wonderworld's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member wonderworld on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/wonderworld en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:44:16 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Lost and Found in the Big Apple — New York City, New York, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1213572300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1213572300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1213572300/tpod.html Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:44:16 -0400 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
New York City, New York, United States

Last entry for this travelpod but not the end.

I'm now in New York, all settled in, sitting comfortably in my own apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City. I have to admit, i had a hard time initially, from the mountains of South East Asia to the big towers of New York City. It was scary, confusing, emotionally draining. My neighborhood can only be described as a combination of the Mission right next to Little India. The main road "Roosevelt" is lined with Mexican restaurants after Fried Chicken diners and street vendors serving everything from ice cream to tacos, from sour mango pieces to Tibetan snacks. Two mins away in Little India, theres a whole street with nothing but Indian buffets.
The first two days was hard. I felt lost and confussed and alone. I had an apartment but no bed so I was sleeping on the floor on my yoga mate. I missed the Asian street vendors, missed all the smiles I'd get when walking down the dirt paved roads of Asia, missed the fresh air and the trees. I get weird looks from people when I say "Thank you" here. Culture shock is something that will stay with me for awhile, but it has gotten a lot better. I've discovered that my neighborhood is a true blend of all cultures and people. I hear all different languages spoken when walking down the streets.
I start training on monday at Fordham U next to Lincoln Center in Manhattan. And then start work in Sep.
For now, this will be the last entry from this trip. But I have left a piece of my heart in Asia and while it was very hard to make the decission to end this trip, I know that I will be out there again very soon.
Heres my new address in New York:
37-51 86th St
Jackson Heights, NY 11372-7471
My goal is to bring the old traditions of snail mail back, so if you write me, I will surely dedicate the time that a true letter deserves, and write you make. Nothing is better than getting an actually letter, one that you can hold in your hand and feel the love that comes with each and every hand written word.

best wishes
alice
]]> A little shaken up but SAFE — Shanghai, Shanghai, China http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1211133300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1211133300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1211133300/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 14:31:53 -0400 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Shanghai, Shanghai, China

I'm sure by now you have all heard about the earthquake that recently shook up China. First of all, Ashley and I are both safe. We were together when the earthquake happened, in a small town about 5 hours away from the actual site of the quake. We were staying with a friend in a near by village and went to town that day to buy a birthday cake for our friends mom. In the middle of walking around, we felt the ground shake and looked up to see that we were standing right under an old rusty building. At that point, the whole building had started to shake and everyone went running and screaming into the near by plaza. The shaking lasted for maybe 5 to 10 mins but everyone stood huddled around the center for an hour or more.

Everyone in that town was safe as well as everyone in the village we were staying in. There was no damage expect for a couple of tiles and bricks falling out of place. Because of the earthquake, all forms of transportation was stopped and we stayed in that village for another 2 days until the trains were running again and headed to Chengdu in hopes of catching a train to Shanghai. The sight in Chengdu, the capital city closes to where the quake happened (2-3 hrs away), was a different story. A lot of the old buildings had clasped. People were sleeping everywhere from park benches to train stations. Many were too scared to go home, a lot of shops had closed down, most hotels were no longer receiving guests, and thousands of people were waiting outside of trains and bus stations. While inside a store trying on shoes, someone imagined they had felt a shake and screamed "earthquake" and within seconds everyone ran screaming outside. The whole city was living in a state of constant fear.

While in such devastating times, there was still so much hope and love. The earthquake brought many people together. It was hearth warming walking down streets with groups of people at every corner collecting donations and lines of givers with tears in their eyes as they filled these little red boxes up with love. Everyone from CEOs throwing in thousands of dollars, to students donating their lunch money. The song, "if everyone can give a little bit of love, then we can together make this world a much better place" cascaded from every corner.

On the train ride from Chengdu to Shanghai we met a man who had just escaped from the actual site of the earthquake. He told us of his encounters, his stories. About his friend who stood next to a collapsed building of which his son layed under. About his friend who stood there and could still hear, talk to his son. And of the rescue team who got there too late. 12 hours later, they were finally able to unearth what was buried underneath, but by then, it was too late. His friend had stood there next to that pile of what use to be a building and listened while his son took his last breath helplessly.

