Lao and Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, Lao is a beautiful little town nestled on the river that is worthy of the World Heritage Site status. We remembered it as place where time really did seem to move along a different trajectory, as if everything was slowed down.  We flew from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang on a small plane. The immigration was super easy and our guesthouse had a car waiting for us when we arrived. We had our small party of six including Craig’s Mom and Dad, Deanne and Wes. Even though we only have one bag each and a small daypack, it seems like a lot of luggage with six people.  It turned out that our guesthouse was on the other side of the river from town so we had to cross a rickety bamboo bridge in order to reach most of the amenities.

Wes and Deanne were great sports tramping up and down across the bridge to the restaurants in the evening. The novelty wore off pretty quickly and after a few days we moved into a hotel closer to the center.

It was Chinese New Year so things were hopping busy and the night market was jammed so full that we crawled along marching in synch with the shuffling shoppers in front of us. We managed to see some beautiful things in the stalls and markets. Silver and fabric stood out for sure.

There was a sweet restaurant at the top of our side of the stairs across from a little jewelry shop. Bela found a kindred spirit in the jewelry shop called, the Garden of Eden. Nick and her husband Lan encouraged Bela to learn how to make some of the beautiful pieces of jewelery that were on the shelves. She started a ½ day workshop and ended up being torn away from the deck of the beautiful little house after 3 days of working on jewelery.

Back to Mae Chaem after 10 years

  

We returned to the town of Mae Chaem in Northern Thailand where we used to live while Craig did his PhD. research ten years ago. Very little has changed in the town aside from the fact that there are now two 7-11 stores on the main street. It still has the feel of a slow farming center. It almost felt like stepping back in time.

We drove through the main part of the town to stop off at our old house and see our neighbor and friend Pii Pah. She was so thrilled to see the kids and to meet our family. All of the neighbors had to come rushing over to gush over Madoma. They all remember the cute little 7 year old version of her that ran wild in our little part of the town. Madoma does not remember most of the folks or much of the town. Pii Pah had an old photo album that I sent to her after we left ten years ago so we all looked at the photos with Madoma.

Someone else lives in the house that we rented and Pii Pah’s mother, Yay Uoui passed away last year. Grandmother Yay Deng and Madoma remembered each other and their reunion was tearful. We wandered past the house and across to bamboo bridge to explore the fields beyond the compound. Deanne and Wes wandered along the remote areas of the village paths like locals.

While we were visiting with our rental van all of the neighbours packed in with us and we drove to a national park for a hike. It was very hot and the light was bright so the photos are a bit washed out, but the hike was gorgeous! Wes and Deanne made it to the veiwpoint and took a breather while the rest of us panted up the trail to a little bridge across a canyon. We had a lovely day. We ended the day with a wonderful celebratory barbeque back in town.

Hoi An Home Stay and the My Son Ruins

Bela wrote a couple of blogs that touched on Hoi An at belawren.wordpress.com, particularly about how we spent Christmas so I will write about our home stay and the My Son ruins.

We stayed slightly outside of the city at a family home called Riverside Impression where we were completely spoiled. They took such good care of us that we kept extending our stay. The home backs onto fields and there is a sweet fish pond behind the house.

We spent some time exploring the countryside and meandering along the river. The vistas were misty as it was quite cool and rainy but we just layered up in warm clothes and wandered.

We managed to make it out to My Son, the ruins near to Hoi An. We arrived just about an hour before closing and managed to miss the crowds. We almost had the place to ourselves.

 

The light was amazing. We each wandered quietly among the ruins soaking in the stories of the place. I think that the photos speak for themselves, it was magical.

Varanasi or Benares, India, a Place of Intense Chaos and Peace

The streets of old Varanasi are so narrow that even the bicycle rickshaws cannot get down them. It is one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world. When a cow wanders into the street you must push and squeeze past the smelly beast. We stayed right in the old town in the middle of the chaos. We arrived by plane from Delhi, but alas, our bags did not make it, “a load problem”. We were fairly confident that they would arrive at the Varanasi airport the day after we did, but really had no idea if they would find their way to our hotel deep in the warren of narrow alleys. It took diligence on the part of our hotel manager to convey directions numerous times over the course of the day to get the bags back to us.

The streets of Benares are pulsing with people, throngs of them selling things, walking solemnly in funeral processions, doing daily devotions and getting on with the business of life and death. Amidst the chaos and tumult there are places of utter peace and tranquility, the river at sunrise, the Buddhist Stupa, Ghats, temples and more. The culture of the city centers on the Ganges River as it is believed that cleansing in the river or dying here can assist the soul to moksha (liberation or release from the struggle of life and death). There are seven cities in India that offer moksha, but this is considered the holiest of them.

