Dehli: Making friends and drinking chai

Exhausted from Old Dehli, I took the Metro to Connaught Place (the center). As mesmerized that I was by all the chaos in Old Dehli, I was equally impressed by the Metro, which easily can complete with any major European city in efficiency, organization and cleanliness. I felt as if I had been sent 100 years forward in time in five minutes. India is indeed a country of extremes.

In the middle of the city there is a big circle consisting of a park where people are hanging out to escape the frenzy. I sat down and was approached by three Indian guys that sat down to talk to me. We exchanged views on life, love, faith and culture. Cynic as I have become, I was waiting for them to either offering to be my tour guide or take me to their Uncle’s store around the corner. Instead they offer me to join them for chai at this small, scrubby teashop, highly popular with the locals. The tea was good (but sweet), I did not get hassled for money, but instead had a very interesting conversation with my new friends. I definitely learned a lesson.

Dehli: Spice markets and traffic jams

Slept in late. It was a very comfortable feeling to wake up in a personal home as opposed to a hotel or a bungalow. With my friend Kristina at work, I had the whole day to explore Dehli.

First off I got acquainted with the maid, a lovely Indian woman with a great smile and hair reaching all the way down to her bottom. This wonderful lady made me fresh fruit salad and omelet, India got off to a very good start. You know what they say about first impressions…. Supposedly, most people (read expats) here have maids and private chauffeurs, a luxury only the wealthiest can afford in Sweden. In this part of the world, it is viewed as a necessity.

After taking a taxi to the center, I came to appreciate the hesitation to drive you own car in this traffic madness. My driver told me that you need three good things to manage the traffic in India; 1) a good horn, 2) good brakes and 3) good luck. I think he’s got that right.

I hired a bike riksha to take me around Old Dehli (4 Euros for two hours). Old Dehli was exactly what I would expect from an old Indian market; extremely crowded and narrow alleys, where cows, people, motorbikes and rikshas are squeezed together while trying to advance forward; hole-in-the-wall boutiques selling kitchenware, textiles, spices, chai tea and various kinds of street food. The clusters of electric wiring covering the air between the buildings made the engineering side in me cringe. It is truly a miracle how the power still works. I am starting to realize that this is the theme of India - on the surface things looks like complete chaos, but somehow they make it work, just a little differently than we are used to.

Off to India: Let the adventure begin!

Sitting at the Bankok airport, about to finish off the Thailand portion of this trip. It has been five great weeks, filled with relaxation and natural beauty. Before I left Sweden, I wrote down what my hopes were for my trip to Thailand. I must say that my Thailand trip lived up to all my expectations and I can put a check mark next to all those bullet points. Mission accomplished!

That being said, I have to admit that while Thailand is a lovely country - beautiful, friendly and reasonably organized - travelling here is almost too easy. It may be because some parts of the country, in particular the islands, are so completely catered to tourists that at times I didn’t really feel like I was in an Asian country. It is easy to experience and enjoy the natural beauty and the culinary delight of this country, but at times it felt like I was distanced from the Thai life and its people. The majority of the interactions are with other westerners and some Thais that you meet have become so jaded by all tourists that they have lost some of the lovely way of being that this region is famous for. Hence, if there is one aspect where Thailand lagged a bit, it would be that it did not touch my heart in the same way as for instance Cambodia did. Then again, I did not pick Thailand to be culturally challenged. For pure relaxation, few countries can compete with this place.

Now I am off to India. As a start, I will visit my friend Kristina, who lives in Dehli. I am not sure what to expect from India. I feel excited and a bit nervous at the same time. I have heard so many stories about this place, both intriguing and horrifying. I am preparing for chaos and complete madness, hopefully coupled with beauty and charm. It feels as if the real adventure is about to begin now. Thailand was just a soft warm up for what is about to hit me. I am really looking forward to it!

Koh Mak: Island paradise continues

Rented a bike today to explore the island. The roads here are bumpy dirt roads so luckily they rented out mountain bikes. Gone are the days in Colorado where I had bulky skier legs to take me up bumpy hills on bike. My legs started to burn at the slightest of inclines and it felt like quite an exercise to get around the island. I found a wonderful beach on the other side of the island, with clear water and an amazing sunset. Unfortunately internet connection is very slow here, will upload pictures when back in Bankok. You’ll all be jealous!

One would think I should start getting restless and bored not doing much and not talking to anyone, but I am still completely content with my books and my beloved Mac book. However, I should indeed be well rested by the time I get to India.

Koh Mak: Quality me-time and relaxation

I have now settled in on Koh Mak, a quiet island not far from the Cambodian border on the east coast of Thailand, a 6-hour bus ride and 1-hour speedboat journey from Bankok.

Accommodated in a simple, but charming bungalow with an ocean view and a hammock on the porch, I could not be any happier. The beach here is not as idyllic as the ones on Koh Lipe, but the vibe is very laid back and relaxing. I love that I can sit in my hammock at night, hearing the waves and crickets playing while reading a book or writing in my journal. The sea breeze also keeps the mosquitoes in check.

The owner of the resort I am staying at is a chubby and very friendly Thai, named Pom, who constantly checks in on me to ensure I am doing well, and urge me to tell him if there is something he can do for me. It feels very comforting, kind of like an extra parent.

