It's been a while...

It has been fo eva since I blogged, for which I sincerely apologize to anyone who at one point was interested in reading this.  I have been having a marvelous time abroad and I haven’t found much time for blogging, but now that I have finally sat down to do it, I must say I’m already starting to enjoy typing it out.  Anyways, when we last left our tragic hero, he was on his way to Dharamsala for some enlightenment from the Dalai Lama…

On October 1^st, my new travelling companion Michelle (burning man participant, fashion designer, and all around cool cat) and I made it to the teachings of the Dalai Lama.  The teachings lasted for 4 days and were based around the teachings of the Dharamdatu, a Buddhist scripture, and the idea of emptiness.  The temple was pretty unimpressive for being the temple of the holiest person in Buddhism, imagine if the Pope preached in your local Methodist church, okay well maybe not that weird but still you get the picture.  Anyways, the security to enter the temple was pretty intense.  I got patted down and felt up by several Tibetan men, not one of whom bought me dinner or said I was pretty.  The teachings themselves were very interesting but not being a Buddhist, I had difficulty following some of the concepts taught by the Dalai Lama.  However, I did gather that attachments to worldly things, desires, and people leads to suffering, so it is essential to give up these attachments to reach nirvana.  The Dalai Lama also spoke about the true nature of the mind as being empty, which is interesting as an empty mind in the west is considered to be characteristic of a dumb person.  While the concepts taught may have been a bit complicated, the Dalai Lama himself expressed his happiness quite simply.  It was very special seeing one of the most revered men in the world smile and laugh so much despite all the troubles and sorrows he has experienced.  Maybe he really has reached another stage of happiness or enlightenment… 

The town the teachings were in, Mcleod Ganj not Dharamsala (that is the larger town nearby), was incredible.  It is situated in the lush mountains of north India and has a beautiful waterfall and river nearby.  The town was filled with westerners and especially Israelis, who tend to come here often after their military service in Israel.  All Israeli citizens are required to perform military service, and upon completion around the age of 21 or so, most of them use the money they earned to go traveling.  I have been told by one Israeli group that most choose to go to India or South America, and boy do they roll in packs. 

Anyways, after the teachings, I decided to do a 3 day meditation course at a local meditation center called Tushita.  It was an incredible experience.  Meditation and mindfulness are currently being researched as possible ways of treating mental illness, and I think that it’s a great practice for anyone trying to better themselves.  The class was taught by a 60 year old American, UNC grad (!), who was wonderfully eccentric (she told me she was psychic and had a friend who cured schizophrenia).  She taught about emotional balance, how to change bad behavioral cycles, and how to meditate.  As she had been a psychotherapist, her teachings were incredibly interesting to me.  The meditation she taught us dealt with teaching our brains not to think, which they have a bit of a natural tendency to do.  She told us that meditation is a cumulative process so that the more you do it, the greater benefits you receive.  The benefits of meditating seem to be greater peace of mind and contentment.  I have been trying to do it at least once a day for about 25 minutes and I hope to continue when I return home, however, just like exercising, I often conveniently find a reason not to do it.

I also ran into my friends Jess and Matt in Mcleod Ganj (I met them in Mumbai), which was wonderful and greatly increased my time spent drinking, playing cards, and laughing.  At this point, I had been in Mcleod Ganj for about 2 weeks, so I figured it was probably about time to move on.  So, Matt, Jess, and I boarded our seats on the bus to Rishikesh.  I started off sitting in the very back row of the bus on the right side next to the window, behind two incredibly anorexic twins (zombie twins).  After a few minutes, the twins romantic partners came and asked to switch with us.  The guys were very nice, we played some guitar and had a few laughs.  Anyways, I find it really hard to fall asleep on night buses, which is what this was by the way (I’m a terrible narrator).  Eventually, I fell asleep only to be awoken by two douchebags fighting about one of them pushing their seat back, which the one fellow really didn’t like.  They woke up most of the bus until another guy threatened to “burn down the whole bus unless [they] shut the hell up and [went] back to sleep.”  His tactics were a bit harsh but effective.  So after another hour or two I was finally falling asleep when I was awakened to wild shaking of the bus and the sound of broken glass.  Apparently, our bus had been swiped by a jeep in the back right corner of the bus.  We checked to see if everyone was okay.  Everyone was okay except for the guy who had asked to switch seats with me earlier in the ride.  He was sleeping with his head on the window and after the accident, his head was outside of the bus. 

His friend tried to wake him up, and when he didn’t wake up, we knew something was wrong.  Luckily, some of the Israelis on the bus were medics and jumped into action.  He had a major laceration on his head and was bleeding profusely.  I will never forget the sound of him choking on his own blood.  The medics used a pen to keep his mouth open and broke one of his teeth in the process.  It took the ambulance over 45 minutes to arrive and the cops twice as long.  I found it hard not to think about how I had been sitting in that seat hours earlier and how terrible I felt for Raoul, the victim of that car accident and how he had taken my place.  I felt fortunate that it wasn’t me but I felt bad that I felt that way.

Eventually, we arrived in Rishikesh.  We spent the rest of that day relaxing.  The events of that morning seemed like they happened to someone else, ages before.  That afternoon, we ran into another member of the bus who relayed to us the terrible news.  The fellow injured in the bus crash, Raoul, had died.  It took about 6 hours for him to get to an adequate treatment center and he had received no services before then.  RIP Raoul.  There’s nothing like a close encounter with death to make you appreciate the life you are living and the people in your life.  I’ve learned to love life and the people in it because you never know when you might lose either.

Once we had dealt with the bus ride, we were better able to appreciate Rishikesh, which was an incredible city.  Rishikesh is a very spiritual city, located on the Ganges river, which is incredibly sacred to Hindus.  Rishikesh is also the location of the ashram (meditation and spiritual center) where the Beatles wrote much of the White album when they came to India.  The ashram has not been used in over 13 years, and since then, the jungle has completely overtaken it.  All of the paths are covered with vines and the biggest spiders I have ever seen.  I also think I may have seen the inspiration for the line “I am the eggman.”  On top of the residence halls are large white egg shaped structures that you can get inside of.  When you are inside the sound resonates crazily.  Its wicked cool and my guess for where that random line come from.