We managed to wake up before sunrise one morning. Actually, it was more that we had a night of little sleep so we happened to be awake. There was an electrical fire in the hotel beside us and we were smoked out of our room. We managed to find another room to sleep in but had to share one bed and it was broken so whenever one of us turned it clunked. Finally, we gave up sleeping (or trying to) and made our way to the river. We caught a boat and watched the sunrise over the Ghats. It was beautiful to watch the pilgrims and Brahman come down to the bank of the river and offer rituals or puja. Each person found their own private moment to contemplate their mortality. Some even jumped into the river yelling, “liberation” or something like that in Hindi. There was such an intimacy and peace surrounding the people doing their rituals that it almost felt invasive to be watching. We bought some flowers and made an offering thinking of our friend Russell who had just passed.

There was only one cremation fire that we could see at a burning Ghat (that is where some of the cremations are done). Women used to be burned alive along with their husbands bodies when they were cremated (suttee). Although this practice was outlawed, there is still quite a stigma for women that are widows. Many widows come to Varanasi when their husbands die to commit their lives to being nuns (saying prayers for pilgrims) and begging to support themselves, waiting for their own death.

The Buddhist history here is intertwined with the Hindu legacy. Gautama Buddha is thought to have given his first lecture in Sarnath circa 528 B.C. at the stupa less than an hour from Varanasi. We sat at the monument for two hours watching the light change and listening to meditation chants.

Unfortunately we ended out visit to Varanasi with Bela coming down with a nasty stomach bug. This, combined with the fire, lost luggage and heartache of dire poverty for widows left us slightly tainted toward Varanasi. We were relieved to move on to the lighter and easier traveling in Bali.

We were in Varanasi for a week in the end of November 2013, Blog was posted January 2014

Jaisalmer Camel Safari

Finally some time to catch up blogs. I have a couple of things to write up about India, some adventures in Indonesia and then Vietnam for Christmas.

It was not an auspicious beginning to our trip to Jaisalmer when, after about an hour, the bus gave a loud grinding cough and stopped completely leaving us sweating in the dust by the side of the road waiting for a replacement bus. We got nervous as other passengers jumped into vehicles passing by or crammed into other buses leaving us with dwindling numbers as the sun sunk down the horizon. But the replacement bus did come and we made it to Jaisalmer only an hour late.

We had to wait until morning to really appreciate the majesty of the ancient town. The old Fort walls loomed up above our little guesthouse (Roop). The town has a unique mystical and dusty appeal that makes you want to believe in magic carpets and genies in lamps. We spent an afternoon wandering barefoot through the different parts of the Jain Temple inside the old fort and marveling at the elaborate carving of the many Jain Gods.

The real highlight of our experience in Jaisalmer was the trip into the Thar Desert on camels. We found an outfitter who ran a reputable business that was family oriented and non-touristy (Sahara Travels) their office is just outside of the gate of the old Fort. Every café or hotel that we visited was very keen to outfit a camel trip for us at a price but we are thrilled with our choice, they were fantastic.

On the morning of our safari we got into a jeep that took us on a tour of some old ruins and then dropped us off to meet our camels and their weathered, gnarly handlers. We were at the edge of a stretch of sand that extended away from the highway as far as the eye could see. Our camels seemed ornery and stinky, but calm. Bela’s camel was tethered to mine and her handler walked holding the camel. She was a bit peeved not to be able to drive her own camel. I was pleased that the handler was there as I had visions of her galloping off into the dunes never to be seen again.

As exotic as it sounds, camels are really not the most comfortable things to ride. It was only a few minutes mounted before Bela began to do acrobatics on her beast trying to find a comfortable position. We settled into a quiet rhythm with a fairly steady pace meandering among the sand dunes across the desert as the sun sank down and our shadows grew longer. We were sad to see litter of plastic water bottles out in the desert, grim harbingers of what we are doing to the planet.

We arrived at our little campsite below a couple of larger dunes in time for a late dinner. The camels and their handlers quickly abandoned us except for a couple of men and two younger boys who were cooking for us. We were thrilled to be off our camels (owwch). The sand dunes were so beautiful, sculpted into gentle curves and shapes by the wind. We played, did yoga, ran, rolled and made sand angels. It was perfectly clear and as the sun set it cooled quickly. We ate dinner after the sun set by the fire. It was a delicious meal, simple dhal and rice with a vegetable curry and roti.

