Shirodhara

UDAIPUR, India // After surviving a Turkish hammam bubble massage in Cappadocia, Chinese cupping therapy in Malaysia, and the deep stretching relief of a Thai massage, I decided a trip to India would not be complete without an Indian Shirodhara treatment. This is a type of Ayurveda massage where warm oil, or another liquid, is poured over the head for 40 minutes from a devise in a slow and steady stream onto your forehead or 3rd eye chakra. This tradition dates back to over 5,000 years ago and is said to awaken intuition and inner wisdom, relieve stress and anxiety, and help mental focus. What I experienced was a deep meditation and what kind of felt like an out of body experience.

I typically love a deep tissue massage and shirodhara definitely fell more under soothing meditation in my book than massage. The oil trickles down the side of your forehead to the back of your neck and stimulates a tingling sensation that can be felt down the length of your spine. It was like those little wire head massagers at sharper image but 100x more intense. At times it felt like my brain and scalp were being molded and warped by slight movements of his hands and the oil. At one point it was even tough to figure out which way was up. I went into a deep meditation of many vivid thoughts floating across my mind like clouds, but now I can't remember a single one. It was a very different experience and towards the end I was ready for something new. Also, when you finish all your hair is drenched in oil and you feel like a grease ball. However, if you think about it as a deep scalp and hair conditioning, it's really like you got two for one. Though I will say even after washing my hair with shampoo three times I still feel the lingering oil in my hair. Although a definitely a different experience, I think I personally prefer my more muscle intense massages.

Riding the Rails

AJMER, India // After a 5 hour train ride from New Delhi to Jaipur, and another 8 hour ride from Jaipur to Udaipur, we realized how much of an experience the Indian railways really are. The train is not easy to navigate, nor is it for the faint of heart either. Upon approaching a train station in India you see people everywhere. When we say everywhere this doesn't mean standing in long lines. This means laying, sleeping, cooking food, camping, and maybe even 'living?' there.  

Once you pass all of these people you need to find the tourist office to book a ticket to your next destination. Most trains to major cities keep a set of foreign tourist tickets aside for last minute travleers with foreign passports. We filled out some paper work and got an assigned seat in an air conditioned class titled "CC". The second class with non air conditioners looked like the ones from Slumdog millionaire, where people are literally sitting on long benches with limbs out these jail cell like windows. 

Finding the train and the car you are supposed to be in is an adventure too, and it wasn't until we found the guy in a suit carrying a clip board do we realize that he is the conductor possessing all the information. He had our names on his sheet, and confirms we are in the correct seats and car number. Our minds are now at ease as we can relax for the next few hours. 

Sitting still in your seat as the incredible scenery and people start passing you by turned out to not be the best option. Once the train starts you can get up and stand in the open doorways and look out into the countryside with the wind blowing in your face. We stood for more than half the ride viewing the scenes of a village cricket match, farmers picking food, hundred of goats being herded, women walking together in multi colored saris, cows everywhere, Indian sadhus in orange, piles of garbage, ladies sweeping the front of their homes, as well as birdwatching of course (we saw a wild peacock). As we traveled through Rajasthan we passed amazing little villages where people live these simple lives and stare at you as the train passes. As we approached Udaipur the sun was setting and about 2 hours outside the city we passed villages such as Nasirabad, Bhilwara, and Kapasan. We've never heard of these places, but we stood in the middle of the train cars looking out the open doorways and never felt so fascinated before. 

Being in India now for a little over a week and we are both so surprised at how different this country has been from the rest of Asia. Experiencing this part of the world made us realize the true beauty of India, and confirms why we came to this fascinating country in the first place.

Authenticity

JAIPUR, India // When we booked our place in Jaipur I had a good feeling about a homestay. In the end, that was the highlight of our trip to the "smaller" Indian city of only 3 million people. We stayed at a room in this family's home accessed by a separate door that had an amazing terrace with plants and flowers. We joined Kalpana, the owner, who taught yoga class every morning with 3 of her neighbors as students. After class we would have homemade Indian food from her kitchen by her live in housekeeper. After a day of sightseeing through Jaipur, we relaxed at night in their living room and watched the Indian National Team vs the West Indies play Cricket as the family explained the rules to us.

Experiences like these have been the really memorable parts of our trip so far. I think it can be summed up by the fact that although we saw some amazing things in Jaipur, like the Amber Fort, I really don't remember much of the specifics of them. I do however remember the name of the dog at the homestay, and Pradeep the owner yelling at him every time he climbed up onto the couch. 

