Asian Reflections from the Top of the World (or close to it)

Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel’s immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad of new sights, smells, and sounds, but with experiencing first hand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way.  – Ralph Crawshaw

We wrapped up our visit to India in Darjeeling, however being close to the border of Nepal and with many relocated Tibetans it has a feeling all it’s own.  We jumped on the opportunity to do a trek in the Himalayas, knowing that with the fortune of clear skies we could see 8,000 meter peaks, including Everest.  We didn’t spend too much time fretting over the details or distances, we told our outfitter the kids ages, and when they didn’t shy away, neither did we.  We bought a few warmer bits of clothing and some familiar snacks for backup energy.

Darjeeling was the launch point in the early days for treks to Everest when Nepal was closed. Darjeeling was also the home of Tenzing Norgay, so the mountains run deep in this community.  Our trek was 6 days on the Singalila Ridge, which runs along the border of India and Nepal.   We actually spent about half the nights in Nepal and crossed the border back and forth many times.  We learned towards the end that neither our porter, nor our guide had ever had a client under the age of 15 before.  The kids handled the great distances, unexpected downpours, less-than-desirable bathrooms, cold trekker huts (with sporadic electricity and no heat), basic local meals (mostly rice and lentils) incredibly well.  They showed the heart of adventurers.  Liam remarked that it felt like only 4 days when it was all said and done.

So, now that we are leaving the Indian subcontinent, it is time for us to declare our High and Low-Lights for India and Sri Lanka.

South Asian Highlights

Chad

• Tracking the tiger in Bandhavargh National Park – with the suspense building after three unsuccessful game drives – hearing the tiger walk through the forest before finally emerging was definitely a highlight. In addition, staying with the local experts and hearing their stories of the tigers all the way back to when hunters used to come and legally hunt the tiger was very interesting. On top of that, the forest landscape and variety of other wildlife present made it one of our more memorable experiences.
• The Himalaya’s – escaping the heat with the cool mountain air was a welcome relief. In that way it reminded me of home, but the differences are also stark and interesting. Although we never did get a view of Everest it was exciting to be near the tallest peak in the world and the sight of Kanchandzonga, the third tallest behind Everest and K2, was very impressive. And since we were closer to Kanchandzonga than Everest it would look taller anyway. On top of that…Darjeeling was my favorite city in India.
• Food in both India and Sri Lanka – when it was bad, it was bad….but most of the time it was very good with just the right amount of spice for me.

Heidi

• Celebrity Critters – Personally I would much rather have sighting of stars from Jungle Book, Monkey Kingdom, and Nat Geo nature documentaries than famous actors or musicians.  And these opportunities to see Tigers, Macaque Monkeys, Cuttlefish and others in person, in the wild, are always a highlight for me.
• Alleppey, Kerala – Maybe I am fascinated by water because it is so scarce in Colorado.  But I do love to witness the lives of those who rely on it.  Being in the backwaters of Kerala was wonderful.  I loved sitting in the yard of our island guesthouse and watching the “traffic” float by and the next day when we boarded our houseboat and saw more of the lives in this beautiful community I was even more intrigued.
• Cross Cultural Eye Candy – Some places you go and you have to look a bit harder to see the differences in how people live.  Not true here.  I loved the continuous curiosity and vibrancy of life in this region.  Men wearing sarongs in Sri Lanka and the ornate fashions of the women, the blend of Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Buddhist traditions everywhere we look, the food, the architecture, the art, even the school uniforms.  It was a constant onslaught of surprising and wonderful sights.  Then there were moments that make you thankful for our privilege.  Seeing asphalt laid by women pouring it with what we would call a salad bowl, and many old and young hauling, hammering, and hand laying large irregular stones to build mountain roads.  Darjeeling is a mountain town, but one with frequent earthquakes and landslides.  The buildings are built along a steep slope and narrow roads congested with vehicles intermix with steep flight of stairs to access the stacked houses and businesses.  Also along these roads folks are carrying propane tanks and construction supplies using straps across their forehead so that they can deliver where the cars can’t reach.
• Mom’s Visit – It was wonderful to have Mom join our adventure.  We’ve spent A LOT of time together and having her energy join us was awesome.  She has an infectious joy, even the suckiest day for her was a blast for the kids.  Chad and I took off to get train tickets and when we returned Grandma and the kids were dying laughing joking about all the things they hated about our guesthouse, the town, the weather, etc.

Shia

• Tiger – duh
• LuLu Mall – loved the air conditioning and I wasn’t hounded by touts so I could shop in peace. And I picked up a nice cool shirt.
• Diving – I love diving because its peaceful and quiet and everything seems to move in slow motion. I saw a stingray, sea turtle, cuttlefish, and loads of other awesome fish.
• Grandma – Just seeing someone from home, especially since it was my Grandma.
• Seashell Showerhead – The flow of the water from the seashell in our outdoor shower.  It was different from how it usually comes out like bursts.

Liam

• Beaches and Diving in Sri Lanka – First reef dive was awesome especially when I saw a sea turtle at the end! Lots of nice beaches with awesome sand and warm water.
• Train – Love overnight trains where I get to camp out in my own little space. And the views during the boring day time trains.
• Food – I can handle spicy better than anyone else in the family, so India and Sri Lanka were just right for me.
• LuLu Mall – everything.  India’s largest mall was so fun.
• Himalayan Trek – Read my blog

Lowlights

• Chad – First day of our Himalayan trek. I awoke the morning of our departure from Darjeeling with the dreaded stomach pains which have felled many a traveler in India and at that point I knew I was in for a long day. After a two hour drive to our launching point we hiked about 10 kilometers mostly uphill in a progressively worsening rain and sleet storm. When we finally reached our first lodge it was late afternoon and we were all wet and cold. It took quite some time to warm up and I got very little sleep. By the next morning I was starting to feel a bit better and with our clothes dried, by heat from the cooking fire, things finally started looking up.
• Heidi – Yala National Park- I have spent many a game drive hoping for a sighting of the elusive leopard.  Yala has some of the highest densities of leopard in the wild, so I was very optimistic.  I was also excited to share my mom’s first game drive with her.  So, I was wildly disappointed when our driver showed up and declared he forgot his binoculars.  (Technically, we DID see a leopard in Africa, but certainly the binoculars were key, and it still required some imagination.  Not having a guide with that tool seemed like a big disadvantage.)  Then he proceeded to drive like a bat out of hell on very rough roads.  Sorry Mom, not all game drives are that rough!  And he continued to blow past peacocks even after I asked him to stop for the next one.  I was wildly frustrated.  Fortunately, he redeemed himself slightly at the end by extending our time for one last chance at seeing the wild Asian Elephant.  We were rewarded with that and my spirits lightened.
• Shia – Food – Too unpredictable and mostly spicy and the last straw was when I got sick on the trek. They even figured out how to ruin jelly!  &  Weather – mostly the heat, that is until we got to the Himalaya’s….and then it was the cold no heat in the lodges during the trek, and lots of rain.
• Liam – Grandma leaving – Very sad….I’m a family man. (except for the ones I’ve been traveling with for 5 months)