It was a full moon night. We had beds made up of blankets on the sand. They were huge thick blankets. Although we went to bed early, Bela could not sleep. I asked her why and she said, “It’s too beautiful to sleep.” We had to wait until all the stars had come out and the moon had risen fully before we could sleep.

We awoke to the camel handlers with cups of Chai at sunrise. They hard boiled some eggs and slapped together some toast. The camels re-appeared and were saddled for our return journey. It was a magical night in the desert.

Jodhpur the beautiful city of blue

We traveled through the dusty and dessicated landscape of the Thar desert on the train from Aijmer to Jodhpur. When we reached the city it was dark but we knew when we were walking through the alleys of the old city because everything is a cool blue. Such a welcome color in the context of the burnt browns and reds of the desert.

Apparently painting houses this color started by the Brahmin caste using the color to identify their houses from other castes. It is suggested that the color also works to repel insects so others started to use the color as well. Some non-conformists have used other vibrant colors as well.

We stayed at the Pushp Guesthouse in the heart of the old city. The family that runs it has a child a bit younger than Bela named Mahi. We also visited with the neighbors across the rooftops.

Some shots of us coming and going in the street below our guesthouse.

 

Fort Mehrangarh towers above the old city and is one of the largest Forts in India. The view of the fort above our guesthouse was breathtaking, almost haunting. We could imagine the ancient royals living there.

These are the hand prints or sati marks of the queens who in 1843 burnt themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Maharaja Man Singh. It is a tragic reminder of the practice of  widows killing themselves when their husbands died. Apparently the last known Sati was in the 1950s. Ahh, the beauty and hearbreak of India.

Namaste

The Red Fort and Karim’s in Delhi

Here is a suggestion of an evening to be remembered in Delhi, go to the Red Fort at dusk and then to the incredible restaurant, Karim’s.

We dropped by the Red Fort just before dusk to see the sun set and watch the light change on the beautiful structure (well and we actually were not sure when it closed and were running late in our day, but it was a happy coincidence that we were there just before closing).  We went with our incredible hosts,  Rajesh and Deepa Malhotra. Here are a couple of shots of the Fort, most of it is carved of sandstone but there are interiors of marble with inlaid stone. The screen in the back of the second shot is carved from marble, breathtaking.

After getting our fill of the gardens and the fort we were good and hungry, just how you want to be when you arrive at Karim’s.
This restaurant used to be a street vendor (called a dhaba) selling Mughlai food. The founders were cooks for Royal Courts but established the dhaba in 1911 to bring the food of royalty to the common person. It is now being run by the fourth generation descendents, each cook being passed on the secret recipes.  Eventually they took over adjacent buildings to set up the restaurant tandoor grill and the seating area. There is still a street that runs between the kitchen and the seating room. The cooking is open so you can watch the tandoori roasting, the BBQ, the curries being stirred and the naan being put into the oven.

We watched the head cook taking loving care of pots and pots of curry and another man rolling the naan and slapping it onto the side of the oven.

The best food we have eaten in India so far (well except for the home-cooked meals that we get from our friend RK at Rajesh and Deepa’s). Each dish is bursting with flavour and crafted with a delicate blend of spices. Craig ordered roasted lamb from tandoor, we also had shik kebabs, butter chicken and perfectly cooked rice. Everything was piping hot and mouth-watering good. The service was super fast and efficient. Just writing about it makes me hungry.

If you are in Delhi, don’t miss it.

Namaste.

Agra, India, a sloth bear and elephant sanctuary with Wildlife SOS

The Agra Bear Rescue Center is located inside the Sur Sarovar Bird Santuary, Keetam near Agra. We were lucky enough to arrange a private tour of the facility and have lunch with the conservation team. The facility is incredible housing 250 rescued bears, other animals and even 7 rescued elephants. The facility is run by Wildlife SOS who are best known for their work with the dancing bears but who are also working with a range of species in India. Here is the story of the bears.

Bears are captured as babies and their mothers are killed (their parts are in great demand for medicines in China).

The babies are treated poorly and their noses are pierced. They are trained to dance for entertainment. The piercing of their noses leaves terrible scars and can leave them blind. Their canine teeth are smashed as well leaving them quite damaged. You can see in the photos below a blind bear and a bear with scars on it’s nose. The vets at the SOS center work hard to treat the bears when they are rescued and to provide good care for the animals in the facility.

