TravelStream™ news feed for member nredens on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/nredens en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:47:56 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/4/1214887080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/4/1214887080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/4/1214887080/tpod.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:47:56 -0400 Thailand Mission Trip!

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Chiang Mai, Thailand

My trip is coming to a close. I have not been able to keep up with my blog at all, as we have been busy from morning to late at night. During the days, it's AGM and working with the kids. In the evenings, it's dinner, sightseeing, shopping, etc.

Thailand is great! The people are very friendly, the food is good, and the opportunities are one of a kind. Some highlights of my personal time:

Sitting on an elephant's trunk and back
Riding the elephant through the jungle and seeing it paint a picture
Bamboo raft ride
$5 hour long foot or full body massages
Pad thai and Thai iced tea
Song tao rides for next to nothing across town
Bargaining in the market and feeling like I got a good deal even if I paid too much
Smiling people everywhere
Playing with baby tigers and petting bigger ones
Meeting new people

I'm attaching a few pictures to this entry of some of these things. I have way too many to post right now, as I'm on my way to bed!!

Enjoy!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1162031220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1162031220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1162031220/tpod.html Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:56:17 -0500 Back for business (and pleasure)!

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Jaipur, India

First of all, let me say that taking a day trip to Jaipur straight after work on Friday night/Saturday morning, with no sleep at all, was NOT a good idea!! Jaipur is about a 4 hour drive, and we hoped to get there and back in a day, so we left at about 5am. Robin had about 3 hours of sleep, and I had none. I tried to sleep in the car on the way, but the car is tiny, the seat didn't lay back, and the road was quite bumpy... not really conducive to effective slumber! So the entire day was underscored by a constant feeling of weariness and the desire to lay our heads down SOMEWHERE for a rest.

That being said, it was a good trip. I went to Jaipur last year with Todd and Pam, and we saw many of the forts and things, so Robin and I didn't feel the need to do those things really. (You can read out Jaipur city and the stuff we did last time in my other travel log... It's a fascinating place of history!!) However, last year we went on some festival holiday, and the elephants that you can usually ride up to Amber fort were on vacation for the day. (So while I got some good pictures of them, I didn't get to sit on one!) So the first thing we did was drive to the fort for an elephant ride. (Actually, the first thing we did was go to an ATM machine so we could pay for the elephant ride, and then to a roadside stand to buy batteries for my camera, since mine were dead. THEN we went to ride the elephants.

Riding an elephant to the fort/palace (which is up on a hill) is as much a part of the whole experience as riding the monorail is at Disney. It's just what people do. So there was a queue for it, naturally, just like at Disney. :-) To get on the elephant, you climb the stairs to a platform (vs. it kneeling down for you to climb on and then standing up with you on it... which I've heard is quite an interesting experience). On top of the elephant is a little "platform" saddle that you sit on, and the driver, who straddles his neck, directs him to go. I have 2 main comments on elephant riding in Jaipur:

1. It's not a smooth ride. Evidently, elephants sway a lot when they walk. The whole ride was a constant back and forth rock, with an uphill slant. It was not the most comfortable ride ever, and very hard to take photos while atop it.

2. Had I known how they "guide" the elephants, I would never have supported it by paying for a ride (550 rupees, plus 50 tip ... about $13). The drivers carry what look like iron fireplace pokers, and poke the elephants behind the ears to make them go, turn, or if they misbehave. As we went along, I could see sores and bloody spots behind the ears of many of them, and even witnessed one of the drivers furiously poking one, who then squealed from his trunk in protest! I felt very bad for them. I'm not sure how else you control an animal that size... But then I thought, they aren't really meant to be controlled, I suppose.

We didn't actually go into the palace/fort, but instead walked back down to drive into the city. On the way down, we stopped to have someone take our picture, and in the handoff of the camera back to Robin, it was dropped. It broke. Needless to say, I was quite upset, but I handled it well, determined to not let it ruin our trip. However, I have no other pictures of our time in Jaipur to share, so I'll have to use word pictures!

We did some shopping at the street market during the day. I got some good haggling in and got a great deal on a beautiful bedspread and shams, and some cool shoes and jewelry. But after a few hours of shopping and haggling, we were ready to fall over. So we checked into a hotel for a nap, before heading out to Chawki Dhani. (sp?)

