Wednesday, May 4th 2016
Yesterday was my first day since October that was not spent
in Asia. Moving to another continent was an experience unlike any other that I
have had. I learned so much about different ways of life and how it feels to
exist in a culture that is so different from my own. Asia is a place with
ancient roots and long standing traditions. It was such a privilege to be able
to see so much of southeast Asia. With all of that being said, by when it was
time to leave Molly and I were ready for something new. We were ready to be
back in western society where life is more ordered, organized, and is what we
are accustomed to. But before I get into our plans for Europe let me tell you
about our last two weeks in Asia.
Bali
We got into Bali late on Friday, April 15th. When
we were planning everything back in December we decided to splurge on a more
upscale hotel for our stay. When we got into Arana Suite we knew we had made
the right decision. After living out of hostels and guesthouses for so long it
was a treat to stay in a nicer place. We enjoyed the pool and having breakfast
brought to our door each morning (an included service). We stayed in Seminyak
on the west side of the island. We didn’t have a ton of time on Bali, so we
just wanted to relax and enjoy the sun, pool and beach while we were there.
On Saturday and Sunday, we spent the days in the pool and at
the nearby Double 6 Beach. The beaches in Bali were not as picturesque or easy
to swim in as those in southern Thailand. They did have much larger waves that
were fun to play in, and there were many people there learning to surf.
On Monday we hired a car to take us around to different
sites on the island. We got to see some different beaches: Nusa Dura and
Dreamland beach. The highlight of the day was a visit to Uluwatu, aka the
temple on the cliff. The views of the ocean were stunning. There were also tons
of monkeys there, which seemed cute at first, but turned out to be more of a
nuisance than anything else. They have learned to steal flip flops and
sunglasses in order to trade them back for food. I got a stick to fend them
away from Molly and I, so it was fun to watch them go after the other tourists.
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| Nusa Dura Beach |
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| Dreamland Beach |
Tuesday was our last full day in Bali. I spent it scuba
diving off of the nearby island Nusa Penida. The most famous dive site there
was Manta Point. As the name suggests it is home to manta rays year round. I
had heard about it while on my previous dive trip and it became a must see
after we did not encounter any mantas in Thailand. Before leaving the shore, my
guide remarked how she was a bit worried because her friend had “only” seen
five manta rays the day before. I told her that I would be excited to see one.
We descended down to the first, and shallowest area of the cleaning station
where the mantas visit. Immediately we spotted a large shadow in the distance.
As it came closer we could see the manta ray much more clearly with other
shadows following along. More and more mantas kept swooping over and around us
as we floated near the sandy bottom just off of the cleaning station. They are
playful creatures and don’t mind getting close or swimming alongside you, as
long as you don’t chase them around. In all there were probably 15-20 manta
rays circling the dive site. It was a dive I will never forget. The next day we
relaxed by the pool in the morning and then departed for Kuala Lumpur in
Malaysia in the afternoon.
Kuala Lumpur
We landed in Kuala Lumpur late on Wednesday night and spent
the next two days in the city. We got to meet up with my dad’s old coworker and
friend, Ravi, who was gracious enough to host us while we were there. It was
great catching up with him and his family. I used to play with his sons Sarat
and Shreyas back in Ohio almost a decade ago. They both happened to be in town
while we were there.
The first site we saw around the city was Batu Caves. The
most famous cave is located atop a hill. It had three massive caverns with a
temple in each one. After exploring the caves, we took the metro back into the
city and walked around the city center. The Petronas Towers there were a site
to see. We had planned to go up to the top of the towers, but the lady selling
the tickets told us that because of the weather the view would not be good. We
decided not to go up, and as we walked to a nearby mall a huge rainstorm
started. Kuala Lumpur is on the border of a rainforest so a big storm happens
almost every afternoon. It is also a city filled with malls. That combined with
its cleanliness, and the aforementioned well organized metro system made it
feel like a much more western city than what we were used to. That first night
ended with watching a Cavs game and a dinner out with Ravi and his family. It
was the perfect end to a great day. Watching the Cavs always makes me feel a
little closer to home.
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| The entrance to Batu Caves |
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| The Patronas Towers |
The next day we walked around a lush area of the city, near
the national mosque, that is filled with trees and greenery. We found out
earlier that Kuala Lumpur has the world’s largest walk through aviary at KL
Bird Park. We spent a couple hours observing all of the birds there. Most were
not caged and free to fly anywhere they wanted within their large residential
zone. They must have had over a hundred peacocks there. It was a beautiful
place.
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| Feeding a giant hornbill |
After the bird park we headed over to the Pavilion mall for
lunch, and then it was time to meet up with Sarat and head to the airport (he
was headed back to San Francisco). The next stop was Mumbai.
Mumbai
It was so fun to take Molly to India. While in Mumbai we
stayed with my Aunty Tinu and Dadi (grandma) in their apartment in Malad West.
Mumbai has the unique combination of being massive and extremely densely
populated. It is one of the most populous cities in the world, and driving
rules are not followed to any extent there. To get across the city can take
anywhere from 2-3 hours, so planning your day around the traffic is a must.
On Saturday we spent the day hanging around the apartment.
It had been a while since we had any downtime and it was a much needed rest.