The next day, we went to a 2 hour yoga class.  It kicked my ass, but I felt great afterwards.  Then we went white water rafting, which was a gorgeous ride but not all that difficult.  I did get the opportunity to swim and pee in the Ganges, making it slightly less sacred (or perhaps more so…nah), sorry Hinduism.  The next day we went to Chilla trying to go to Rajaji National Park, which turned out to be closed, but we managed to find something to do.  We snuck into the park and hiked around, which is where I was photographed in my most Indianness, which is definitely unsuitable for Facebook.  On our way back to our jungle hut hotel (carrying a bag of food), we spotted a monkey, or more likely the monkey spotted us.  The monkey jumped onto the road and then attacked.  It ran straight for our bag of food, ripped it, grabbed food and scampered away with some sweets.  We had just been monkey mugged.  I have never in my life been more mad at a monkey.  I cursed, threw several rocks, and generally made a scene.  It was to no avail, the monkeys had won, as I always knew they would. 

The following day, I said goodbye to Matt and Jess and made my way to Nepal; another nightbus, another night of little sleep.  I arrived at the Indian/Nepali border at around 3 am and made it across by 6 am with the help of a bald fellow named Bhupesh.  By throwing his dad’s government card around at the border, I didn’t have any problems.  Then, I took another night bus from the border town to Kathmandu. 

Kathmandu is a cool town.  I stayed in Thamel which is the super western part of town, which is a nice place to recharge but not a great slice of real Kathmandu.  Two days after arriving in Kathmandu, I made my way to Chitwan National Forest, where I was trying to fulfill my Asian dream of riding an elephant.  I was one of two folks at the resort where I was staying.  The other was another 22 year old named Angelina from Russia.  She was tons of fun and loved all this naturey stuff, which I have come to love while abroad.  I have typically been younger than the people I have been travelling with, Matt and Jess were 26ish and Michelle was 30.  So, it was nice hanging out with someone my own age although, I’ve realized that age really is just a number...unless you are over 40 then you are officially an adult, no two ways about it. 

At the park, we rode canoes, went hiking, and saw crocodiles, rhinos, peacocks, elephants, and lots of other birds.  The coolest part of the trip was bathing with the elephants.  Angelina and I rode our elephant, Stampy (I named him since I can’t spell or pronounce his Nepali name), into the river where she then started spraying river water at us with her trunk.  She then flopped down in the river taking us with her.  We got to help bathe her and we rode her without a saddle.  It was epic!!!  I fell in love.  Elephants do not feel like I thought they were.  Imagine a big hairy tank…

Back at Kathmandu, I visited a very cool park called Pashupatina and an amazing garden called the Garden of Dreams.  I meditated there and stargazed for hours.  I also had the opportunity to play guitar with some locals.  I played guitar and sang, while the guys played a traditional drum, my egg shakers, and basically anything to make rhythm (clapping, spoons).  Then, they played some traditional Newari songs, which were epic.  We passed a few chillums around which definitely gave the experience a real Nepali flavor.

A few days later, I left for Tibet.   Going to to Tibet requires you to go with a group, so I reluctantly signed up for a group trip.  Luckily, this group was pretty cool:  lots of cool people from all over.  The trip involved going from Kathmandu to Lhasa Tibet in 7 days.  I spent ages on a bus, but the landscape was amazing and it gave me a chance to listen to music, which always helps me appreciate nature.  Also, Tibet is incredibly high, cold, and dry.  I got horribly chapped lips and altitude sickness, as well as a greater appreciation and understanding of Tibetan Buddhism. 

At one of the hotels we stayed at, I had difficulty falling asleep all night.  Part of the problem was the dreams I was having.  One of which was a dream in which I couldn’t fall asleep, which is very frustrating when you think you are awake in bed.  The other problem was the rambunctious rodent in the room.  I woke up several times with the distinct impression that something was crawling on top of me.  I thought it was a dream until my roommate, Richard, a 61 year old Buddhist from England, reported the same thing.  The following day upon returning to the room, I noticed a terrible smell.  I checked the toilet (as that is usually the source of terrible smells) and it turns out the rodent was a rat after all and it had drowned in the toilet.  Gross.

Besides that, Tibet was great.  Lhasa was especially cool and Potala palace there was amazing and pretty monstrous.  However, Tibet is not exactly what I was expecting.  I expected lots of rural areas, loads of Tibetan Buddhists, and simple towns.  The Tibet I found had serious Chinese influences.  As you may know, China annexed Tibet over 5 decades ago and since then, has been shipping in more Han Chinese and basically trying to eradicate the indigenous culture of Tibet.  Many of the monasteries had to be rebuilt since the Cultural Revolution (when the Chinese destroyed many of the structures) and Lhasa itself looks like a wild mixture of traditional Tibetan structures and ridiculous commercial Chinese buildings:  so many flashing lights.  I have never seen more soldiers and policemen in my life.  It is sad to see the erosion of Tibetan culture.  Although, there has been a resurgence of Tibetan culture in recent years.  ‘

Also, people here are fascinated by my facial hair.  One older woman, “ooed” at the hair on my arm and began to rub it.  While at a night club in Lhasa, which was super ridiculous, I had a fellow rub my beard several times and take multiple pictures with me/my beard.  He also bought us an absurd amount of beer.  I was the only college age fellow so I drank most of it and then created a nice beeramid. 

So, that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing for the past month.  It has been a blasty blast.  I’ll be in China for about 2 weeks and then I’m headed to Vancouver to see my buddy Colby Ramsay.  I’m currently sitting on a 30 hour train ride from Lhasa to Xi’An where the Terra Cotta army is located.  Writing this blog has helped me maintain my sanity and now that it is done, I will probably go crazy so it has been a pleasure knowing you all.  Until we meet again dear reader…

The Marvelous, Magnificent India

I feel as if I have been traveling forever.  I’ve traveled to over 8 countries, using planes, trains, automobiles, buses, mopeds, bicycles (both tandem and otherwise), tuk tuks, and I have been chauffeured by at least one 10 year old on a motorcycle.  My favorite way to get from here to there is by jet pack or floo powder but as neither is readily available in India I will just have to make do. 