Chawki Dhani is a "village" in Jaipur that is meant to look like a historical Rajasthani village. You pay about 250 rupees to get in ($5 or so), which includes your food (a buffet style cornucopia of Rajasthani favorites) and you get to walk around and watch the people dance and do puppet shows and stuff. There's a market and you can ride various animals. It was pretty neat. It's only open in the evenings, and there were tons of people there. I was glad to go, since I missed it last year.

Some other things I saw in Jaipur, and wanted to remember (even without pictures):
Pigs - There were groups of pigs (packs? herds?) all around, in piles of trash, snorting around.
Camels - One of the things I really like about Jaipur... there are camels everywhere. I know they are dirty and smelly, but I find them so cute, with their knock knees and big eyelashes!
People squatting - Everywhere you go in Jaipur, people are squatting on their haunches, lower legs perpendicular to the ground, doubled over with their rears pointing down, as if there is a tiny chair in the inch or so between their butt and the ground. They sit like that, and they even "walk" around like that, sweeping or laying things out on the ground. It amazes me that they can stay like that for so long!
Red hills and buildings - Jaipur is called the pink city because all the buildings in the city are painted a pinkish red. But even without paint, most of Rajasthan is red rock/sand anyway. The western part is all desert, and the part where we were had lots of red rock hills, dotted with some green trees.

Overall, despite our lack of sleep and tiredness, it was a nice road trip. But not one I'd do again without a good night's rest!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1161337320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1161337320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1161337320/tpod.html Mon, 23 Oct 2006 06:15:39 -0400 Back for business (and pleasure)!

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Gurgaon, India

Saturday, October 21st, was Diwali this year (last year it was on Nov 2). The timing has something to do with astrology... so no Indians know when it is, until the year's calendar comes out, unless they know how to read the stars. Diwali, as I wrote about last year, is the celebration of the triumph of good over evil, in the story of one of their gods (Ram) rescuing his wife from some evil being. Diwali to Hindus is like Christmas to Christians in America. It's their biggest holiday. They celebrate by buying each other gifts of sweets, visiting with family and friends, conducting a poojah (prayer ceremony), eating, and setting off fireworks (which they just call crackers). The sky on Diwali is like the 4th of July on steroids... cause anyone can buy firecrackers here and set them off... and mostly everyone does!

Friday, the 20th, was choti Diwali (choti means little)... like Diwali eve, you could say. Unfortunately for them, since Diwali is not a US holiday, the office was open on Friday and everyone had to be at work. (Fortunately, though, Diwali itself was on Saturday... last year, it was on a Tuesday and people were quite unhappy about it.) To celebrate choti Diwali in the office, the team I'm working with decided to all dress up in fancy Indian ethnic wear (most of the rest of the office did so on Thursday). So I borrowed a saree from a girl on the team, to participate in the festive atmosphere. Besides, I really like wearing a saree. It feels so elegant... like a princess!

Of course, I cannot wrap a saree on my own. Last year, I tried and went to the office looking like a mummy!! So this year, I just brought it with me, and when one of the girls (Vani) got in, she helped me wrap it up. It was a beautiful blue one, silk... I felt quite beautiful in it! I got lots of compliments, so I guess I must have looked ok!

Most of the girls wore a suit or a saree, but only a few of the men dressed in Indian attire. I like men's traditional ethnic wear. They wear these long kurtas with high collars, with "pajama" pants (basically cotton leggings), and a scarf draped around their neck. I think it looks really nice. Robin doesn't wear Indian clothing really (although he did have an Indian looking shirt on Thursday...). Anyway, I took some pictures. Enjoy!!

For Diwali on Saturday, we (Robin and I) didn't celebrate, although we did open the windows and watch the fireworks out over the city for awhile. It was nice. The weather was good and it was neat watching the lights everywhere. Of course, it was very noisy. People without the benefit of thick hotel windows I'm sure would get quite annoyed by the constant cracking all night long! We were invited to a few of his friends' houses to celebrate, but we opted for some shopping and then watched a DVD in the room. It was a nice day and evening for us.

Watching all the hubbub about Diwali here, all the lights on the apartments and buildings, everyone giving good wishes... made me excited for Christmas! I feel like I left at the end of summer and will get back in time for the holiday season! My trip has been extended by a week, so I'll be home a week exactly before Thanksgiving. I was telling Robin about Christmas in Orlando... driving around looking at Christmas lights, how it just feels festive and everyone seems to be happier and nicer somehow. I told him about candlelight service on Christmas eve, and Christmas day with family. I can't wait!! And I can't wait until next year, when he is there with me experiencing it for the first time!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160679180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160679180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160679180/tpod.html Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:41:13 -0400 Back for business (and pleasure)!