"Zaraaaaaa!"

The Masses

JAIPUR, India // India is by far one of our toughest back packing countries thus far. Interacting with the masses is overwhelming. Delhi has 10 million people in it and the “small” outskirt city of Jaipur has 3 million. A “small" city for India is the same as a large city in the US, like Chicago. There are literally masses of people in India. 

Poverty, garbage, and filth litters every street you turn down. We watched hundreds of men and boys defecating on the side of the railway tracks on our morning train ride from Delhi to Jaipur. Bums out, balls out, squatting for all to see. The shanty towns built of cardboard scraps line the track for what feels like eternity. I’ve noticed observing from a car, tuk tuk, or train window is easier for me but walking the streets shoulder to shoulder with the poverty is physically tough. Its tough on the nose, eyes, and nerves. Its emotionally draining as you want to help but its too much to comprehend. Walking over piles of cow dung from the roaming cattle. Avoiding the beggars and hawkers constantly tracking you down. 

The beauty of the Taj Mahal and Pink City Palaces is in such drastic contrast with the poverty we see. I find people watching in restaurants, museums, and inside historical landmarks to be the easiest way for me to interact. The local people visiting the museum are like our own little museum in a museum. We sit on a  bench and watch the bright sarongs and turbans go by, observing at ease children and mothers and elderly interacting. Several people ask to take selfies with us for some odd reason and in these settings we are more apt to do it and take some ourselves as well. 

Though the masses are still overwhelming we have had some priceless one on one interactions with our tour guide at the Taj and with our hosts at our Jaipur homestay. Hassan, our “free” Taj Mahal guide that was included with our 3 hour car ride to Agra was quiet, calm, and caring. He protected us from hawkers, showed us all the correct lines to get in, and where to get our complimentary shoe covers and water bottle with entry ticket. He told us the history and engaged us of stories of the time. He pointed out tiny details we would have missed and leisurely walked us around the entire grounds. He took our pictures and told us about his 2 year old daughter and his arranged marriage to his wife. He was exactly the same age as us and was married the exact same year and month as us as well. It was interesting to see the parallels and differences of a peer in a foreign country. He was intrigued by our story of love based marriage and our desire to constantly take “jumping” pictures around the Taj Mahal. 

Our hosts at our Jaipur homestay have only been housing guests for 4 months but they have amazing reviews on AirBnB and Agoda already. The wife has a yoga studio in the home and you can join her class every morning at 7 AM that focuses on pranayama breathing. She has 3 middle aged women who are always in attendance and they welcome you into their class with open hearts. She ran us through the most detailed version of sun salutation I have ever done and I enjoyed the focus on feeling the effects of each pose after we did them. We also sat with the husband last night and watched a cricket match between the West Indies and India that was ironically being played in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He sat with us for hours teaching us about the game: overs, bowling, batting, wickets, runs, and strategy. I honestly found it more exciting than baseball though I was told later this was one of the most unique games ever played as both teams rarely score over 200 and you never lose a match by 1 run. These moments talking about his sons wedding and hearing about his own prearranged marriage during the commercials are what give India its bright color to me. The masses are tough but if you take them one person at a time they are warm and beautiful people. 

Taj

AGRA, India // We've always seen photos of the Taj Mahal in magazines or online but today we saw it in real life. We had a driver for the day and he took us from New Delhi to Agra. Here, we got out of the car into a sea of chaos. We fail to realize in many places that we as foreigners are not the only tourists. There were thousands of Indian tourists that had made their way to Agra also to see their Taj Mahal.

After standing in a queue for a metal detector we passed through to a large courtyard and turned the corner to see the Taj in a silhouette through an archway gate. When we finally stood right in front of this mausoleum we inspected each individual stone that was carved, and fit like a puzzle piece into the side which made you appreciate this world renown structure even more. There's not really words to describe the Taj Mahal other than that it is a marvel to see, stand before, and appreciate all the work that went into building such a thing.

We were happy to not stay on Agra though and the trip back to Delhi was a long 3-4 hour drive along a surprisingly empty highway. It was the perfect activity after sleeping all day yesterday, and being jet lagged trying to adjust to a new sleep schedule.

Before going to bed we tried to navigate the hectic New Delhi train station and buy tickets to Jaipur. Considering yesterday we woke up at 3 am due to the jet lag, the 6:05 am train to Jaipur we booked for tomorrow sounds about perfect. 