After landing in Delhi at 3 am, I was horribly disoriented and spent the next two days recovering from jet lag and eating the best food I have eaten on my entire trip.  I also had the interesting opportunity of getting scammed by one of the travel agencies in Delhi (which I am currently contesting through my bank) which put a bit of a sour taste in my mouth regarding Delhi.  Delhi is also one of the dirtiest and smelliest cities I have ever been to…not good smells mind you, more like sewage and dust and sweat.  I did get some time to myself in Delhi and in my delirium, I wrote 2 songs.  I saw a few of the sights in Delhi but overall it was not one of my favorite places, so I quickly moved on.

Things got better in Agra.  On my first afternoon in the town, I had my first of many close monkey encounters (in the restaurant where I was eating), and I soon discovered the majesty of the Taj Mahal.  I could not believe that any building that is hyped as much as the Taj could possibly live up to such expectations; it exceeded them.  I have never seen a more beautiful structure anywhere and its surrounding area is beautiful.  Too bad the rest of Agra isn’t so nice.

I had heard that Jaipur was quite beautiful so I thought I would give it a try.  I arrived too late by train to get into my hostel so I spent my time in Jaipur at the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at, which I paid $24 dollars a night for.  In Jaipur, I had so many animal adventures.  I went to the temple at Galta, which is colloquially called the monkey temple.  According to the holy men who maintained the temple which was quickly falling to ruin, there were a thousand monkeys.  Not sure if there were quite that many but there were monkeys everywhere you looked.  The Indian people tend not to like the monkeys, thinking of them as a nuisance and dangerous and not as super cool, tiny people.  I fed several of the Macaques peanuts from my hand.  One monkey I fed ripped off the flowers around my neck and ate them and another jumped on my bookbag as I tried to walk away without feeding him anymore peanuts, but otherwise they were like tiny adorable gentlemen and ladies.  The temple is also situated in the mountains surrounding the city of Jaipur which gave a great view of the city.  It was gorgeous.  I also had the opportunity to pet elephants.  They were being kept by people who rented them out for weddings and other fun occasions ( speaking of, I want an elephant on hand for all important events in my life- marriages, graduations, birth of child, etc.)  I was so excited to be so close to these massive mammals but I was a little saddened by the tiny enclosure in which they were kept.  They all looked super drugged up as well.

Outside of Jaipur, I also visited a temple where I had read that exorcisms were performed on people with ghosts.  Well I didn’t see any ghosts in the temple but I did see some things that would haunt Dorothea Dix.  As I entered the temple chamber, the air was filled with incense, smoke, clapping, and chanting.  I walked around the room feasting my eyes on all the strange sights: people flailing their arms as if in a trance, writhing on the floor and shaking, doing somersaults, screaming, and running into a wall repetitively.  I had the good fortune to talk with one individual who believed he was possessed by at least 3 ghosts.  His condition began when he awoke in the night 3 months prior with a ghost child sitting on his chest making it impossible for him to breathe.  He hadn’t slept for weeks afterward and he eventually sought help at the temple.  His condition sounds remarkably similar to Laotian Sudden Death Syndrome, which I read about in one of my many psyc classes at UNC (Go Heels!).  He told me the way to rid himself of the ghosts was by punishing them, so he flung himself into a stone wall several times in a row after which he told me that a normal person wouldn’t be able to do that more than once without falling down from pain but his ghosts gave him unnatural strength. 

I then made my way to Mumbai via a 16 hour train ride.  Mumbai was the cleanest of the cities I had visited so far but it was still rather dirty.  The beaches were in a disturbingly bad condition- I was told the only people who went in the ocean there were people who were incredibly poor or those trying to catch dysentery.  I found my eagerness to get in the Indian Ocean declining.  I went to a laughter club in Mumbai, which I had been very excited for but I found myself a little disappointed.  The laughter was very mechanical and less spontaneous than I had hoped.  The people in the club were much older than me and I believe they used the club more for physical exercise.  I’m not sure about the positive physical and mental effects of forced laughter, whereas I feel like natural, spontaneous laughter may be more effective, which I will have to do more research about when I return home.  I also talked to a doctor of Alternative medicine, who had some very interesting ideas about treatment for the mentally ill while maintaining scientific credibility. 

Mumbai is also where I made some North American friends!  I was staying at a western style hostel, where I ran into an American who had been traveling for a long time and recounted many tales of his travels.  I also met Matt and Jess who are a really cool couple who had been in Asia for over 3 years teaching English in Korea, where they had first met.  I also met a fellow by the name of Steven, who was a beginning traveler and to him I was considered a bit of an expert traveler, which I thought was hilarious.  I spent my nights in Mumbai, drinking, smoking  (I tried my hand at cigarettes when they were available, and as Matt and Jess smoked heavily I had many opportunities), and playing cards (I’ve gotten respectable at Cribbage and Uker which I am told are both farmer’s games).  Jess, Matt, Steven and I all decided to head to Goa together, so we formed a foursome and made our way south.

Goa is very different than much of the rest of India.  Goa was a Portuguese colony and as such, the dominant religion is Christianity, not Hinduism.  In India, the party religion is Christianity, which I found odd but nonetheless awesome.  Goa is the type of place where you (or me at least) could get stuck for ages.  Beaches, beer, illicit substances all over, and sooooo chill.  I saw so many westerners there and some of them I saw at the same bars more than one night in a row.  If you are going to be a burnout, there are worse places to do it.  There are beach bars all over and the part of Goa away from the beach looks like a jungle.  While in Anjuna Beach, I had my first moped experience and my first crash.  After my rough start, I had to regain my confidence which I did eventually because it is incredibly dangerous to ride scooters here.  There are basically no rules of the road in India, just everyone trying to get where they are going as quick as possible with little to no regard for the lives or well-being of others. 

