Back to the Future!

Hello friends, thanks for all the nice comments while I was gone! I'm sorry to have kept you all on the edges of your seats, waiting with bated breath for my return.
I'm currently in Pokhara, having walked out of no-transport-except-by-my-own-2-feetsville this afternoon. I'm pretty tired--I've walked 4 to 7 hours every day for the last 18 days. I have a huge amount of information to report to you all and not the energy to do it now. I will have to make you wait at least 36 hours.
At least know that the trek was really fun, physically demanding, but not undo-able and I met a lot of really nice people on the way.
Sorry to keep you waiting for more, but I want to do the trek justice and I just can't right now.
TTFN!
Lauren

Namaste + Addendum

Namaste friends! I'm writing to you from Kathmandu. I got here with no incident yesterday afternoon and I love it already! I think partially because it's a reasonable temperature here.
I got picked up at the airport and I'm staying with the family of the trekking company I arranged my trip with. They are very friendly. I feel like an exchange student all over again!
We saw the Himalayas and Everest from the window of the airplane yesterday. It was beautiful. There was a line of clouds and then a line of mountains--it looked like the clouds were the mountains or the mountains the clouds. I felt like crying it was so pretty.
There's another woman from the US staying with the family also. She just finished the trek I'm about to do and said it's really amazing. She also said that my itinerary is the safest possible itinerary to prevent getting altitude sickness. Sounds good to me.
My guide seems very nice also. I'm not trekking with a group, but we stay in lodges along the way where there will be other people to meet when the day's walk is over.
I like Kathmandu a lot so far. It reminds me a little bit of La Paz, Bolivia.
Anyhoo, I'm going to look around the city today and tomorrow, off to the mountains!
Ok friends, stay well and behave yourselves! I will try and do the same.
Lauren
Hello again friends, internet and electricity are both a bit spotty here. There are six hours of mandatory blackout every day and other unannounced blackouts whenever it fancies. Inevitably, when the internet works there's no power and vice versa.
I really love it here so far. I had a tour of some of the sights today and it's like taking a step back in time. The streets are a bit hilly and definitely were not built for cars. I think this is my favorite place I've been so far and I've only been here a day! This bodes well for the rest of my month here.
I went to a temple today dedicated to Shiva (I also got a crash course in Buddhism and Hinduism from my guide and my head is still spinning--every ritual has a story behind it that takes at least 10 minutes to explain). There were funerals there today and people being cremated on funeral pyres, just like you hear about on the banks of the Ganges. It was amazing. Fun fact: the pagoda originated in Nepal.
It's interesting to be in another country that was a trading route between China and India, but to see how different the overland trade route is from the maritime one through SE Asia.
There's a large Tibetan Buddhist community here. We visited 2 temples with Tibetan prayer flags and stupas and monkeys today.
There are no street names/signs here which makes navigation complicated....
Did I mention the other woman from the US I met is now engaged to her trekking porter? Crazier things have happened.
Friends, I will attempt to take meticulous notes in my journal over the next 3 weeks so I can report back to you with the utmost detail. It's helpful to me to blog every day because then I can let you all know what's on my mind at the time and I don't have to try and remember what I did the day before, etc. It will be hard to try and summarize the 3 weeks for you when I return, but I will try!
TTFN,
Lauren

"Kathmandu, I'll soon be seeing you..."

I'm told Kathmandu is no longer like the Cat Stevens song, but I will have the song on a continuous loop in my head just the same.
Today I said goodbye to Southeast Asia by going to the unbelievably huge weekend market here in Bangkok. I bought some things I probably don't need and I ate my last delicious pad thai.
Goodbye chopsticks! Hello eating with my hands!
Goodbye horrible, unbearable hottness! Hello horrible, unbearable coldness!
Goodbye polluted air! Hello thin air at altitude!
Goodbye cold shower! Hello no shower!
I bought an extra battery for my camera so I can take more pictures while I'm trekking in Nepal. I can only assume there will be no electricity and the camera battery only lasts so long without being charged.
I bought a guidebook for India yesterday. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the choices. India's huge. You'd need at least 6 months to see it all properly. I have 3 weeks during one of the hottest months of the year. Another solo traveler told me this is what she finds to be the hardest part of traveling alone--making decisions about where to go without any outside input. I'm not sure I think it's the hardest thing, but it's definitely a challenge. It would be nice to be with someone who had strong opinions one way or the other about where to go, especially when I feel like I can't decide between all the places.
I forgot I uploaded some photos yesterday:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/laurenemilywinter27/#page1
Enjoy.
I'm never sure what the communication situation is going to be like when I get to a new country, so you may hear from me before I head off into the great beyond and you may not.
Either way, stay well!
Lauren

