In Photos | China Pt. 3

Buddha under construction in Litang

Hanging out in Litang

Tibetan Sky Burial

Our first stop in Sichuan Province was the sleepy little stopover town of Daocheng where we spent one night in a shabby makeshift Tibetan hotel.  The next morning we were planning to set out for the picturesque city of Kanding, a 12 or so hour ride on the breathtaking Tibetan Sichuan Highway, but we heard from fellow travelers of an unusual burial ceremony performed in nearby Litang and we decided to check it out.

The sacred hillside

We got a minibus with two Brits we met on our last 12 hour bus ride and headed to 2.5 mile-high Litang.   It’s a small dusty town inhabited by friendly rugged people.  I got the sense that tourists only come to Litang for two reasons, the August horse racing festival and sky burials.

The sky burial is a Tibetan funerary ceremony in which the body of the deceased is placed on a mountain, dissected, and then left for vultures to consume.  This method of burial was banned in China in the 60s and 70s but made a comeback during the 80s.  It is believed that through eating the body, the birds carry the soul to heaven.  The burial also serves a very practical purpose in providing an efficient and safe way of disposing of the dead in an area where the land is frozen much of the year and wood is scarce.

In Photos | China Pt. 2

 

Lijiang's Old City exists solely tourists but the immaculately maintained gardens and traditional architecture manage to make it a charming place. However, I don't think the charm lasts much longer than a one day visit.

 

Gardens in Lijiang

Tried my hand at dumpling making - turns out I'm not so good

In Photos | China Pt. 1

Kunming skyline from our hostel's roof

Dancing in the park on a Sunday afternoon.

Three pagodas in Dali

Photo Entry | Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay is one of the most stunning places I’ve ever been.  Meandering through just a few of the nearly 2,000 limestone karsts it isn’t hard to imagine pirates hiding out in these mysterious coves and tidal lagoons.   We took a half day tour and while we only saw a tiny portion of the bay it was enough to be thoroughly awed and snap a few good photos.

A Night in | New Delhi

Since arriving in Delhi Brian and I have been living in the suburb of Noida, about 30 minutes east of the city.  We’re staying here because it’s a $0.50 cycle rickshaw ride from the office and it’s run by Drishtee and free for us to stay in.  The downside of living in Noida is the fact that it is extremely boring.  There are no people to hang out with and nothing to do but go to work and sleep and it’s getting to be downright depressing.

The first thing we did when we got to Noida was post want ads online seeking apartments in South Delhi which we’ve been told is a really fun area with plenty of expats, bars, restaurants, and clubs.   So yesterday, being a Friday, we made out first venture out of Noida to explore the city of Delhi.

 

Defence Colony market at night

Food of Vietnam

Of all the countries I toured in the last two months (excluding India which I have not been in long enough to evaluate), without a doubt, I ate best in Vietnam.  This is due to a number of converging factors including easy access to English menus and English speaking restaurant staff, low prices, incredibly fresh ingredients, and of course, a personal love of Vietnamese food.  Keep reading for a full gallery of my favorite gastronomical exploits.

Update | Getting Settled in Delhi

I’m happy to be blogging again after a long hiatus in China where strict internet censorship blocked access to my blog.  The good news is in that three-week period I’ve generated quite a backlog of photos and stories to post which is nice since I don’t expect to have quite so many adventures on a daily basis now that I’ve settled down and started working at Drishtee.  Over the next few months I’ll be posting a mix of older Chinese and current Indian entries so stay tuned.

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Nearly everyone we met while travelling in Asia told us to beware of India where “everyone is out to scam you, beggars are really aggressive, and people are rude (especially in Delhi)” but so far we’ve been here for four days and had no problems.  The folks we’ve met so far have been kind and gone out of their way on several occasions to help us get acquainted with directions, flagging cabs, etc.  We’ve also been lucky and met some really neat people by chance like an extremely high-ranking federal police officer (I keep his get out of jail free card in my wallet just in case) and a big time Bollywood film reporter.

The first two days of work have been good, albeit a bit confusing.  The supervisors are still formulating exactly what my role will be but it’s looking definite that I will be in business development.  I was asked today if I’m up for travelling to Mumbai and other Indian cities on a regular basis (presumably for BD meetings) which got me excited.  I’ll have much more detail on what exactly I’ll be doing in the next few days.

I’m currently staying by our office in Noida, one of Delhi’s many suburbs until I can find an apartment in the hipper neighborhood of South Delhi.

Update | In China

After Hoi An I reunited with Brian and spent 3 days in Hanoi.  We left last night for China on a train which took us to the border and we hopped on bus one of two for the day after clearing customs.  We’ve been snaking through Chinese mountains for 5 hours and we have another 5 to go before reaching our first destination, Kunming.  My blog is blocked from China so my girlfriend is publishing this update.  As such, I don’t expect to write much for the next three weeks until we’re in India.  I also need to use what little internet time I have to get my job applications done.  Of course, if anything major happens, you’ll hear from me.

Storm Recap with Photos

Typhoon Ketsana packed a punch delivering strong winds and massive flooding.  Fortunately my immediate area did not experience much damage and things are getting back to normal today.  Other areas in Vietnam were hit much harder and just 60 miles south in the mountains of Kon Tum at least 85 people are reported dead.

Old city, day after storm

I spent the day of the storm held up in my hotel looking out as wind and rain beat down on Hoi An. In the night I awoke several times from the sounds of smashed glass and sheetmetal flapping in the wind. In the morning I saw that part of the front glass door had broken and a piece of the roof was missing. Outside in the high ground of our neighborhood, the streets had flooded to curb level and many trees were down. Inside, water was pouring down the main stairs from the roof and we had no power. The rumor mill was also churning among my fellow travelers as we passed along the latest news of the storm’s path and guessed at wind speeds and how long the bad weather would last.  When the storm slowed in the early evening I ventured onto the balcony to survey and the neighborhood and I was surprised to see how much flooding there was just beyond the next street, which again, is supposed to be the high ground.  Later I went into the old city with a few guys from our h0tel and it was like a ghost town.  The streets were empty, there was nothing left of the central market but tattered, flapping blue and orange tarps, and it was really quiet without the car and motorbike horns that define Vietnamese roads.

Hotel front door morning of storm