I also went to the most beautiful beach I have ever been to at Palolem Beach in Goa, where I have been told the beginning of the 2^nd Bourne movie was filmed.  Of all the places I have been in India, this is place I would come back to first.  It is a pristine beach, not too much trash, beautiful sand and water and no high rise hotels.  It’s also situated in a private bay flanked by several islands, which we hiked/swam to on our last day there.  It was around that time that my camera fell a few feet from a table and now the view finder is a bit spotty so nearly all of my photos now are taken free hand and some are a bit…artsy (off center or out of focus).  It has forced me to take a million pictures of the same thing which is how I hear you get a few good pictures anyway. 

After our stay at Palolem, Jess and Matt headed to Kerala while Steven and I made our way to Hampi.  Hampi was a very cool town.  It’s in the middle of nothingness as far as I could tell and is filled with boulders of all shapes and sizes.  There are mountains of boulders and several beautiful plantations for bananas and rice.  We also found another temple overrun by monkey,s but this time they were Langurs which are way cool. Steven and I also explored a temple filled with bats, which smelled terrible but was quite an adventure.  That night, I had an intense, slightly horrible experience that I will not relate here but if I don't repress it perhaps it can be related later. 

Steven and I parted ways upon reaching Bangalore.  Bangalore was pretty cool for a big city and I had a great day by myself, reading, writing, playing guitar, and singing.  I also had a great opportunity to talk to some mental health professionals.  This foundation had three homes which treated individuals with schizophrenia.  It was very similar to the company I worked for in Chapel Hill but with some differences, some very good which I think could help improve the lives of the people I serve. 

After Bangalore, I flew to Delhi and I am currently on a bus to Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama resides in India.  He is doing a teaching on October 1^st through the 4^th which I hope to be able to attend and maybe…just maybe…find some enlightenment.  Before arriving in India, I had planned on staying for nearly 2 months but I think I may curtail that some and see some more of what the rest of Asia has to offer.  If you have any questions about my trip feel free to message me (l love hearing from the people I miss) but otherwise, until we meet again dear reader…

An aside about staring:  Throughout this adventure in India, I have begun to learn what it is like to stick out like a sore thumb.  I gather stares like sugar draws flies.  Walking down the street, I tend to keep my head phones in and my eyes straight ahead.  If I should look around too much, I get yelled at by merchants trying to get me to purchase their goods or else just to yell at the white guy walking around in a sea of Indians.  It’s especially bad when I go to exercise here…apparently, people in India don’t jog much, especially without a shirt.  In Delhi, I was chased by a group of children from Afghanistan who stopped me from jogging so they could ask me why I was running and also attempt to pull down my shorts (which happened again in Mumbai).  In Agra, I had two kids watch me jog around a park for 20 minutes.  White people seem to be a novelty here, despite there being quite a few of my pasty brethren in the country.  At the Taj Mahal, I had two groups come up to ask to take a picture with me and in Jaipur, one group of Indian gentlemen fed me and talked to me for a long time.  So, you take the good with the bad…

Animals and their place in Indian Society:  Many animals are revered in India, including cows, monkeys, and elephants.  That is not to say that they are all treated well.  Monkeys are chased away constantly and many people throw rocks at them, while others feed them (including me).  Cows and dogs litter the streets.  Dogs are so plentiful here and the people here can be very unkind to them.  I saw one little boy pick up a stone and slam it into the head of a dog sleeping on the beach.  The dogs themselves are rather adorable from a westerner’s point of view but it’s a bit hard for any rules of traffic to be seriously enforced when thousands of dogs and cows wander the roads.  The cows are at least treated better.  Both male and female cows here have horns and most are used to people, allowing themselves to be touched but I have seen my fair share of rampaging cows and one cow stampede.  I have also seen these same noble Brahmin eating trash and cardboard and sleeping in a pile of garbage.  

Catch Up.

So it's been a while since I've blogged but I hope you still enjoy.

Before we left for Amsterdam, we collected two other travelers trying to reach the Mecca of my people.  They were both from Germany and very nice.  At one of the train stations, we saw a drunk guy singing and dancing…and then poop himself.  When the people around him made him aware of his accident, he just shrugged, took another swig of his Heineken and started burning up the dance floor.  We spent all day on trains and finally made it to the city…after most everything had closed.  So we found ourselves a nice Kebabery and ate and fell asleep.  Speaking of, I have had more kebabs and doner meat than I would care to remember on this trip.  They seem to be the equivalent of cheap, fast food in Europe.  While McDonalds and KFC’s definitely exist they are pretty damn expensive compared to in the US.

The next day, one of our German companions went to go camping and the three companions left went into the center of town.  Amsterdam is amazing.  The city is filled with canals, beautiful, tall, blonde people, bikes, and so many flowers… and did I mention they have coffee shops in Amsterdam?  We spent that day walking around the city.  We visited the flower market which is so beautiful.  I was so impressed with all the flowers all over Europe.  I also bought a ¾ size classical guitar, which has allowed me to continue writing music and allowed me to meet some very cool people!  We smoked and drank that night and I started writing another song.

The next day, our other German companion peaced.  Ross and I went and rented bikes to experience Amsterdam like the real Dutch.  It was so much fun.  We rode all over the city visiting many beautiful parks including the location of the Olympic stadium in Amsterdam.  That night, I decided to try some busking.  I made about 10 euro after playing for about an hour.  The following day, it rained, very typical of our European trip.  After it stopped, Ross and I busked again.  We made about 20 euro this time until some Dutch fellow whined and told it was too late to be playing music at 11:15 pm.  We had made enough for a trip to a coffee shop so we were happy.  Ross played a pretty mean egg shaker and looked pretty homeless without shoes, so he probably helped make our money. 