There are many websites accepting donations, amnesty international, American red cross...etc. Every little bit helps.

lots of kisses
I will see you guys soon!
]]> one last breathe — Dali, China http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1209629700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1209629700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1209629700/tpod.html Thu, 01 May 2008 04:40:56 -0400 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Dali, China

Here I am, one month later, and still in Dali. Something about pain that draws you to it. I guess there was part of me hoping that I can find my own space here, hoping that I can make it work. Like a battered wife keep going back to the very man who brings her so much pain...something in us that draws us to pain and something in us that believes if we strick around long enough, things will change. Things don't change. I finally quit my job as a bartender. I was scrubbing floors, washing dishes, and cleaning up after other people's throw up, all of which I didn't mind so much because I believe its all those things that humbols us and brings us charactor. But when I was sitting at the bar listening to a couple of Chinese men talk about how much they hate foreigners in the most raw, hurtful language and how girls are sluts...that did it. I realised how NOT Chinese I was. I will never wash my husbands dirty underwear, my worth is not measured by how well i can cook and my job as a bartender was never to stroke a man's ego by downing beers with him while he called me baby, I am NOT ANYONE"S FUCKING BABY. o yah...and I will talk back to you. So I guess maybe all those things makes me a complete stranger to this place, to this country.
I told myself that I would dedicate the remaining two month of this trip to China, the country that had given me birth. To be with my people. Hoping that I would somehow discover myself in the process. What I discovered instead was how little I had in common with this place and these people aside from my outer appearence. But even that...I have people asking if I'm Korean or Japanese because my facial features don't look Chinese. BOTH MY PARENTS ARE BORN AND RAISED IN WUHAN! what more do you want from me? Categories and names, origins and places of residence, "Where does your parents live, in China or America?" WHY THE FUCK DOES ALL THAT MATTER? They fucking live on this planet just like you and I. So go back to your own categorizations of social class and rest assure that I have nothing in common with you and will never fit perfectly inside any box you draw for me.
Ok, venting over, now on to more important things. So I've quit my job after a group of drunk Chinese men tried to force me to drink with them. I have my own apartment which is paid for until May 18th, but considering that it was 30 dollars for the whole month, I'm not so sad about leaving early. As to where I will be going...I have NO idea...Maybe i'll just hop on a train and wait for the Universe to speak to me...
Oh yah, let me also formally announce my return. I had had plans to stay and work in China. But after serious consideration, I will be going back to the States for the New York teaching program. So see you all soon!!!

Alice
]]> the city of falling angels — Dali, China http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1209047520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1209047520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1209047520/tpod.html Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:55:20 -0400 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Dali, China

its 12 o'clock, i'm sitting here half drunk, listening to chinese folk music, and trying hard to realize who ordered what and who has paid or not. i've had three joints too many and i've completely lost track of how many beers i've had. This has been life for the past couple of days. But being a bartender can sometimes sound a lot more glamorous than it actaully is. Nothing makes sense anymore and in a weird kind of way, it feels good, great in fact that nothing makes sense anymore. LIfe is no longer this perfect little road map...and right now, the chaos of it all is the only thing that makes sense. I pour myself anouther drink and go back to making small talk with the customers. If i have to ask another person "where are you from and how long will you be staying in Dali," I think i'm going to go insane. But wait a second, insanity, i think i'm there already.
Dali, my currently place of residence, my home. A place that I did not even know had existed a month ago but a place that i've decided to spend the majority of my time here in China. A place with beautiful mountains and a breathtaking lake. A place with 20 year old beautiful chinese girls holding hands with 50 year old Europeans. A place still untouched...but completely destroyed. A place that can offer you everything you can ever want or dream of, and then take it all away from you in a blink of an eye. A place where the term "love at first sight" applies on a daily basis, but a place that will leave you heart broken and begging for more. And i mean literally BEGGING for more. A place where mistakes are circular and we come back to the same people and the same mistakes over and over again. A place where nothing is consistant, where everyone is just a traveler passing through, but a place where EVERYONE is looking for a home, for a sense of security. But security comes at a high price in this place. We must sacrifice for security here. Because the person you were in bed with last night, is probubly fucking someone else tonight.
]]> CHINA! — Dali, China http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1208161740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1208161740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1208161740/tpod.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:55:17 -0400 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Dali, China

long time no talk my lovely friends.

So i'm now safe and sound in China, in the southern Yunnan province and it is so beautiful here, no words to describe it.