More Bangkok

Hello friends, I visited the National Museum this morning and spent several hours there. I've officially seen as many Buddha images as I can handle: sitting buddha, standing buddha, reclining buddha, fat buddha, teaching buddha, meditating buddha, instructing buddha, etc. I'm going to see one final buddha in Chinatown this afternoon that is 3 meters high and solid gold. Then I renounce looking at more images of buddha.
I've been thinking a lot about transportation lately. Not a very sexy topic, I know. At home, I take ease of transport very much for granted. With a car, cheap fuel and good roads, I can get myself anywhere, at virtually any time. To know me is to know I hate to commute and I hate traffic. I really do. But the truth is, it's a real privilege to be able to get oneself from point A to point B in order to earn a living.
I talked with my grandparents on the phone the other day and my grandmother asked me "how do you find all these places you go to and how do you get around?" I think this is a question others may have also, so I will answer it in the public domain. Most of the places I visit are in a guidebook on a map. When they aren't, I consult the internets. I use buses or trains to travel between cities. Most of the places I've been, the sights are in walking distance of most of the guesthouses. In a city like Bangkok, I get around using the sky train and river boat taxi. I also walk a lot. I've been walking to get around so much that getting in a private car is quite a novelty. I had to take a taxi to the bus station yesterday and it was so nice to go straight from one spot to another without having to move.
I hope you are all well.
Enjoy the blogs while you can, they will soon be in short supply!
Lauren

The Bridge on the River Kwai

hello friends, I took a day trip from Bangkok today to Kanchanaburi, site of the infamous Bridge on the River Kwai/Death Railway. There was a very edifying museum, a not-so-edifying museum and a photo-op at the bridge. All in all a successful day.
I hope you are all well!
Lauren

Operation Indian Visa

Hello friends, I'm happy to report that despite much bureaucracy, I got my visa for India today. Yay.
Other than that, not much else to report. I spent most of the day wandering around an area of Bangkok that looked like it could be any large international city. I had to drop off my passport and then go back and pick it up a few hours later from the embassy. I wandered around shopping malls and side streets.
I also went to Jim Thompson's house--an American guy who was in the CIA, then moved to Thailand and rejuvenated the Thai silk industry. He built an interesting teak house with lots of art in it.
I saw some guys working on power lines outside that were live, with no safety equipment on, standing on a ladder made of bamboo.
I thought I'd hate Bangkok, but I really don't. I think it helps that I like the guesthouse I'm staying in. I find where you stay makes a big difference on how you feel about a place.
TTFN,
Lauren

I love GOOOOOLD!

Hello friends, remember that infinitely mediocre Austin Powers film "Goldmember"? Goldmember yells "I love GOOOOLD!" throughout the whole film. My brother and I may be the only people who think it's funny.
I bring it up because it's all I could think of at the Grand Palace in Bangkok today. Everything was gold, glittery, or in some way over-the-top gaudy. There were also approximately one million tourists swarming the palace.
I got into Bangkok this morning. I met a German guy who's doing an internship for the UN here. He showed me the guesthouse he's staying at which is not in tourist-central. It's nice. I can even watch movies there! I splurged on the AC room. Have I mentioned it's really hot here? And not heat to be envied. It's also really polluted, so the pollution sticks to your body as you sweat. Ick. Reminds me of Santiago. My sinuses are inflamed!
Tourist central is also known as Khao San Road. It is an abomination. It's a kind of tourist-limbo land. Cheap clothes, cheaper guesthouses, people partying, etc.
I'm feeling ready to go to Nepal, but I don't fly there till Sunday. I have to pick up my Indian visa tomorrow.
Here's my Nepal itinerary for you. Because of my limited time there, I chose to schedule my time with the tour operator:

Annapurna Circuit (Round) Trekking
This route is considered one of the true classic trekking routes of Nepal...rated widely as one of the "Top 20" treks worldwide. The trail offers amazing mountain scenery as it penetrates the Northern Himalayan range and Tibetan plateau.
We pass through villages populated by a wide diversity of people. Gurung, Magars, Chhetris, Thakali and Newars heavily settle the Southern slopes of Manaslu and Annapurna ranges. At higher elevations, human populations thin out and thick forests of rhododendron and fir emerge.
As we enter the Manang valley small fields of millet, wheat and flocks of sheep and goats abound. The Manang people, traditional traders, are Tibetan by origin and Buddhist by religion. As a result, their life style is quite different to those tribes on the Southern slopes.
The Thakali and Mustang tribes control the busy trading and pilgrimage trail along the Kaligandaki and Muktinath Temple and the on through the gap between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.
Day-to-Day Itinerary:
(Program designed for Lauren)
11 March: Arrival to Kathmandu at 1 Pm by Thai Airlines. Then transfer to Himalayan Humanity / Overnight at Arjun Home.
12 March: Day Sightseeing in Kathmandu (Pashupati, Boudha Nath, Soyambhu and Kathmandu durbar square and inner city of Kathmandu)
13 March: TREKKING Kathmandu to Besi-Sahar (760 m) (175 km/ 7-8 hours): Drive by bus.
14 March: Besi-Sahar to Bahundanda (1310 m.): Trek.
15 March: Bahundanda to Chamje (1430m): Trek.
16 March: Chamje to Dharapani (1860 m.): Trek.
17 March: Dharapani to Chame (2670m): Trek.
18 March: Chame to Pisang: Trek (3200m)
19 March: Pisang to Manang (3540 m):
20 March: Manang (Acclimatization Day in Manang): Rest.
21 March: Manang to Yak Kharka; Trek
22 March: Yak Kharka to Letdar
23 March: Letdar to Thorung Phedi (4450m) / High Camp (4925 m): Trek.
24 March: Thorung Phedi/High Camp to Muktinath (3760 m): Trek. (Early morning pass Thorung la- 5416 m)--this is the highest elevation we'll reach
25 March: Muktinath to Kagbeni; Trek
26 March: Kagbeni to Marpha: Trek.
27 March: Marpha to Ghasa (2010 m), Trek.
28 March: Ghasa to Tatopani (1190 m): Trek.
29 March: Tatopani to Shikha; Trek
30 March: Shikha to Ghorepani (2860 m): Trek
31 March: Ghorepani (2860 m) to Poonhill (3193m) to Tadapani (Poonhill is the excellent view point- Early morning view)
01 April: Tadapani to Ghandruk; Trek
02 April: Ghandruk to Nayapul to Pokhara (Trek & 1 Hour drive by Taxi)/ End of Trek Program
(END OF 21 DAY TREKKING)
03 April: Pokhara Sightseeing / Overnight Hotel in Pokhara.
04 April: Pokhara to Chit wan: Drive by Bus. Day Activities in Royal Chit wan National Park (tigers live here!)
05 April: Chit wan Tour: Early morning takes breakfast. Dugout canoe trip followed by a Nature Walk Program or a visit to the Elephant Breeding Farm. Enjoy an ox-cart ride or a jeep drive back to the resort. After refreshment you can wash the elephants and swim with them in the Rapti river. Lunch. Elephant back safari. Take Dinner and evening and watching Tharu dancing performance.
06 April: Bird watching Tour in morning and day visit in chit wan. .
07 April: Drive to Kathmandu from Chit wan and rest in Kathmandu, Overnight at Arjun Home.
08 April: Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square Sightseeing (Guided Tour) / Souvenirs shopping in Kathmandu / Overnight at Arjun Home.