I’ve noticed that my memory of my times in Amsterdam is a bit blurry…but I DO remember that it was one of my favorite places I have ever visited.  So beautiful and everything is legal…within reason and sometimes not even that.   Anyways, the next day we headed for Brussels.  Brussels was cute and had a very nice center square.  The beer was also very good and cheap but other than that I wasn’t all that impressed.  We met a very cool guy in our hostel from Korea.  Together with Ross and I, all three of us went to the center square to busk a bit.  We made enough to pay for beer for the night and by the time we were done, about 2 dozen folks were listening, which is further encouraging me to ignore reason and try to become a musician.  After drinking, Ross and I decided to go play in the center square again, only we found out that it was illegal to do so after Belgian Police kicked us out of the square.  At least we didn’t get arrested or fined. Meh

At 7 am that morning I was awoken to banging and shouting.  It was pitch black and it sounded like someone was trying to knock down the door.  Someone in our room was shouting that the guys upstairs had trashed the hostel and might set it on fire.  After going upstairs to investigate, she insisted that the guys had tear gassed her as she went up the stairs.  She said that we should all leave the hostel.  I rolled over and slept for a few more hours.  As it turns out, 3 French travelers had come back to the hostel very drunk and decided to make a mess.  They threw coffee grounds on the floor downstairs, broken down the door to our room and sprayed the fire extinguisher all over- no tear gas or fire.

That day, we went to the ATOMIUM (it must be spoken in a booming tone), where they held the World’s fair in 1952ish.  It was shaped sort of like an atom and was relatively cool.  We also saw a planetarium show narrarated by Captain Jean Luc Picard- I mean Patrick Stewart.  After returning to our hostel we decided to busk again and got through one song before being kicked out of the main square a second time- we feigned ignorance of the law against playing in the main square.  We did make 7 euro on one song however!  That night we went out with some folks in our hostel from the California and Canada and one of their mothers and played drinking games at a bar- they were younger than Ross and I-precious.  We drank until very late and I was feeling it the next morning. 

Ross and I headed to Bruges.  We had wanted to go there since seeing the movie, “In Bruges” with Colin Farrel.  It was even better than I expected and soooo beautiful.  It is a very medieval looking town, filled with cobble stone streets and canals.  It’s main square is even cooler than that of Brussels.  All that day, Ross and I spoke in a weird accent that resembles Australian, British, Irish, and Scottish.  WE decided it was probably how people from Fiji speak.  Anyways, Bruges was great.  We found a cool park, walked around a lot, found some very cool windmills and generally had a great day.  That was also the day of the creepy naked guy.  In our hostel, this fellow took a shower, came back in his robe, and as they were only several people in the room, he decided to undo his robe and walk around.  He hadn’t put underwear on before it was a bit too weird for me and left. 

The next day, we rented bikes…excuse me bike, a tandem bike, to be precise.  Since my first year of college, I have always wanted to ride on a tandem bike with my life companion Rossicle, and that day my dreams came true.  Ross and I rode all over bruges ringing the bell on our bike.  We ventured to the main square in Bruges that was made famous for Ross and I by the movie “In Bruges” and if truth be told, that movie was THE reason we went to Bruges in the first place.  At the main bell tower, besides a splendid view of the city, there was also a Dali exhibition that was amazing.  I never realized how sexual Dali was.  Practically all of the paintings showed had either a naked woman or at least one pair of breasts.  I also coerced Ross into going on a long bike ride which turned into an even longer bike ride when we got lost.  We went all the way to a Belgian coastal town, whose name escapes me.  There we had pancakes and beer, a meal fit for a Belgian nobleman.

The following day we headed to Munich.  We spent all day on trains and finally made it to Munich in time to fall asleep at a couch surfer’s apartment.  The next day, Ross and I ventured up a mountain to the Kloster Andechs, which is a mountaintop monastery complete with brewery.  If I were a monk, I would be drunk all the time.  We sweated our way to the top in the very hot German sun and took respite at the top and drank a liter of beer apiece.  One of the beers was sickly sweet however and we had to force it down, many pretzels were consumed in the process.  Eventually we made our way down the mountain and found a beautiful beach.  We spent some time there enjoying the view and the sun. 

Once back in Munich, we met up with our host Christoph.  Christoph was very fond of Americans and had even spent some time as a student in the US.  We went out to the beer gardens and continued to have a few more liters of beer.  The US should really take note of these beer gardens as they are outdoor pavilions with lots of wooden tables, good food, and great beer (kind of like He’s Not in Chapel Hill but lacking in pretty much all of the things I said).  We were trying to leave the following day but the package Ross was waiting for never arrived so we spent another night in Munich.  We hung out at the couch surfer’s place mostly and spent some time in the city proper including a trip to some gardens and the Olympic plaza where the 1972 Munich Olympics were held (Sports!). 

On the 26^th, we found ourselves back in Amsterdam, it’s funny how that kept happening.  We got there pretty late so instead of spending money on a hostel, we decided to stay up all night.  That night is still kind of a blur for me, so I can’t exactly put that night in order but I do remember eating at this restaurant called Wok to Walk, which Ross literally could not get enough of, at least twice, going to several coffeeshops, drinking at least one bottle of wine, walking around the red light district, getting a little weirded out by the red light district, going to Vondel Park when it was wicked dark (where we saw some hooligans break a flag pole), falling asleep next to one of the many canals, and eventually opening starbucks.  It was probably the first time I have been happy to see one.  That morning, we went to the Van Gogh Museum which was amazing.  He has become one of my favorite artists and his story is so fascinating.  In particular, Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” really appealed to me.  There is something about the texture of that painting that cannot be fully appreciated by a print.  Afterwards, I took a 5 hour nap. It was great.

Later that evening, we made our way to the Red Light District for a Sex show.  The sex show had several acts including 2 different sets of couples having sex, two women having sex, a woman who put a pen in her vagina and wrote on an audience member’s chest, a banana show( which consists of a woman putting a banana in her va jay jay as my friend Aaron used to call it and then having audience members eating a bite until it gets to…well I think you can figure it out), and a woman smoking a cigar with her vagina, which I gotta say I did not know was possible.  We went back to our hostel happier, more confused individuals. 

