Elephants, & Cooking, & Bridges, OH MY!

Hey friends, it has been more than awhile & I'm sure that you are dangling on the edge of your seat to hear about parts 2 & 3 of the Thailand adventure.... so let's get cracking!

After leaving Bangkok we took a van to Kanchanaburi, a town west of Bangkok. The main purpose of the trip was to get out Bangkok for a few days to hopefully see a more rural side of Thailand along with seeing the Bridge over the river Kwai of course. We were hoping to get some experience with elephants here as well & my god did we!

Strong woman who biked us to the hostel!

We arrive in Kanchanaburi like we arrive in most places: confused & without a plan. (Luckily, this always seems to work for us) After an hour of walking around to find maps & get our bearings we finally cave in to let this woman bring us to a place where we think we can sign up to ride elephants. We were shocked when we realized that she would be biking us to our destination. First off, we barely fit in to her tiny seat & our bags were basically dragging across the road. Needless to say, this woman had calves of steal. The hostel/tour organization is a lot closer than we thought & it is a bit of a relief. With some difficulty we manage to sign up for an elephant trek scheduled in a few hours. So with the time we have to kill we begin to explore.

We decide to try and find the war grave site from the victims of the Burma railroad, most of the people were prisoners of war. I don't know why but this grave site hit me hard. I think it was the fact that American history does such a bad job on giving you a world view. I honestly had no idea that this happened & really is such a tragedy for so many people. Laura & I sat there for a long time reflecting on the horrors of the world & payed our respects.

Walking back we stumble across a restaurant with a sign that says "Thai Cooking Lessons Here!" Without even thinking we burst into the place to get more information. We meet a tiny Thai woman who is appropriately named "On" (because she is never off!) who is accompanied by a man from America in his 30's acting as her apprentice. He told us that he fell in love with the Thai cuisine along with Thailand & felt like he needed to learn from her so he can open a restaurant back home. We chat with them for awhile & decide that we are going to cook after our elephant adventure. We pick out our dishes and we are back on our merry way.

Minutes after we get back to the hostel a van arrives that is scheduled to bring us to the elephant site. We are joined by a father & a daughter from China who are enjoying a week long Thailand holiday as well. We laughed the whole way about our adventures & after a 30 minute drive we arrive to the site. I am not sure what I was expecting but the place seemed to pop up in the middle of nowhere, it was so small. I can't even begin to imagine how I would have found this place if it wasn't for luck. Before we know it we are put on top of an elephant and starting our trek. They had us in those caged box type things on the elephants back. Don't get me wrong it was fun for awhile, but Laura & I wanted more. I am pretty sure that the guy didn't understand our request & we probably broke the rules, but we shimmed straight down that elephant's back right on to his neck. WOW. I can't even tell you, it was beyond freeing. To be in charge of such a large animal, I felt like some type of warrior princess. The elephant's skin felt like sand paper and his ears would occasionally flag against my thighs & tickle just a little bit. I would put my head on top of his and my arms on top of his trunk, I felt as though I was one with him. Being out of that seat was unsteady, and it felt like any minute you could topple off. To be honest, I didn't care. I felt so close to this animal & felt that it was incapable of bringing me harm. We trekked around the woods going up and down for some time taking turns with who gets to ride on the elephants neck. Eventually we both get down on there... not going to lie that was a bit scary. Finally we are finished & just like that I feel incredibly sad. I want to just be on the elephants back forever. Just as we think we are heading back to the van one of the guides stops us and takes us down to the river (YES, the River Kwai!)

The guide leads the elephant into the water and beckons us to come with him. The next thing we know we are taking a bath with this magnificent animal. Well, I would say it wasn't just

a bath but more of a full fledged intense shower. The elephant was tipped its head and trunk into the water and whipped its neck back to blast us with river water. Don't ask me why I chose to wear a skirt this day. Laura & I were screaming & felt completely in the moment. It was a surreal rush. I even got brave enough to stand on the elephants back to see how long I could balance myself. Soon our time with the elephant was over & I found myself protesting. We said our goodbyes, hugs, and kisses (yes the the elephant) and dragged our butts out of the river. We were left feeling ecstatic, on top of the world, & alive.