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Gurgaon, India

The shower in my hotel room is awesome!!

I'm staying in a different hotel this time, called the DLF City Club. It's much smaller than the Taj, and not quite as luxury, but still a 4 star and a nice place. The bed's comfortable enough, the tv remote works, I have a fridge and a desk, and the food is cheaper.

On the downside, it's either freezing or hot in my room (no middle ground with the AC) and the floors are wood, there is no wireless internet (so I have to work at the desk instead of in bed), and there's not nearly as many wonderful staff people here opening doors and saying "good morning ma'am" every time I come and go.

But the one thing that is FAR better is the shower!! In a country where most of the population bathes with a bucket and a mug of water poured over their heads, and water is no always reliable, showers and good water pressure aren't the usual luxury. But the shower in my bathroom is incredible! The water gets (and stays) nice and hot, the water pressure is strong, and the showerhead is HUGE! After 24 hours of travel, I was so excited to bathe, and it was a positively climactic experience to step into the shower. I had (and still have) a hard time getting out. I've got to figure out how to replicate this at my home!! :-)

The other interesting (well to me at least) thing this trip so far is the recycled paper I bought today. Outside the office, they are selling all kinds of things for Diwali, with the money going to charity. They have candles, holders, bags, clocks, jewelry... and notepads made out of recycled paper. I picked up the recycled notepad to flip through... and literally it is used paper flipped over, printed on, bound together, and cut into pads. The back of every page shows whatever the paper was before it became a part of the notepad... THere are parts of checklists, spreadsheets, invoices, and other documents that have been "recycled" (ie. turned over) for use again! :-) And here, we go through this whole process in the US of actually turning old paper into new paper when we could just flip it over and sell it that way! hehe!


By the way, it's been great to see my Robin face to face again. We haven't spent a whole lot of time together, since we're working opposite shifts. But we squeeze in a little time each day, and it sure is better to look into his eyes than at a phone! Looking forward to the weekend, when we will spend some time with his family...

Stay tuned!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1161199860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1161199860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1161199860/tpod.html Thu, 19 Oct 2006 16:26:01 -0400 Back for business (and pleasure)!

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Gurgaon, India

I thought I'd post a few pictures I took from my hotel lobby. This hotel is quite different from the Taj, but it's still a really nice place. The lobby is very spacious feeling, and leads out to a nice courtyard with all these couches to sit on along the walkway. Very pleasant to sit out and read.

On Weds, we began working the night shift again, so my hours are 5pm to 2:30am now. Yes, it stinks to get to bed so late, but it's nice to have some of the days to actually do something when I want. Weds afternoon, I went shopping with Dennis and Reena (2 of the associates working on the project with me). Reena is a big shopper, like I am, so when she mentioned she was going, I was definitely up for it. This trip, I purposefully brought a lot of clothes with me so I wouldn't feel the need to do a bunch of shopping. But sometimes the urge just takes over and it has nothing to do with need! :-)

We went to a few malls, shopping for clothes mostly. It's Diwali on Saturday, and ... Ok,honestly, there is no reason. I just wanted some clothes! I ended up with a new shirt and some jewelry. (I also found a CD of "Bombay Dreams" soundtrack for only 199 rupees - about $5!)

One of the highlights of our experience was the shoe store we stopped into. There aren't really "back rooms" in the shoe stores, as they are very small. So all the inventory is kept above the store in an attic (did I spell that right?) of sorts. So when you ask for a size, they yell up to the guy up there, who picks up the box and tosses it down. Then they just toss the boxes back up there! But the funniest part of the shoe store experience was the shirt of the guy working there. I've included a picture... even with a few letters missing, you can still make it out. And no, that wasn't the name of the shoe store!

Finally, there are a few pictures from the office today. Diwali is on Saturday (the Hindu holiday that is like Christmas... a HUGE celebration here). In celebration, everyone in the office was wearing Indian ethnic attire today and tomorrow. Today I just wore my new shirt and earrings, and tomorrow I am wearing a saree I borrowed from a friend here. I'll be sure to post some pictures this weekend!

Not the most interesting and exciting week, I know, but hey, it's something!! :-)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160945520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160945520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160945520/tpod.html Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:11:53 -0400 Back for business (and pleasure)!