The next day, it rained (joy). However, we had made plans to visit the zoo so we weren’t going to be deterred by a little rain.  The zoo in Amsterdam is not to be missed.  Ross and I spent probably a good 30-40 minutes each at the gorilla and the chimp exhibits.  The gorillas were throwing sticks at the glass separating them from people which was fun to watch and the chimps were chimps so I was enthralled.  We also had the good fortune to view the Maned Wolf exhibit, which left Ross and I in fits of hysterical laughter because it looked more like a fox crossed with a deer.  I wonder if it realizes how freakish it looks.  The zoo is also where I freed my new friend Artie who is going to be coming along with me on my travels to India and China.

The following day we headed for Paris which took a long time and we didn’t arrive until late in the evening. Ross and I went exploring and found a great view of the city of lights near a church whose name was something like Sacre Couer.  It truly was the city of lights, especially the Eiffel tower which has a little light show that displays at a certain time every evening.  We also found a sweet little hookah bar where we enjoyed ourselves with one of our favorite past times of blowing and watching smoke.  Ross and I made it our mission to French Inhale as much as possible.

The next day was one characterized by death. France has several enormous cemeteries, and Ross and I visited the graves of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison.  We also visited the catacombs, which were interesting.  You have to walk down a long flight of stairs to reach the bottom.  Once at the bottom, you are struck  by how  vast the passages go.  Every hundred feet, other passages lead off from the main one, but you are restricted to the main path.  The bones of millions of dead Parisians are stacked decoratively on either side of the path. 

This entire trip, Ross and I had been complaining of how we hadn’t found anyone to play basketball with but we did in Paris.  We had a great time.  We played with some women who were wicked good and the game eventually had to stop when I hurt my ankle (shitsweak).  We went to the hookah bar again that night and had a blasty blast.  They had the best tea. 

The next day, we visited Versailles, palace of Louis the XIV, the Sun King.  The palace was beautiful but the gardens and outlying lands were breathtaking.  I enjoyed them much more than the palace and entrance to the gardens was free.  If I were to do it again, I would skip the palace and just stroll the gardens.  However, it was interesting to view the palace to see how highly the king thought of himself.  Ross left me that night.  It was a sad day, but one I knew must come.  We said our goodbyes and I haven’t found a better traveling companion since…Artie is good and all but he doesn’t talk much.

The next day, I had some serious alone time.  I read for hours, played some guitar, cooked food, and eventually went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes by myself, which was a quality film that I recommend to anyone who enjoys primate antics.  When I went back to my hostel, I met some cool travelers from London named Angie and Maja.  We ended up going out to 2 clubs with an Australian, a Canadian, a Brazilian, and another Londoner.  Oh yeah, the clubs were gay clubs.  At the second of the two, a man was taking a shower in a glass box.  It was different.  We ended up staying up until 6 am, much of the time spent on the sketchy street outside our hostel.  The Australian fellow I was with shouted out at a passing car for cocaine and low and behold he came up and asked us if we wanted cocaine.  Not my cup of tea. 

The next day, I had to wake up very early to get to my new hostel which was in a much nicer area in Paris.  I went to the Musee d’ Orsay, which was located in an old train station next to the seine.  The paintings and the artwork was incredibly beautiful.  It also had a number of Van Gogh pieces which I really enjoyed.  I spent the rest of that day chilling out and I got to skype my friend Brittany, which was muy bueno.  I have begun to really miss my friends and family on this trip.  I’m looking forward to seeing them all when I get back. 

On the third of September, I met up with the Londoners Angie and Maja that I had met the other night and we went to the Notre Dame, or we were going to before we met up with some random French blokes who like the sound of my guitar.  We bought some wine and went to a local park.  We spent hours there, smoking cigarettes, drinking wine, and singing, which made my life.  Eventually I had to go catch my flight, so I said my goodbyes and made my departure.  Then, lo and behold, it started to rain.  Dripping wet and tired, I made it to my flight which took me to Moscow, which would eventually lead to India- the land of a million smells, most of them bad.

Ramblin' Man

I’ve traveled to more countries in one week than I had ever been to by the age of 21.  Since I last updated, I’ve gone to England, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.  London was nice.  Everything was very grand but we did arrive during a weird time in London.  Riots had been going on in London and the surrounding areas.  In fact, many people were arrested and 3 people were killed.  The riots started after one individual was shot by police but soon escalated into something much more sinister.  Businesses were destroyed, homes were lost, and the rioters cited economic motives but I find it hard to imagine how burning someone’s car will help you make money.

Regardless, our trip to London was pleasant enough.  Our first day, my phone was having issues so we were unable to meet up with my friend Jess or Andrea, our friend we met in Dublin.  It was a sad state of the world, but we were able to visit Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace, for which I am sad to say I was not so impressed.  While the grounds of the palace were quite nice the actual building was somewhat lacking in the grandiosity that was characteristic of London in general.  The next day, Ross and I rented bikes and traversed the city on the wrong…excuse me, left, side of the road all the way to London Tower, which was more of a castle than a spire.  After several messages describing how flawed we were in planning I met up with my friend Andrea who is currently living in the south of England.  Ross’s friend Samantha also joined us.  Fun fact about Samantha:  She received the same scholarship to go abroad that Ross and I did but after leaving to travel the British Isles, she never came back to the States and is currently residing in Wales for the conceivable future.  Anyways, we viewed the city from atop the London Eye- very beautiful- and spent some time conversing in Trafalgar square before the other two headed for home. 