So, you see lots and lots of trekking. If I'm not in shape now (which I'm not) I certainly will be by day 21 of the Annapurna circuit. I think I'm going to break down and buy trekking poles.
TTFN,
Lauren

Ko Chang Crazy

Hello friends, I've been incomunicado for several days now, both with you and with all other living beings on the planet. Ko Chang was quite deserted. Except for the Germans. Ohhh, the Germans. I met not one English-speaker on the island and spent the last 4 days speaking to no one except to order meals. This takes a toll on the psyche. I never have the opportunity at home to go days without communicating at home. Not that I'd want to, really. I'm definitely a talker. As in, I like to talk a lot. Especially about my feelings. I also like to tell jokes. The time on the beach was quite strange.
Allow me to make no sense for a little bit.
I started to feel disconnected from the whole world. The best example I came up with is being on a space ship and hearing the noise of the engines and feeling gravity and then getting ejected out into space in a space pod and it being totally silent and weightless. I felt like I was floating unattached in silent space. Then, when I talk to people again, I hear the ambient noise and feel grounded again. I think this sounds crazy, but it's the most lucid way I came up with to describe how I was feeling.
Ko Chang was not as beautiful as Ko Lipe. I've become a beach snob. Sigh. It did, however, have some very relaxing waves that soothed me to sleep at night.
When I was a sophmore in high school I visited China with my orchestra. It was such a novelty to me that I learned to use a squat toilet that when the local paper came to ask us about our trip I eloquently announced to the reporter that I'd "learned to pee in a hole." The orchestra director was mortified. She wouldn't let it die for my next 2 years of high school. We went to Italy my senior year and her husband told my parents what a mouth I had on me. Anyways, squat toilets are no longer a novelty. I don't really like them. You can't really sit and read the paper or anything.
I'm nearly finished with War and Peace, thanks to having no one to talk to on the beach for days. Tolstoy asserts that individuals are impotent to alter the course of history. History is as inevitable as the tide and we are all swept up in it. Discuss.
I was doing all sorts of philosophizing in my head while I was alone and now it all seems irrelevant or too weird to write down.
And George, I think in these parts, OSHA is a four-letter word.

Krung Thep

Hello friends, I'm writing to you from Bangkok, which the Thai call "Krung Thep." So why is it called Bangkok in English? Unknown.
I'm assuredly back in a big city. I must assume every puddle I see on the street contains urine.
I spent my morning getting my Indian visa arranged and picking up my cash card/plane tickets which my travel agent was so kind as to send me. The Indian visa is a bit of a pain and I have to be back here to pick it up on the 7th. Rather than staying the night here, I'm going to catch a bus south and head to Ko Chang for about 4 days. It's on the Andaman Coast, right on the border with Myanmar. There are no roads, so it should be relaxed. I'm not sure if there's internet there, so you may not hear from me till the 7th. If you're looking for it on a map, note that there's a much larger Ko Chang on the East coast, to the south of Bangkok. I'm not going there. Then I'll come back to Bangkok and pick up my visa, etc.
I've parted from all my friends from Laos, and I'm feeling a little sad and lonely. 99% of the people you meet on the road are strangers and will always be strangers. 1% feel like home from the moment you start talking to them. I met 2 of those kind of people in Laos and it's hard to be alone again after sharing all the fun and hassle of traveling with someone else.
It's unbelievably hot here.
George, to answer some of your questions...
I think it'll be really nice to be stationary in India for a while. I'm actually really, really tired. For all the leisure time available to me, I seem to sleep very poorly when I'm in a different bed every night and roosters crowing wake me up at 4 am, etc. I took an overnight bus last night and will probably take one tonight also. This is exhausting. So, India will be a nice change. Also, I feel like I've seen and done a lot of stuff, but living in a place is a very different experience from traveling through a place. I'm interested to do that in India.
If the yoga is not what I expect in India, I'm planning to travel around Southern India.
The 3 months have absolutely flown by. I can't believe how fast. I'm feeling ready to move on from SE Asia and I'm excited to go to Nepal.
And Katie, the squash curry was always my favorite too! Crazy.
Here are some new photos for your viewing pleasure:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/laurenemilywinter27/