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Delhi, India

Sunday morning, Robin picked me up for church. Last year when I was here, Pam and I attended an International church service at the British school. Robin and I decided to attend there while I¡¦m in town, so we could meet some people and I could worship in a familiar setting. Last year, the service started at 9. We arrived at 9 to learn that the services had changed. They had a Sunday school class at 9:30 and a ¡§contemporary¡¨ service at 11, which we decided to attend. The service was nice and the message was a good one, about guarding your mind from evil, by watching what you read, watch, listen to, etc.

While we waited for things to start, several people came and introduced themselves to us (noticing us as newcomers). One of the women we met was Pam, whose husband is Indian, and who has lived in India for like 14 years. She was very outspoken and friendly, and I liked her instantly. She said that she saw us together and knew she had to come over. Immediately, we began talking about the joys and challenges of cross-cultural life and relationship and agreed to get together again while I am in town. She and her husband, Sunil, have 4 children, 3 of which were with her¡K and were gorgeous! (Just like our kids will be!)

On Sunday evening, I finally got to go to Robin¡¦s house! I¡¦ve been looking forward to seeing his family since I¡¦ve been here, and have wanted to see where he lives and understand better his daily life for a long time. They met me at the door with huge hugs, and it was so good to see them all. Even Benson gave me half a hug (although with a bit of a grimace) and was glad to see me! fº We spent some time talking, catching up, and opening gifts. They loved what I got them, which made me very happy! We all watched a movie together (Ice Age, which I brought on DVD), and then Robin¡¦s mom began cooking (a late) dinner.

I decided I would try to help out in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to cook chicken curry, and so I¡¦m afraid the only help I was able to provide was in stirring the onions as they browned to be turned into a paste for the gravy. I did promise Robin, though, that while I am here I will have his mom teach me to make chicken curry completely, so at least once we are married, we can have one Indian dish every week that he is familiar with (although I¡¦m sure it will get old after awhile!). While waiting for dinner, Robin and Benson entertained me by playing guitar and keyboard. I played and sung Jesus Loves Me for them on the guitar!! (And in case you are saying ¡§I didn¡¦t know you can play the guitar!¡¨¡K I can¡¦t. I basically strummed who knows what as I sang!) It was quite entertaining all around.

I love Robin¡¦s family. They are such wonderful people, and I am so excited that they will be my family someday as well!! And I fit in quite well, if I do say so myself. (see photo¡K hehe!)

I¡¦m back at work for the week, so unless something interesting happens, I¡¦ll add more next weekend. I start the night shift on Weds, so I may have time during the days from now on to get out more, though!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160858040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160858040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india-3/1160858040/tpod.html Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:47:09 -0400 Back for business (and pleasure)!

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Delhi, India

After 2 previous trips to India, it seems some of the newness and "wonder" have worn off a bit. It feels much more "every day" to me here now. On my first trip, I had taken a hundred or more pictures within the first few days. Everything fascinated me... was so different, so new. I rode around in the backseat of the car with my head straining to see everything along the way. Now, I sometimes get from point A to point B with no recollection of what was in between. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's good or bad. Good, I guess, because it means that I'm feeling more comfortable with the surroundings, and look/act less like a tourist! Bad because there are still so many wonderful and different things to see in this place. I don't want to become numb to it all.

Also, during the week, there isn't much to see or do that is exciting. I'm working 2pm - 11pm right now, so I get up in time to eat lunch and go to work, and then come home to get on the computer or watch some tv before bed. Nothing captivating about that... no big photo ops in my room and the hotel restaurant. The only other thing I did last week was go across the street to a little shopping center to have lunch and some coffee.

This weekend, though, I finally went out and about, so I have some stories to tell!!

During the week, Robin and I work opposite schedules, so we have to catch up on the day at weird hours... usually in the middle of the night. So on Saturday, I slept in for a lot of the day... catching up on sleep from the week. Robin and I had a late lunch at a little café across the street, did some food shopping, and then headed into Delhi for the evening. (My hotel is in Gurgaon, near my office but about 30 minutes or more outside of Delhi.) There is a place that Robin told me about when I first arrived, where he wanted to take me. He said it was a place in Delhi where you don't feel like you're in Delhi anymore. That's where we headed.

Unfortunately, because of the distance and the traffic, we reached there right after dark... and it's not the place to be at night after dark. The place is basically some historical ruins of some type of building, and there is a stone wall all around, and a lake/pond surrounded by trees and greenery. Even in the dark, I could see that it would be really beautiful there. But at night, there wasn't much to see. And... there were bats.