The following day, we left for the coast of France to go to a music festival called La Route Du Rock.  This festival was located in a beautiful little town on the coast of Brittany, France.  After travelling under the English Channel, we eventually made it to Paris and then to St. Malo, France.  The main part of town was situated in a stone fort and several castles were scattered along the coast of the town less than a mile from shore.  However, like most places in Europe during our adventure here, it was overcast and raining slightly.  The first day of the festival we listened to several bands we had never heard of and won’t care to hear again.  Practically none of the bands had lead singers and most played some type of math rock – jam bands without creativity( sorry if you like math rock).  The music on the second day was greatly improved, however the weather worsened significantly.  Like much of our trip in Europe it has rained a lot, but on this particular day the bottom dropped out.  Ross and I arrived early so he could watch the Low, his new favorite band (seriously though, Ross hates them with good reason) so we were plenty rained on by the time the better bands started coming out like Cuults and Blonde Redhead.  We were also front row at that point so we weren’t too upset.  Then, the Kills came out and the place exploded.  They rocked our extremely wet socks off.  After the Kills finished melting faces, we left for home, soaked but content.  At the last day of the festival we got to watch Okkervil River play a great set; their lead singer was so charismatic. However, my mind was officially blown when the Fleet Foxes showed up to play.  I noticed the lead singer offstage right before they were set to come on stage so I raised my arm and shouted “Fleet Foxes Rule!”  Just as I was about to retract my arm, the lead singer returned my salute and I lost my mind.  Their set was ridiculously good, very ethereal while still rocking out to tunes like Mykonos, Blue Ridge Mountains, and White Winter Hymnal.  I loved every second of it.  However, festivals in Europe and the US are very different.  For one, there are sooo many festivals in Europe but they don’t have nearly as many headliners.  Also, the crowd is much less flamboyant and there are no illicit drugs as far as I could see…weird at a music festival.

After leaving St. Malo the following day, we tried to make our way to Bruges, but because it was some sort of holiday in Europe we couldn’t get there unless we paid about 100 euros and as we had already shelled out $300 on a eurail pass we couldn’t justify that kind of cash.  What were two young travellers to do? As it turns out, one place our eurail ticket could take us was Amsterdam…so that is exactly what we did J until we meet again dear reader…

Coming Home

I feel as if I’ve come home to Ireland.  Everyone here is so friendly and the countryside is the greenest land I have ever seen, and if only it didn’t rain here almost every day it might be truly idyllic.  And even if it doesn’t rain the threat of rain in the form of clouds is omnipresent.  Although, without all the rain it might not be so green and the occasional brief rain shower never really hurt anyone anyways. 

After leaving Dublin, we headed to Youghal which we learned only after arriving in the town is pronounced like “ya’ll,” a nice reminder of home to be sure.  This is where we got our first taste of foxy Irish folks- foxy meaning average people, it appears to be a positive term.  We couch surfed with a fellow named Ian Malone lives in a town of 3,000 named Youghal through www.couchsurfing.org, which is a brilliant website matching up travelers with people who are willing to host them.

A few interesting things about Youghal and Ian.  Youghal is a town of about 3,000 and was the home to Sir Walter Raleigh.  It was where Raleigh first brought back potatoes and tobacco and may have been the first place either were enjoyed in the old world according to Ian.  It is also the site of the filming of the movie Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck.  Ian is an artist or was before he stopped making art.  He also has been unemployed for 6 years but due to the unemployment benefits in his country he hasn’t been forced to gain employment to pay for his living arrangements.  He is a very lively fellow, eloquent, and loquacious on many topics, and is quite fond of merriment and good conversation.  We spent the first evening with him drinking and went to a local pub where Tom Waits once played according to some foxy lady at the bar.  We had a great time at the bar meeting some real foxy folk.  It was marvelous to hear the word “fuck” flow so freely.  We stayed up until 5 am due to a guest at Ian’s who refused to take the hint to leave despite Ross snoring on the floor and myself bundled in a blanket hoping for sleep. 

The next day we woke up slow and toured the town.  As Ian was our guide, our tour consisted of the town walls and several pubs.  It was another very nice day in Youghal but afterwards we were rather tired.  After our stay in Youghal, I decided to visit the town of Rosscarbery in County Cork where the Maloneys, my mother’s family, is believed to hail from while Ross stayed in Cork City.  I did not find the Maloney’s pub I hoped to find but I found an adventure all the same.  Rosscarbery was a beautiful, quaint seaside town.  I decided to wander the countryside and attempt to find a stone keep that was supposed to be next to the ocean.  I wandered about for hours in the most beautiful countryside these young eyes have ever seen, filled with rolling hills and a deep blue ocean.  I also met another traveler along the way-a dog I named Paddy.  He kept me company all day and bothered all sorts of animals on our travels, including hectoring horses, chasing cattle, and bothering birds.  Eventually Paddy and I found our keep, but it was located beyond fences and wires on someone else’s property.  AS I had been walking for hours already, I wouldn’t allow a few pieces of metal to stop my quest so I clambored over them and fulfilled  my journey.  I wish farmer’s fields back in the states were filled with castles, keeps, and the like.  It would make for a very exciting landscape. 

After leaving Rosscarbery, we made our way to Blarney Castle where the ever popular Blarney Stone is located.  Blarney castle is a very neat specimen of an ancient castle that has been rather well maintained.  We toured the dungeons and the banquet halls and eventually made our way to the top of the castle where the battlements and the stone lies.  Blarney stone is a national treasure in Ireland, any who kiss it are believed to be blessed with the gift of gab or the gift of eloquence as it is also called, but if you ask me there is a big difference between the two.  In order to kiss the stone you are required to sit down reach out your arms and lean backwards and down.  The stone is at the very top of the tower which makes for a rather exciting kiss.  In order to make sure I got the gift of eloquence, I made sure to slip the stone some tongue, which is almost certainly why this post is so long J

After touring the castle, we visited the Blarney forest which is also very beautiful and filled with remnants of a druidic society that once inhabited the woods.  It was also the site of a very daring ninja game which I hope you all enjoy watching.  Oh yeah, it was also raining at this point, like it did frequently in Ireland.  Later that day, we went back to Dublin.  While Ross was working on his finances, I started playing a guitar at the back of the hostel.  I was finishing my first song when I noticed I was not alone.  People in the adjacent hotel room were listening to me play, which I thought rather funny and so I continued playing.  Forty five minutes later there were about a dozen people listening to me perform.  A few people even gave me a few euros.  People came from the pub next door and brought their friends to hear me play.  I got more than a few handshakes from drunken Irishmen I could barely understand saying you always here the best music in back alleys.  Not sure which alleys they frequent but I thought it nice all the same.  I went out that evening with a couple of German hitchhikers, one of whom was also a singer, so we shared musical interests among other stories.  It was phenomenal craic…once again referring to a good time and not crystallized cocaine.