So lets start from where we last left off. After Thailand, I headed through Lao to travel by land into China. Upon entering Lao, I unexpectedly found a traveling buddy, Hernan, who was also heading towards China through Lao so we decided to travel together and keep each other company. We ended up hitch hiking from the Thai border in Lao to the Chinese border which took a good two days. We hitch hiked everything from tractors, which moved slower than people walking, to chicken trucks and onion trucks. There were places where not a car passed by for hours so we were left with nothing to do but sit around the side of the streets with the street kids. But we did make it safely to the border which is actually where the real trouble started. Upon arrival, the border patrol looked at my passport and said that he could not permit me to leave the country because I didn't get the passport stamped by the police upon arrival into Lao. NO ONE TOLD ME! so after sending me from one police to another, they finally gave me two options, to travel back to the border where I entered (two days of traveling away) or pay 100 US dollars. I only had 20 yuan on me at the time, there was no ATMs around, and I was definitely not going to go all the way back just to get a stupid stamp. So i stood there and argued with them for a good hour but got no where. Finally, i asked someone where the Chinese border was, and was told that it was 30 min walking distance away, and gathered up my courage and just walked across. I was so scared that they would run after me and chase me down but they didn't. when i got to the chinese border, i was praying that they would just overlook the fact that i didn't have the stamp and let me thru. My palms where sweating and i was shaking as the guard looked thru my passport and as he reached for the entry stamp, i let out a sign of releave but just right before he was going to stamp my passport, he stoped and asked, "but wheres your exit stamp from Lao." At this point, i just thought holy shit and was going to get ready to cry. But i explained the whole situation in as calm of a voice as i could fake. the guard then called over the main guard and the two of them went to the back to discuss the situation. Then he came back, stamped my passport, and welcomed me into China. I became the happiest girl to ever enter into china thru the lao border.

fast forward...now i'm in Dali which is an absolutely beautiful place. I'm working at a hostle and bar and therefore have free accomedations (but its really not work at all).

will update again soon.

Alice
]]> Meditation Retreat and leaving Thailand (FINALLY) — Chiang mai, Thailand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1206240180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1206240180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1206240180/tpod.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:52:51 -0400 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Chiang mai, Thailand

Emptiness and Mindfulness, two things that the great Buddha taught so that we can all work to achieve Enlightenment. Was that my goal on this retreat? No, not even close. I feel that is still a goal far too extreme for someone like myself who's heart is still far from being calm. Mindfulness, now that's a more achievable goal, or at least i thought before i began this retreat.
After living in a communal living situation in Pai where I was constantly surrounded by 24 other friends, working at a Bar and coming home around 4 ever morning and then waking up at 11 or 12 the next day, i decided to do the complete opposite without giving much thought to how hard the whole process of adaptation would be. After searching for the perfect temple to meditate, i was directed to Doi Suthep, the heart, soul and pride of the city of Chiang Mai. It's a beautiful temple located on top of a hill isolated, yet completely sustainable. While it is a good hour drive from the city on 360 degree curve roads, loads of tourists still find their way up there making Doi Suthep a little city of its own with book stores, gift shops and even its very own ATM (I must admit, it was my first time seeing an ATM in a temple and I'm not sure how i felt about it). Despite the massive commercialization that has happened to this temple, I decided to do my meditation retreat here anyways since it is the home of the International Buddhist Center and provided meditation programs with strict schedules and guidance. I even had my very own Buddhist monk teacher.
The Center focuses on Vippassana Meditation which believes that we need to focus on the present because the past has already happened (nothing you can do about it now) and the future has yet to happen (so no need to worry). Vippassana is meditation practice that requires one to focus on their present moment and to control the mind so that it is focused with the body on the present moment in a state of complete mindfulness. My daily schedule for the next four days looked something like this:
4:00AM Wake up
4:30 Meditation
6:30 Breakfast
8:00 Lesson on Buddhism
9:00 Meditation
11:00 Lunch (also know as "the last meal of the day so fit as much as you can in your stomach")
12:00 Meditation
3:00 Report to Teacher on your progress
6:00 Monk Chant
...more meditation until you can keep your eyes open anymore...
It was a silent retreat so added to the rigorous schedule was the inability to communicate with anyone else other than my teacher, no reading or writing, no music...nothing expect for myself... and boy is that SCARY! I think deep down inside we all have some great fear of our own inner thoughts...of ourselves. So the idea of sitting with myself with nothing to do, no one to talk to, and nothing to distract me for 4 whole days is pretty scary. Day 1 was something that resembled Hell. I woke up at 4 in the morning, even before the sun was up, and my first thought was "What the Fuck am I doing here?????" That emotion eventually went away but only after day 3. Day 3 was spent in a state of war. I finally had to face up and fight against my worst enemy, myself. As I laid in bed during my evening meditation, I suddenly felt a strong evil spirit enter the room, it was scarier than anything my mind could conjure up and at that point, I knew that I could either turn on the lights, find my Ipod and fall asleep listening to music, or I could face up to this monster. It's almost comical how scared we all are of our own inner demon. So I sat with that monster that's been living inside me that night and faced up to it for the first time in my life.
Overall, the experience was too short. They had to close the monastery because a group of Thai students will be using the area for the next month. If I had it my way, I would have stayed for at least 10 days, maybe even 21 days. For me, I felt like 4 days was only a chip off the iceburg, I had just dipped my toes in and found that maybe the water isn't so scary after all but I'm still not at the point where I can fully dive in and swim. But maybe next time, and maybe this was all that I was meant to experience for now.
]]> pictures from everyone elses camera — Chiang mai, Thailand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1204798740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1204798740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1204798740/tpod.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:25:30 -0400 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Chiang mai, Thailand