As we walked into one of the "rooms", and out toward a ledge overlooking the pond, I could hear squeaking. I prayed silently that they were night birds of some sort... No luck. As soon as we stepped out onto the ledge, a bat flew from inside, out the doorway behind us, into the sky. It was not a little bat, either! And then right after I was done panicking about that, a bat flew at us! Well, it was trying to fly into the doorway behind us, but missed and hit the wall and flew away. Needless to say, it totally freaked me out. We left. I did snap a few pictures in the dark, but Robin promised to bring me back another time earlier in the evening when I could enjoy the sights in daylight... and bat free!

After that, we did a little shopping at a local market. Robin bought some fabric to have some pants made. He got fabric for 4 pair of dress trousers for less than $80, and will have them custom made for about $3 - 4 per pair. Good deal, no?

On our way to dinner with a friend from the office, Vikas, we had a mini adventure. In India, pretty much anywhere you go, people are walking around at street corners trying to sell you something through your car window. Last spring, Robin bought some window shades for the car from a guy on the road. Usually they are selling statues of gods or other stupid trinkets. On Saturday, we saw some people selling these adorable squeaky duck puppets. They were walking around squeaking them in the windows... and I just had to have one. But Robin took off before I could buy one! Upon seeing my disappointment, he turned the car around about a mile down the road, and went back to the spot, parked on the other side, walked across the median, and got me 2 squeaky duck puppets! I was so excited!! Then, when we were almost at our destination, someone was selling these big balloon flower things... and we bought one of those too! It was great fun and silliness, and I'm particularly tickled by my squeaky ducks.

We had dinner with Vikas at a Punjabi restaurant (YUM!) and stopped by his house for a few minutes to chat, and then headed back. It was late and we were getting up early for church the next morning. It was a really fun evening!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131510240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131510240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131510240/tpod.html Fri, 06 Jan 2006 23:50:42 -0500 India - Working in and exploring the other side of the world!

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Frankfurt, Germany

Rather than fly the 20 hours straight home, I decided to break up my trip and explore my connection destination... Frankfurt, Germany. I'd never been to Germany, and although it wasn't a huge exploration and experience of the country, it was a small taste and an opportunity to say "I've been there"!

I had about 24 hours in the city before my flight to Orlando, so I took a cab to my hotel, booked a tour of the Rhein river, and took a quick nap to refresh myself a little.

Frankfurt airport is big and flashy inside, with lots of security checks and business travellers. Frankfurt the city has lots of concrete and buildings. It's a "metropolitan" of sorts. Very different from Delhi. Cool, crisp, clean air. White faces and familiar accents. Tall people. A bit of a culture shock!

I took a bus tour through some of the hills of Germany, past the vineyards on the mountains. We stopped at a few landmarks, and had some dinner (a big, white chicken breast - unheard of in Delhi - with french fries and a salad. Yum!!). Then we caught a boat for a short cruise down the Rhein. It was so cold, but beautiful. There were cute, quaint little towns along the banks, and castles in the side of the mountain. I was there by myself, so I befriended a couple of girls from Canada for the afternoon. On the way back, we stopped off for a wine tasting. It was very nice.

I got a great night's sleep at the hotel, and then the next morning headed back to the airport for my trip home!

Another big system shock... how expensive Germany was!! My cab to the hotel was the equivalent of about $45 with tip. That much would have gotten me 3 whole days with a cab driver in Delhi... all day, waiting while I visited the sights, taking me wherever I wanted. One day in Germany (hotel, tour, cab, etc) cost as much as several weeks in Delhi.

But it was a great opportunity to decompress, see something new, and get to say "I've been there"!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131765360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131765360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131765360/tpod.html Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:38:22 -0500 India - Working in and exploring the other side of the world!

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Delhi, India

My last day in the office was sad. The 6 weeks I spent there seemed to go so quickly, and all these people who I worked with have become so special to me. I so enjoyed working with them each day, talking to them and getting to know them. I definitely wasn't ready to go, and can't wait to go back!

I took pictures with everyone, and had them sign my journal like a yearbook. Then I'll add pictures to it as a memory book.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131334680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131334680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nredens/india/1131334680/tpod.html Fri, 11 Nov 2005 23:13:12 -0500 India - Working in and exploring the other side of the world!

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Shimla, India

My last weekend in India was spent in Shimla, a hill station in the Himalayan mountains. It was absolutely beautiful!

I will write more soon...
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