After making our way back into the town we find On's restaurant. We change out of our drenched clothes and get ready to start cooking. On. How can I even describe her? She was dancing, laughing, and of course cooking up some amazing dishes. Gangam style was her jam & all the meanwhile she was doing the dance while throwing ingredients into the wok. She taught us the only Thai word that I will ever remember: mnaw (muh-now), which means lime. I'll never forget her demand to add more lime by giddily screeching: "NOW....MNAW!" On teaches us how to make two different soups, pad thai (my favorite!), pineapple fried rice, mango sticky rice, and tons more. We left with our souls rejuvenated and our belly's full.


The next day we took a walk to see the famous bridge over the river Kwai. It was a hot and beautiful day & today it felt good to be a tourist. I won't go into all of the details about the bridge, but if you want to learn more here is some basic information: http://www.bridgeriverkwai.com/

All in all it was a wonderful trip filled with a history lesson, laughs, adventure, & food. What more could you ask for? :)

xoxo,
Becca

Airplanes were meant to fly, Buckle up! We're going to THAI(land)

*Note: the blog post title should be sung to the tune of Starships by my girl Niki Minaj

Friends! Family! Others! This is the story of a girl whose wildest dreams came true all within the span of a week. How may you ask? Well, Let's find out! ;)

First off, let me just say that Thailand has been one of my dream destinations probably since I discovered my obsession with Thai food. Flash back to a year ago when I was trying to decide where I wanted to study. When it came down to it I was choosing between Bangkok and Chennai. So, it was only fair to take a trip & see what I have been missing the past five months.

BANGKOK:

What can I say, I instantly fell in love. The city is a perfect mix of East & West and I felt like I easily blended in with the massive amounts of tourists. The old city was beautiful yet most of the attractions were a bit overpriced. We did go see Wat Po or more popularly known as the Reclining Buddha. Not only was there a giant golden reclining Buddha to see but tons of other Buddha statues and crazy beautiful architecture. For just around 100 Baht it was completely worth it! 
Besides the sight seeing probably the most important thing we did in Bangkok was EAT. Since we were on a budget we mostly ate street food which was more often a hit than a miss. Street food ranges in prices but most everything fell in between 10 to 60 Baht. Pad Thai  (my favorite dish in the world) lived up to it's expectations along with basically every other Thai food I tried. The Thai iced coffee and iced tea were absolutely amazing and cheap... if you go you must give them a try! Also, while in Thailand I consumed the spiciest food I have ever eaten. I was a bit cocky and ignored the cook's warnings as I continued to spoon more on to my plate to the point where my rice was drowning. 

The following picture is the results of my ignorance:

Yup, pretty unattractive. Tears were literally rolling out of my eyes. So congrats Thailand, you got the best of me here.

Fortunately a few moments after this picture was taken, I was saved by the cook's guilt/sense of humor as she brought me over a nice and mild soup (while trying to control her laughter). 

One of the 7 Pad Thai's I ate during the week!

Stay tuned next time where you will hear about more food, elephants, and beaches. Oh lala!

xoxo

One Last Excursion

Well I've been away for awhile which you all should take is a very good sign. I've been so busy living my life that blogging didn't feel like a huge priority. Well, now I have a mug of tea and some free time so let the catch up commence!

What you have missed (the extremely short & summed up version): 

1. KERALA

For our last excursion we traveled to Tamil Nadu's neighboring state of Kerala. Kerala is located on the west coast and my God, it is incredibly beautiful! Highlights of the trip to be honest were doing absolutely nothing. This excursion was truly about being on vacation, and hey... I'm not complaining! Sure we saw some palaces, temples, & other historic mumbo jumbo but two days at the beach made me an incredibly happy person! Kerala is known for their oil massages so I found the cheapest one I could and had it done.