100 Yard Dash

NEW DELHI, India // We landed at midnight in Delhi. By the time we made it to the hotel it was closer to 2:30 am. Needless to say we slept in until 1:30 pm the next day. We lost a night of sleep traveling so I think the sleep was best for us. We decided to go out for lunch to a place we found in the Lonely Planet book and had good reviews online that was only a 15 minute walk away. It also only required one 90 degree turn on two main streets. It was lightly drizzling but we decided to brave it. How bad could it be? We didn't get more than 10 steps outside the hotel when a man approached us, deep bowed and said, "Namaste, where are you from?". Which is all nice and good but all we've read about on blogs and in books is to be skeptical of anyone who approaches you on the street. We pulled out all our NYC skills continuing down the street: tune out, smile nod without making eye contact, keep moving, look at the ground, never acknowledge understanding. The first man dissuaded by our tactics dropped back but another took his place within seconds. Our new friend parallels us as we walk. Then a man laying in his underwear blocks the path, I say path as there is no sidewalk, there is only an edge of the gravel dirt road where you can try to dodge the incoming tuk tuks. A dog nearby also seems to smell our shininess and fear. I blend in a bit more than Adam but we both seem to elude $$$ signs above our heads that draw attention to people who either want to scam or rob us. You can feel the eyes on us more than I have felt anywhere else on our travels. I duck in behind a local woman navigating the streets in a bright green and gold sarong. I use her as my blocker for a few minutes until she turns down an alley.

The light drizzle becomes large aggressive drops. I'd say they foreshadow what's to come if we continue down this path. We look at each other and immediately turn on our heels and head back to the hotel in a light dash trying to avoid muddy puddles, traffic, and eye contact. We see two more men in soiled underwear. One has a scrape down his face and elbows which are open and festering. We make it back from our 100 yard dash and the receptionist smiles and waggles his head at us as if to say, "I told you so". He had sternly warned us before we left the lobby, "Be careful, there are lots of 'skepticals' out there". I think that was a valiant effort of adventure for one day. We head to the cafe attached to our hotel for hot masala tea, butter tikka paneer, and naan lunch. We also book a trip to the Taj Mahal for tomorrow, hopefully our next great adventure lasts longer than 10 minutes.

Taking a Break

MOSCOW, Russia // We finally got our sleep schedule back to normal and now it was time to leave. We had a nice break from traveling back in the United States for 2 weeks that was well needed. We got to see family, friends, and a sense of home feeling for a while. We reorganized our gear and finally got a chance to relax while realizing how grateful we are for all of the people in our life. 

When traveling long term you are constantly worrying where you are going to sleep, where are you going to eat, and do I have enough of the local currency to get by for another day or do I need to go hunt for an ATM? You worry about safety, travel logistics, and wonder if your laptop and camera are locked up in the room while you are gone. Internet is inconsistent, and there is a constant stress of not having enough bottled water. There were many times where we had to go out on the streets right before bed to get water to drink and brush our teeth with. We got a chance to stop worrying and stressing about these unusual travel problems for these two weeks. 

When we arrived back in the US, our bags were full of souvenirs and stuff that we no longer needed for the rest of our travels. It was convenient for us to sort through everything, reorganize our bags and thoughts before heading back to Asia. We now only have one bag each that is about three quarters full. 

We have always thought in the back of our minds that a trip around the world is not complete without visiting India. We are on our way with a one month visa to travel and backpack through India before we arrive in Kathmandu for a hike through the Himalayas. 

Same Same but Different

NARITA, Japan // We have come to the end of another leg of our journey. Phase one was USA road trips, then Hawaii, and now we have completed our Southeast Asia leg. There is a saying we picked up here called, “Same Same”. If you asked someone, “Should we go here or here tonight for dinner?”, they would answer, “Same Same.” In truth, they are similar but can be drastically different. 

That is how I feel, “Same Same, but different.” I am the same person as I was before. I look the same, perhaps a few pounds lighter, a few shades darker, and a bit less stressed, but overall same body. Same personality and favorite foods. The same things make me laugh though I probably laugh more easily now than before. Same values and beliefs. If you saw me you would say I am the same, but like a glacial drift my core has shifted and I can’t go back to the way it used to be. I have a different view on my world based on experiences I have had traveling. I have a new appreciation for the luxuries in my life. I have adopted a new perspective on how the US is viewed by the world and how I view the rest of the world. I have defined my beliefs where before I never had the time to truly question them or defend them. My internal dialogue is kinder and calmer. I have gained sight of my priorities and what I want to create in my life going forward. 