The SOS conservation program has been very successful and today most dancing bears have been rescued and stiff penalties are enforced against anyone poaching bears and using them for dancing bears. The bears that have been rescued cannot survive in the wild and so they need care for their lifetimes. You can help by adopting a bear and sending some support to the Wildlife SOS

team.

Sometimes they are lucky and catch the poachers before the babies are tortured and so some of the babies have been reared at the facility.

Elephants

After we toured the bear rescue center, we were able to visit the elephant rescue facility. The Mahouts here do not use the instruments of torture that are common in other areas. They manage the animals with hand and voice control and the elephants are very calm.

We were able to walk with the elephants and feed them. It was beautiful.

Kalandar

The dancing bears were usually trained and handled by one specific ethnic group in India, the Kalandar people. Wildlife SOS offers rehabilitation and community economic development for the communities that have lost their livelihoods with the outlawing of the dancing bears. Many community members have learned skills and create handicrafts for sale. Bela modeled a few items. If you have any connections to folks that could help market these goods in Canada or elsewhere please let me know and I can connect the conservation team with them.

Namaste, Carolyn

Meet or Meat the Momo and dal baht

Nepal has a wonderful array of options of food. The main tourist areas have food from anywhere in the world. There are some incredible Tibetan restaurants and one of the best meals we had was at a Spanish restaurant on the square at bodnath temple.

Once we got off the beaten track we ate momos, soups and dal baht. The dal baht is always a little different, a combination of rice, veggies, curry, chutney or pickles and lentils.

Momos are have truly become a Nepalese favourite of mine. The dumplings are done so many different ways with many different fillings. There is a delicate mixture of flavours and spices that sets this apart from dumplings.

Here is a recipe
Dough for wrappers
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon oil
water, as required
1 pinch salt

Filling
2 lbs lean ground meat (50% lamb or chicken & 50% pork works best) – can  use veggies instead)
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
1 cup ripe Tomato, finely chpped
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry powder, or momo masala if available
3 fresh red chilies, minced (or to taste)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
salt and pepper
Directions:

Dough: In a large bowl combine flour, oil, salt and water. Mix well, knead until the dough becomes homogeneous in texture, about 8-10 minute. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minute. Knead well again before making wrappers.

Filling: In a large bowl combine all filling ingredients. Mix well, adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow all ingredients to impart their unique flavors.

Assembly:. Give the dough a final knead. Prepare 1-in. dough ball. Take a ball, roll between your palms to spherical shape. Dust working board with dry flour. On the board gently flatten the ball with your palm to about 2-in circle. Make a few semi-flattened circles, cover with a bowl. Use a rolling pin to roll out each flattened circle into a wrapper. For well executed MOMO’s, it is essential that the middle portion of the wrapper be slightly thicker than the edges to ensure the structural integrity of dumplings during packing and steaming. Hold the edges of the semi-flattened dough with one hand and with the other hand begin rolling the edges of the dough out, swirling a bit at a time. Continue until the wrapper attains 3-in diameter circular shape. Repeat with the remaining semi-flattened dough circles. Cover with bowl to prevent from drying. For packing hold wrapper on one palm, put one tablespoon of filling mixture and with the other hand bring all edges together to the center, making the pleats. Pinch and twist the pleats to ensure the absolute closure of the stuffed dumpling.This holds the key to good tasting, juicy dumplings. Heat up a steamer, oil the steamer rack well. This is critical because it will prevent dumplings from sticking. Arrange uncooked dumplings in the steamer. Close the lid, and allow steaming until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Take dumplings off the steamer and serve immediately.

Alternatively, you can place uncooked dumplings directly in slightly salted boiling water and cook until done, approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to over boil the dumplings. You may also slightly sauté cooked dumplings in butter before serving. To serve, arrange the cooked dumplings (MOMO’s) on serving plate with hot tomato achar or any other chutneys as condiment.

recipe is from http://www.food.com/recipe/nepali-momo-nepalese-meat-dumplings-86666

Market at Durbar Square in Kathmandu

One of my favourite experiences in Nepal was the market at the Kathmandu Durbar Square. This market is in the same square where the Kumari lives (the young living Goddess – see Bela’s post belweren.wordpress.com).

There is a kaleidoscope of chaos surrounding the market. In the midst of the swirling traffic, constant thrum of motorbikes and the ceaseless flow of people are moments of stillness and beauty. We climbed up the side of the temple onto a ledges and sat watching the evening come. We had a birds-eye view of the square and a perfect vantage point for some photos.

 Namaste