Note to self/other travelers: that was a mistake.
It was my first massage ever so I had no idea what to expect. However, I certainly did not think that I would be forced to strip down right in front of the guy who was massaging me! Also, not to mention that he was talking to me the entire time, it was pretty awkward. So, I have heard that these massages are good maybe it is a better idea to splurge for something a little more expensive.

At a beautiful beach in Kerala

Admiring the sun set

2 .  KANYAKUMARI:

After spending a few days in Kerala, we headed down south to Kanyakumari which is actually a part of Tamil Nadu. What is Kanyakumari known for? Well first off, it lies on the southern most tip of India and is the spot where all three oceans come together (bay of Bengal, Indian ocean, and the Arabian sea). Secondly, it is a hugely historical spot in terms on ancient India. The ocean thing made it a cool enough place in my opinion, but all in all it was a good time. :)

Pointing to all three oceans!

Sari, Not Sorry

Well, I'm significantly behind on life updates.

Here is a picture of me in a red sari which was a gift from some of the teachers of the Village of Pudupkkam. I think it is the greatest gift I have ever gotten and I was welling up with emotion when they presented it to me.

 

And this is a picture of Namada & I after she helped me put on this "junk sari". Apparently she thought it was too cheap and didn't fit me right.. sorry girl, I'm on a budget. Anyways, In that pic I'm looking like a true South Indian girl, rocking the flowers in the hair.

But, let it be known to the world that sari's are the biggest pain in the butt. You think they would be nice and cool considering that basically your entire mid drift is exposed, but my God those things are ridiculously hot. Not to mention, IMPOSSIBLE to walk in. Bonus points to Edward for dealing with me as I trudged along in the heat of the day in the red sari on our 2 km walk back to WIN.

Well this does not make up for the fact that I have left the last month of my life a complete mystery... sorry guys it will probably remain that way.
I will be taking a trip to Thailand next week and then will be left with 5 more days in India... so sad :(
However, I'll be gearing up for my next adventure... details to come soon!

Until then!

xoxo,
Becca

Agra: OMG, It's the Taj Mahal!

After spending two days in Delhi we hoped in the car and took a 6 hour road trip to Agra. Now, 6 hours in the car just sucks no matter what. But in my opinion in India with the bumpy roads, honking, stop & go traffic... it was a lot worse. I spent the last 3 hours of the trip in misery as I was having stomach issues and a fever. A trip to McDonalds rendered useless because I was unable to eat... (Now I am determined to find & eat at a Micky D's in Chennai). I spent the first day in Agra delusional in my bed missing out on a chance to see the Agra Fort. I'm sure it was great, but there was no way I was moving from my bed. The next day we departed from the hotel room at 6:20 am. I was a straight up mess, but I was not missing my chance to see the Taj Mahal.

What can I say about the Taj Mahal, it was beautiful but strangely overrated. I think I had it so hyped up in my mind that once I saw it I had that feeling that was like.... that was it?

For the history buffs:

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial to one of his many wives Mumtaz. Mumtaz is considered to be his most loved wife. She died while giving birth to the emperors 14th son... 14th! Anyways, the Taj Mahal consists of the main tomb, a mosque, a guest house, main gate, and gardens.

Interesting Facts:
* It took 22 years to build
* Over 1,000 elephants were employed to carry construction materials
* Depending on the time of day/ if there is a full moon the Taj appears to be different colors
* During the Indian Rebellion in 1857 many of the semi-precious stones were ripped off the walls of the Taj Mahal by the British.

I only know all of this because I did a presentation of the Taj Mahal 3 weeks ago to gear up for the trip.

As you can see, besides the fact that I was horribly sick, I managed to get some pretty good pictures. However, at one point I swear to God I was going to throw up all over the beautiful white marble. Those jumping pictures were not easy but they were so worth it! Also, as much as it sucked getting up so early I think that this is the best time to see the Taj Mahal. It was not crowded and the lighting was picture perfect.