These are good changes, permanent ones that could cause more debate in my life but also strengthen my voice and character. I welcome all discussion on any topic you care to discuss and will give my honest thoughts. 

Oh, and the biggest difference, as I write this I have a scrunchy in my hair and for the life of me I cant remember why I ever stopped wearing them. Thanks Tokyo for bringing scrunchies back into my life

Impromptu Mt. Fuji

MT. FUJI, Japan // Monday August 1, I'm talking to my Dad on the phone while on the free wifi at the hotel and he casually asks, “Are you going to check out Mt. Fuji?” to which I answer, “I thought it was far away from Tokyo?”. I hung up the phone and immediately started googling. When Adam walks back into the room from the hallway where he’s been talking to his parents I have already formulated a plan and I ask, “Want to do Mt. Fuji tomorrow?”. He agrees because he is great like that and he lives to adventure. 

Tuesday August 2, 6:48 AM we are on a train to Takao where we change trains to a local one to Kawaguchiko. 3 Hours of train later we get on the one hour bus to the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station. At 11:05 A.M. we make it to the 5th station starting point of the Yashida Trail. We eat some noodle soup and start on the trail at 11:56 AM. At this point we aren’t sure what to expect or how high up the mountain we will go. The game plan is to make it to 7th station and have lunch and assess the situation. It's supposed to take 5-7 hours to the top and 3-5 hours down and we don’t want to climb at night, so turn around point will probably be around 3 PM. The only closed toe shoes I have are my grey vans and Adam is in keens. We have a small day pack filled with rain ponchos, a few layers, water, beef jerky, pringles, peanut m&ms, and gummy bears. I am in a tank top and hiking pants. Everyone we pass has a large pack, walking stick for hot iron stamps at each station on the way up, serious hiking shoes, and full body rain gear. We pass several large groups, some with elderly and young kids and think if they can do it we can do it. After an hour and a half of uphill switchbacks, in clouds and zero visibility, we make it to 7th station. This surprises us as we are well ahead of schedule. We look at each other and summit fever takes hold.

We can make it to the top if we move. We grind up to 9th station by 3 PM. It's only supposed to take an hour to the top but at the rate we have been climbing we should be able to make it in 30 minutes. I feel good. Breathing is good and occasionally my heart rate gets fast and I stop to slow it back down. The last part was definitely the hardest but we made it to the summit 3:35 PM. 3 hours and 39 minutes from when we started. The clouds had cleared a little and you could see the valley below. It was fairly empty at top as most people don’t summit at this time as they prefer to sleep overnight on the mountain and summit at sunrise. I enjoy the quiet silence and get my wooden pass branded with the hot iron proving we had made it to the top // 3,776m. Adam and I sit for the first time and order a hot chocolate. We eat some peanut m&ms and decide at 4 PM that its time to descend so we don’t get caught at night on the mountain. The trail down is different than the one up. It's a series of rock switchbacks that are a little steeper than is comfortable to walk on. We end up doing a light jog down the mountain as its easier to let gravity do its thing than try to brake to a walking stride. 2 hours later we are back at the 5th station waiting for the bus. At 11:30 PM we make it back to Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. We are damp from the rain, dirty, hungry as we had no time to grab dinner, and limping slightly from our tight muscles, but I couldn’t be happier. Summiting Mt. Fuji wasn’t even in the scope of possibilities I had imagined for this trip and the fact that we did it in a day makes me proud. I don’t want to say we are super hikers, but I sure do feel like it.

Wednesday August 3, 10 AM I wake up and pinch myself. Did yesterday really happen?

Fat is the new Black

SHINJUKU, Japan // Fat is the new black. Semi-fat red tuna, fatty tuna, fattier tuna, fattiest tuna, and broiled fattiest tuna. That is the sushi platter we order not once, not twice, but three times. After 4 months in skeptical food conditions and a diet consisting mainly of rice, chicken, and noodles, it was a real luxury to gorge ourselves on the best of the best top grade sushi. We also enjoyed hibachi wagyu steak grilled to perfection. Japan not only brought sushi and steak back into our life but also flushing sitting toilets fully equipped with toilet paper, bidet spray, and background music. The cleanliness and efficiency of this city was a welcome change from the bus times that delay hours and the garbage stacked high in every open ditch. Though our 4 day Japan extended layover was about 4 times more expensive than our entire month in Laos, it was nice to be back to civilization. 

XOXO, Confessions of a Tuna Addict