That night Molly and I went for a short run in a nearby park. The next day we
spent the morning in Sanjay Gandi National Park, which is a massive park in the
middle of the city. The sign outside the park stated that it was the largest
park surrounded by a city, and I believe it. One of the marquee sites in the
park is Kanheri Caves. These caves were man made thousands of years ago, and
were home to an ancient Buddhist village. They are built on the top of a large
hill that had a great view of the city. That afternoon and evening we visited
with my great aunt Kana and her family. In India is typical to have three or
four generations living in the same house. We had some awesome food there and
even got to do some shopping. It was a great visit.
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| One of the ancient dwellings |
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| The view from atop the caves |
On Monday we left the city to go to a farm about two hours
north of the city (if you leave from the northern part of Mumbai). Tinu
organized the trip for the four of us and I am so grateful that she did. It was
wonderful to see some of the countryside and to stay at a quieter place in India.
The farm was famous for growing the chiku fruit but had many other crops as
well. The first day there was spent relaxing, taking a farm tour and eating
awesome food. We also visited a nearby beach in the evening before dinner. It
really highlighted how India can be a place of high and lows. Here we were at
this giant, sandy, slow sloping beach. It should have been a beautiful place,
but it was littered with garbage. It was sad to see the extent of the pollution
there, but the country has definitely made improvements in managing the waste
created by their dense population since my last visit.
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| My Dadi and I on the farm tour |
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| My Dadi, Aunty Tinu and I on the beach |
On Wednesday we made the trip into the southern part of the
city to see the Gateway of India, where that commemorated where the British
first landed in the country. After that we did some shopping and then had a
buffet lunch at the Taj Mahal Hotel. In India when eating out of the house it
is important to pick restaurants carefully to avoid food poisoning. Higher end
places and fast food chains are usually the safest bet. The Taj has an awesome
lunch buffet and we were stuffed with Indian and continental food by the time
we were done there. We then travelled to the Juhu area to meet up with Jugdeep,
one of my dad’s best friends from school. He is an awesome guy and we were
happy to catch up with him.
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| Gateway of India selfie |
The next day was already our last in Mumbai, after seeing
some more family who we had not gotten a chance to visit with yet, we headed to
the airport to fly into Delhi.
New Delhi
We arrived in Delhi the night of Thursday, April 28th.
My aunt Seema’s friend from college, Nikhil, hosted us while we were in Delhi.
It was so nice of him to have us, and it was lots of fun to get to know him and
his family. On Friday morning we got an uber into the city (yes uber is truly
worldwide). We spent the morning visiting some famous sites. The first was the
Lotus Temple: a non-denominational temple built in the shape of a lotus
surrounded by beautiful grounds. Next we visited Humayun’s Tomb, which was
built as the burial site for an ancient Mughal emperor. Lastly we visited the
Red Fort in the old part of Delhi. It was built to protect the palaces of the
ancient capital.
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| The Lotus Temple |
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| Outside Humayun's Tomb |
After lunch we did some shopping at Cottage Industries, a
massive store that has tons of hand-made Indian products. We then headed to
Hauz Khas village for drinks and dinner at a couple rooftop restaurants.
On Saturday we explored the ruins of Qutub Minar. This was
my favorite site in Delhi. It featured a massive tower and an iron pillar that
has not rusted since it was built, over 1600 years ago. After Qutub Minar we
took a metro across the city to visit Arun, a friend from my father’s college
years. It was lovely to meet him and his wife. That night we had a fun at dinner
and drinks with Nikhil and his family.
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| Me and the famous iron pillar |
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| Molly with the tower (right) and pillar (left) in the background |
Sunday was our last full day in Asia. We left Delhi at 5:00
am to make the drive to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. We got there around 8:00 am
and spent over three hours exploring a wonder of the world. The inlayed stones
in the white marble were beautiful. Our guide showed us how the red stones
light up when hit with light, and can be seen glowing on night’s when there is
a full moon. All of it was built by Shah Jahan as a tomb for his late wife in
the 1600s. However, the pictures do the Taj more justice than anything I could
write.
After seeing the Taj we grabbed some lunch at a nearby
hotel, and then explored the Agra Fort for an hour or so. It was similar to the
Red Fort in Delhi, but had some breathtaking views of the Taj. It was here that
Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son for attempting to spend another $40
million to build a black Taj Mahal to be his own tomb across the river. He now
rests beside his wife in the Taj Mahal.
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| Agra Fort |
While we were in India we were fortunate enough to stay with
family and friends who cooked us amazing food, helped us hire cars for
transportation, and helped us see so much of the country. We had an amazing
trip and would not trade it for anything, but it is impossible to visit India
without being affected by the poverty, dirtiness and lack of respect for others
in the country. It affected us most as we were constantly accosted by hawkers.
People tried to scam us often. Guides come free with your ticket to the Taj but
people in the parking lot try to get you to pay them to show you around. People
try to give you a “blessing” and then demand a donation. They do all this
because they are desperate to make enough to provide for their families. I
understand why it happens but it is frustrating to constantly deal with. It
really helped me to appreciate how good we have it in the United States. It is
a place where you almost never have to deal with being scammed or taken
advantage of.
My next post should come in about two weeks when I reach
Ireland. Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to updating you all on
our adventures through Europe!