Jumping for joy, finally made it!

View from the Taj looking out on the gardens

Onion dome

So peaceful, no crowds!

Intricate detail, it is verses from the Qur'an

xoxo,
Becca

Delhi: Old Places

WHEW. Last post on Delhi, I promise.

Jama Masjid

While in Delhi we went to Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. It can house 25,000 worshipers! Crazy, right? Anyways, the mosque was actually built by the same guy who built the Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan) and the place has a few cool relics including a copy of the Qur'an on deer skin. I wanted to see this put apparently it is locked up and hidden.. bummer. It definitely was an interesting visit and yet again we got to rock some modest clothing.  Anyways, the highlight of the visit was most likely taking awkward pictures with one woman's baby. Yeah, people will come up to you and beg for pictures with their children, babies especially. We were in a good mood so it wasn't a problem. I don't have the pictures but lets just say I was being ridiculous and the baby was unimpressed...

Qutub Minar

Check out that detail

On our last day in Delhi we visited Qutub Minar, a world heritage site. Surprisingly, this place is India's most visited monument... step aside Taj Mahal! The Minar was constructed in 1192 and is considered one of the greatest works of Mugal architecture. This monument is supposed to symbolize the power of Islam along with calling people to prayer to a nearby mosque. The giant pole in the picture = the Qutub Minar. The pole is inscribed with verses from the Qur'an and actually has some beautiful detail. Besides just a giant pole, the place is surrounded by nice gardens and buildings that are now ruins. There was also a tomb there, but I can't remember who it belonged to.... oh well.
 
Enough with the history, here are some pictures!

oOoOo look at how artistic I am.....

xoxo,
Becca

Delhi: Gandhi & Other Sites

After our visit to the Sikh temple we went to see Gandhi's memorial. It consisted of a nice open and peaceful garden with quotes from him in different languages. In the center was a flame and an alter of flowers.

 

Memorial

Tablets around the garden

We drove past the lotus temple, the mother temple of India. The temple is open to all regardless of religion. No sermons can be delivered and no music can be played inside, it is purely a place of meditation and spiritual reflection. To save time we decided not to go in and snap our pics from afar.

Unfortunately, the next day we were unable to do as much sight seeing due to some protests that were going on inside of the city. So, we spent the morning in the hotel room and then after things died down a bit we were able to make our way into the city.

The gate

Flags & flame under the gate

President's house

Our first stop was to the India Gate, a national monument. This gate is actually a war memorial dedicated to the soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives during World War I and those who lost their lives during the third Anglo-Afghan War. Under the giant arch there are three flags which are the flags of India's three armed forces. There is also a flame that never goes out which is India's equivalent of the tomb of the unknown soldier (or Amar Jawan Jyoti). In the distance from the gate you are able to see many of the political parties buildings along with the president's house. The gate and the space leading up to the president's house looks exactly like Washington D.C. National Mall just without the museums. Like I said before, it did not feel like India!

Gandhi's last steps

The platform Gandhi was walking to

Our last stop for the day was at the Gandhi Museum. The museum showcases his life and principals with lots of art, stories, and quotes. More interestingly, this is the actual place that Gandhi was assassinated. The state opened the museum shortly after Gandhi's death in 1948. There are foot prints that lead to the garden where Gandhi was assassinated and you can walk along the last path that Gandhi himself walked upon. They also showed the last of his earthly possessions along with the bullets that were used to kill him. Gandhi died while walking to a platform within this garden to address a prayer meeting. Upon dying, Gandhi's last words were "Oh God". I have to say it was definitely crazy to think that I have stood in the actual spot where such an influential man has died. Hopeful the visit will help me channel my inner-Gandhi to help promote peace locally, nationally, and globally.

Gandhi on his last walk to the garden

xoxo,
Becca