pictures pictures and more pictures.
Heres pictures from Lao, all from Douglas' (my traveling companion) camera. I've also downloaded some pictures of the collective housing.
Things are going great so far here. I started working at a bar called BeBop last night and had a GREAT time. My boss is the most chillaxed person ever and my job pretty much consists of drinking and talking, two things that i'm very good at! We have three live bands play at the bar every night and its always amazing music. Living at the collective has been a crazy journey so far. I don't really have a real room so I kind of just end up sleeping anywhere and everywhere. Last night, I came home and built a fort and fell asleep outside under the starts in my FORT!
Last weekend our friend decided to make weed brownies. She made it with this brown substance which we all thought was hash. About 8 of us each had a small piece and lets just say that the effects did not wear off until 30 HOURS later!!! People were seeing things, one of the guys thought he was turning into a women, one of the girls turned into her 8 year old self and another guy was not able to talk for the whole night. I went on a pretty crazy trip myself where I didn't know where i was or who i was for a good 5 hours. I was finally able to talk myself into falling asleep only to wake up still freaking high out of my mind! I was high the whole entire day and did not feel sane again until the next morning. We found out days later that what we actually had was opium. So the whole collective went on an opium trip for 30 hours!
Other than the crazy opium experience, a lot is actually getting done believe it or not. I've been able to translate a lot of the website, though i have to admit, i definitely bit off more than i can chew and did not really realise how hard it was going to be to translate the whole website into Chinese. we also have our own private yoga instructor so i usually wake up early in the morning and do an hr of yoga before starting the rest of my day.
Anyways, that is all for now.
Enjoy these pictures!
love,
alice
]]> life as we know it — Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1204452240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1204452240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1204452240/tpod.html Sun, 02 Mar 2008 05:42:16 -0500 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

In the end, everything is exactly how it should be and you are always exactly where you should be which brings me to this exact moment. Slowly floating peacefully down the Mekong River. As if the rest of the world does not exist. Because thousands of mountain ranges separates here from the rest of the world, with nothing but endless mountains covered with forest trees and the random fishermans' scattered throughout the river leaving one to ponder the thought of where they came from and how they arrived. And how amazing and unbelievable of a sight where there's no sign of civilization that does not look harmonious with nature. Watching all the little kids run around naked and all the fisherman's wearing nothing more than a speedo, i realized how beautiful the human skin is and how well it blends with nature. For the first time in a long time, I feel alive. I'm not just another social security number or another voice behind the telephone, I'm not just another place in the endless lines or another random face in the crowd. But a living, breathing human being. A tiny but essential part of this world. I feel...like I'm breathing fresh air for the first time in my life. And...At this moment, every atom in my body is telling me that I'm exactly where I should be.

Wow, what an incredible world we live in! I feel so lost in it, i feel completely immersed in this world.

So first, the bad news...I lost my camera. I lost it without backing any of the pictures. So TWO thousand pictures. Four Countries...and endless memories are all gone. Only the pictures from this travel blog remains. But thats life and we will not dwell on the past or what we can not change. We will now move on to my adventure in Lao...