Strange as it may sound, I am really enjoying being on my own again, with time to read, write, think and work out. I have started to appreciate my own company in a new way, am in a good place emotionally and feel very fortunate and grateful to be here and to have all this time on my hands. I am also realizing how much I love being by the ocean. The wide, open space and the stunning beauty of it settle me. One thing is certain; I definitely would like more frequent sea views in my life!

Chiang Mai: Learning to cook

Chiang Mai is known as the culinary capital of Thailand. Attending a course at one of the many cooking schools are a popular thing to do when visiting the city. I signed up for a two-day course and have now learned how to make Thai classics like Tom Yum soup and Penang Curry from scratch. It was great fun, highly educating and totally worth the money. I definitely feel that I developed my domestic skills to another level (from useless to beginner). Participants were from all over the world. With a bit of luck, some of you might get an invitation to a Thai dinner party when I get home. We’ll see.

I had originally planned to go further north to do a multi-day trek, but decided yesterday that I miss the ocean. Hence, I will head down to the coast again for a few days on the beach before heading India. My lovely friend from England left for Bankok yesterday, so I am flying solo again. With the intense social scene I have enjoyed for the past 2 weeks, I think that it will be good with some quiet time on my own by the ocean.

Chiang Mai: Shopping with the locals

Chiang Mai is a cool place. Much more mellow that Bankok and less touristy (read more Thai) than the islands. We spent the first two days exploring the city.

The area close to the University is a posh and charming neighborhood with many small shops selling local designer clothes and interior decorations. It felt a bit like the Chiang Mai equivalent of Soho in New York, or Chelsea/Notting Hill in London. Very few westerners were seen, and the wi-fi connected coffee shops were filled with Thai university students on their laptops.

The area by the river has many art galleries. Chiang Mai is known to be a center for local artists. Some of the work we saw was really good. I almost spent half a fortune on a large oil painting that I fell in love with, but luckily came to my senses before the damage was done. After all, I am not earning any income this year.

There is a daily night market with the normal touristy things like cheap DVDs, fake watches and the like. What made this one special was the artist corner where about 15-20 guys were making reproductions of photos. The quality of their work was the best I have ever seen. Even up close they looked like black and white photos. Amazing. Another interesting thing found on the market was a stand selling garlic-marinated and deep-fried insects. I was tempted, but resisted the urge to buy myself an evening snack.

Chiang Mai: action-packed airport transportation

The trip up to Chiang Mai taught me one good lesson; at the very least, double the margin of safety when estimating the travel routes in Thailand. Timetables are often optimistic and things tend to go wrong. To get to the airport, we had to take a boat, a taxi, a ferry, a bus and then a taxi, which meant five different legs of transportation. I was certain that I had made a highly conservative estimate of when we needed to leave the Sanctuary to make our 4pm flight, but I was mistaken.

After the ferry arriving at shore 50 minutes behind schedule and the taxi we had preordered not showing up, we were suddenly in such a time squeeze that there was no way we would make the 45-minute-cut off for check in. After a heated discussion with the travel agent that screwed up the taxi, they got us into a minivan together with a German couple. We told the driver to “hurry hurry!”. Holy shit, did he take that seriously! The following 45 minutes felt as if we were taking part in an action movie and there were moments where I thought we might not survive. We arrived at the airport 20 minutes before departure, and luckily they still let us get on. Filled with adrenaline and gratefulness, we boarded the plane to Chang Mai. Sometimes lack of structure can work in your favor.

First solid food in five days

Shake it baby!

Koh Pha Ngan: Detoxed and clean

Nine days of restricted eating and I am finally done with my cleanse and detox program. It started off with two days only eating raw fruit and vegetables, then five days of fasting, followed by another two days of fruit and vegetables. Surprisingly, I have not felt hungry, as we had a busy schedule starting at 7.00 AM with clay and physillium shake (it is a delicious as it sounds!), and then we were scheduled to have shakes or herb capsules every 90 minutes until 21.30. First three days of detoxing was pretty rough, with nausea, weakness and headache…the price to pay for all that coffee, alcohol, sugar and processed food I have enjoyed over the past decades. The highlight of the day was the warm broth served for dinner. It really didn’t taste much, but with some chili and lime added, it seemed like gourmet food compared to the clay shakes.

The Sanctuary, where I did my detox, was a quite interesting place. Set on a small, secluded beach in the south part of Koh Pha Ngan, it has a very strong community feel. Aside from accommodation, they offer yoga classes, pilates and workshops on anything from mediation to chakra balancing (?). The crowd is a broad mix of people such as yogis, hippies, creative people and a selection of oddballs. Many people stay for extended period of times and return year after year. Life on the Sanctuary centers around the open restaurant, which feels a bit like a tropical living room (great for people watching) and offers a great vegetarian menu. Every Tuesday they show a movie on the beach and every Thursday they have an ‘open mic’ session where anyone that feels inspired can get up on stage and perform. The quality varies significant, with some really amazing performances and some less so.

The Detox Center forms a bit of a subculture at the Sanctuary, as the fasting participants tend to stick together, away from the temptations of the restaurant. Most of my detoxing fellows were also travelling solo, so it was easy to meet people. I was lucky to get in a group of really great individuals, so the days went by really fast despite the lack of food.

Two kilos lighter and hopefully with a healthier and cleaner colon, I am on my way north to Chiang Mai. One of the girls I met on the fast decided to join me for a few days, so I am in good hands.