain when it only cost 100 rupees (about 3 bucks)? I spent about two hours sitting in the doorway of the car with the wind in my hair and my feet hanging out the side. We passed by village after town after village. I don’t seem to remember seeing any land that was not inhabited or used for agriculture. We passed hundreds of villages where, due to lack of resources or money, people resort to gathering up the cow shit and baking the patties in the sun. This is then stacked into tall, well constructed towers of dung and used as a heat source in all domestic applications (heating, cooking etc.).

Poverty is around you all the time in India. As I was sitting in the doorway, a young boy dragged himself through the cabin begging for food or money. The boy had lost the use of his tiny deformed legs. I shared some sweets with him and we sat there watching India flicker by like an early animation.

Getting Bendy In Rishikesh!

A Hindu temple situated along the Ganga (Ganges).

A lady, a monkey & a cow all doing their thing on one of the "pedestrian" only bridges!

A brother & sister just trying to get something to eat.

For us Delhi was just a jumping off point to get to Rishikesh in Northern India. If you’re a Beattles fan, you may remember that they came here in the 60’s to meditate, study eastern philosophy and write music along with many other famous musicians of that time! It’s also touted as the yoga capital of the world. Situated along the Ganges it’s a beautiful setting for getting in touch with one’s inner self. The water along this part of the Ganges is clean and clear due to its close proximity to the Himalayas which is the source of the Ganges. The further South you go the dirtier the water gets. Meaning it gets down right nasty and you couldn’t pay me enough to take a dip!

As I write this I’m sitting on our balcony which is situated high atop a hill overlooking the Ganges. It’s a beautiful spot and I can only imagine how lush and green it would be after the rains. As of now it’s a bit of a dust bowl too but nothing like Delhi! And, this is the best part we only pay $6.50 CND per night for this beaut little spot. India is cheap, the accommodation, the food, the yoga, the tea, everything. We’ve pretty much cut our daily expenses in half since leaving Thailand. It’s no wonder some people come here and never leave. Seriously, there are some total hippies here who I swear have been here since the 60’s.

This is what we’ve been up to so far. We’ve shaved Kim’s head on the top and left some party in the back. He looks like a Hare Krishna. Fits right in here he does! I’m still toying with the idea of shaving my hair off. It’s so ridiculously hot here I have no doubt it would make life a lot cooler and therefore more bearable! I’m getting absolutely hammered by mosquitos while Kim hasn’t been bothered at all. The other night we counted them. 56 in total! Can you say itchy?! Oh well, at least malaria isn’t a concern here. We’ve been going to yoga twice a day and we’re realizing just how out of shape we got while lounging on the beach drinking beer in Thailand! (As for Thailand we had such an amazing time, met so many incredible people and shared so many memorable experiences that it makes it hard to put into words. That’s why we haven’t posted anything about our time there yet. It’s coming though so stay tuned!) We’ve been drinking lots of herbal teas and indulging in tasty curries. The food here is spectacular and so inexpensive. Just to give you an idea – we went for a meal last night and had an appetizer, 2 curries, rice, 2 kinds of bread and various non-alcoholic drinks and the grand total for all of that was just under $10 CND. And, get this, that was at a fairly expensive restaurant!

All in all India is shaping up to be a great part of our travels. Yes, India is a land filled with immense poverty and piles of garbage everywhere you look but it’s also a land filled with beautiful people, stunning scenery, culture rich in religious beliefs and strong family ties and a history older than any of us can imagine coming for Canada or Australia. It’s a land where you witness first hand both the best and worst of human nature. There’s no where else like it. It’s planet India!