The way from Thailand to Lao is first on a bus which stops right on the edge of the Mekong River and then the other side is Lao. We crossed over on a Ferry and took care of all our visa information and then hoped on a slow boat to sail down the Mekong River. The boat fits about 50 people, everyone sits on VERY uncomfortable wooden benches, and it is a two day ride (with a stop in the middle to spend the night in a hostel) to Luang Prabang. Things to do on the boat...sleep (which is very hard since it is so uncomfortable), talk and meet people, drink Lao beer, and smoke weed. We did plenty of all four. We met this one guy who was born in Lao but escaped as a refugee 26 years ago and was visiting Lao for the first time since. He didn't even contact his family to tell them that he was coming back, he is just going to show up and surprise them. Sitting next to him, you can feel his excitement, regret, doubt, happiness...everything combined. I also met two professors from Singapore, one of which is working on a thesis about international development work. What we concluded after our two day long conversation? INTERNATION DEVELOPMENT DOES NOT WORK!!! anyways, we arrived in Luang Prabang two days later and it is a beautiful city, one of the UNESCO's world heritage sites. Temples...museams...and all the other touristy activities filled our day. The next day, I had to hop on the speed boat back to Thailand. But like all things in life, the speed boat was 2 hrs late. So I sat and had breakfast and the owner of the little shop, an old Lao man, sat down and started talking to me. We took two shots of Lao whiskey at 7 o'clock in the morning and talked about life. He told me about his family and how he use to be a school teacher, I told him about my adventures in Asia. At the end of the conversation, he looked at me in the eyes and said, when you come back to Lao, you will have family to visit." Pointed to his wife and his house and said, "and you will stay with us."

I am now back in Thailand in Pai with the couchsurfing collective. it was Casie (the founder of couchsurfing)'s birthday this week so we had a great big birthday celebration for him this weekend.

Take care everyone and I'm going to leave you with a couple of my favorite quotes from this trip.

"don't rob me of my misery."
"the race is long and in the end, its only with yourself."
"your choices are half chances."
"keep old love letters, throw away bank statements."


Miss you and Love you. Take care of yourselves and take care of each other, we're all we've got.

Love,
alice
]]> splitting up — Pai, Thailand, Thailand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1203585240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1203585240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1203585240/tpod.html Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:30:21 -0500 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Pai, Thailand, Thailand

Hey Everyone,

So Ash and I have split up!!! No worries, we are both safe, but just decided to travel to different places for this part of our trip. So Ash is now in Cambodia and I'm now in Northern Thailand. I'm staying with the couchsurfer collective right now in this amazing house with a sauna and mini pool! This village is beautiful and I'm quickly falling in love with it. We were in Bangkok two days ago which was a huge culture shock after living in a small village for two weeks. Afterward, I left for Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) it was a 12 hour bus ride but I was asleep for the most part. After arriving in the city, I walked around to find the bus station and came across a monastery. The gate keeper of the monastery motioned for me to enter so I did, afterward, we started talking and it turns out that he is Chinese -Thai so we were able to communicate in Chinese. I told him of my desire to live in a monastery for a couple of weeks and he took me around the town and showed me this nunnery. There are only 3 nuns who live there and they have never had a foreigner stay with them but they were very open to the idea of me staying with them. Afterwards, I sat and had lunch with them inside the monastery and got a inside tour of the whole place. However, due to the fact that my visa for Thailand is going to expire in 4 days, I had to part ways but I told them that I would be back in a month.
Now that I've arrived in Pai, its reconfirmed that I'm definitely not ready to leave Thailand yet. Something about this country is magical, mystical, and the perfect place to remind you of the capacity of humanity to give and to love. The stories are endless. I've met some amazing people like Lek. The owner of a cafe called the Witching Well where a water well filled with waters from 12 different sacred sources flow. He was a graduate from the Academy of Art University (my old job) what a small world. And recently watched his partner die in his arms. Sitting and talking with him felt like I was home. This place feels like home...
This is all for now. I miss you all very much and sends all my love.

and remember...in the end, its not about how well we can take care of ourselves, its about how well we can take care of each other!

love,

alice
]]> pictures — Khao phanom, Thailand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1202973480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1202973480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wonderworld/om/1202973480/tpod.html Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:37:50 -0500 Ashley and Alice's adventures in Asia!!!
Khao phanom, Thailand

pictures
]]>