The following day we were to depart for London but not before enjoying the wondrous beverages of fair Dublin city.  We first visited the Jameson’s distillery of which Ross and I became whisky taste testers, and in the process gained a healthy appreciation of whisky and a slight buzz- 3-4 shots of whisky at 11 am will do that to you.  We then visited one of the most popular destinations in Dublin, the Guinness Storehouse, where Ross and I were able to procure more than our fair share of Guinness through deception and also good fortune.  The view at the top of the Guinness Storehouse was the most beautiful I saw in all of Dublin.  Afterwards, we stumbled to a local food store and had beer battered burgers- the state fair should really take notice.  Finally, we made our way to the ferry and took a delightful ride to Hollyhead, Wales.  Upon arrival, we waited in a Welsh train station for over 4 hours and we are currently on that train headed to London.  It has been quite the adventure so far and I hope it will only continue to entertain both you and myself.  Until we meet again dear reader… 

The Beginning

We have arrived. It’s been a year since I began planning this trip and 6 months since I began real preparations, and now it’s finally here. We touched down in Dublin on August 2^nd at 6 am local time.  The city was still asleep and we needed to find lodgings. The first hostel was closed but the next was open, so we dropped off our stuff and began to explore. We went to Dublin Castle and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Both of which were incredibly beautiful.  The churches here are massive and so ornate in comparison to the homeland. That night we decided to enjoy Dublin for its most renowned assets- the pubs.  Before we left for Dublin, I asked a Dubliner what Dublin had to offer and he replied, “Women…and beer…lots of beer.”  We were not disappointed. All of the people here are so friendly and the beer flowed like water, very expensive water.

We embarked on a pub crawl and made friends with some American travelers. There was so much live music at the pubs.  At one bar, Ross and I sang a song that we didn’t know the words to but now I can’t get Sweet Molly Malone out of my head.  At the last there was dancing but not what we expected.  We danced to music by AC DC, Bruce Springsteen and Adele.  It was weird.  The next day we strolled around the city, visiting Trinity College and seeing the Book of Kells, which is a very old and very elaborately designed book of the four gospels.  Dublin has an interesting sort of beauty.  Most of the buildings in the city are made of grey stone and both of our days in the city it was overcast (which I hear is quite the usual), but the city is adorned with beautiful flowers and the architecture here is very pretty, so I love it. 

That night we wandered the city (don’t worry mom, I’m still alive) and listened to some street performers where a very old man challenged the crowd to a dance off.  Ross almost joined but my camera had just run out of memory.  We are currently on our way to Youghal in County Cork where we are staying with someone we found on couch surfing.  Tomorrow we are going to Rosscarbery where my family hails from.  I’ve come to discover that I love meeting people as much as I love travelling, and I am forcing myself to be more extroverted.  Only time will tell how this will turn out.  Before I sign off, I would like to introduce a recurring segment to this blog. This is the Rosstory.

Captain’s Log. Stardate: 08-04-2011

This is not, in fact, the Rosstory as that is a stupid name for anything. This is the Captain’s Log. Jean Luc-Picard had one, and if this trip is the Enterprise, then I am certainly the captain. "bahahahahahahaha" says colin

Dublin has been everything I thought it would be; lots of pubs, sexy accents, and tasteless food. We’ve met our fair share of friends at the hostel. Rachel pointed out to me that it is really easy to recognize and bond with other Americans. Conversations always start with “Where are you from?” or “Where are you traveling?” or “Have you enjoyed _________ so far?”. Some guy from Michigan told us we had friendly accents, which I almost took offense to as I’ve made a conscious effort since 8^th grade to NOT sound like I’m from rural North Carolina. I guess I can’t escape that part of me, although I’m slowly building a dictionary of European slang to bring back to the US so that’ll help.  “Rubbish” and “lorry” are a part of my regular vocabulary now.

One funny thing that happened was that Colin was tricked into buying Papa John’s pizza last night. I guess he’d had a little too much to drink. Who comes to Dublin to get Papa John’s? Even if I were in America, Papa John’s is dead last on the list of places I’d buy pizza from. I ended up eating some though, to ease Colin’s embarrassment.

I’m also growing a beard for my trip. Status at this point: Healthy Stubble.

Marginally more interesting details to come later. Ross out.

I told you it was the rosstory for a reason as most of that is utter rubbish.  Especially the part about Papa John’s, which goes under the name of Hungry Harry’s here so I can almost understand his naivety, but he’s my baby Ross so I would never really hold it against him.

Until we meet again dear reader…

Trip Preparation

I've never written a blog before so I'm just gonna start writing and hopefully before too long I will get the hang of it.  My name is Colin Iwanski and in the fall of 2010 I received a $9,000 scholarship from UNC Chapel Hill (where I also graduated this past spring, woot woot!).  With this money I am going to go on a 3-4 month adventure around the world.  My official purpose for this journey is to investigate the treatment of the mentally ill around the world.  However, my reasons for wanting to go on this trip are not so academic.  I am and always have been fascinated by people.  I am hoping to meet new people all over the planet and learn anything I can.  My traveling companion and soul mate Ross Ramsey received the same scholarship and is going to be travelling to Europe with me.  We are leaving August 1st to travel to Dublin, Ireland.  We plan on staying in Ireland for about a week, also visiting County Cork and hopefully Rosscarberry where my mom's family is originally from.  After Ireland, we set out for London, where we will stay for a few days, hopefully meeting up with some friends in the area.  After London, we are going to travel to Amsterdam for some...umm...flowers?  We are going to remain in Amsterdam for at least a week, and then travel to Belgium to visit Bruges and Brussels.  From Belgium we plan on traveling to Munich to visit the fatherland for my German companion Rossicle.  After we rid ourselves of Germany, we are off to Paris, France to end our European tour.  Once we conclude our stay in Europe, Ross will head off to New Zealand and I will fly to India.  I plan on traveling to India for over a month.  After India, I will be headed to the mountains of Nepal.  From Nepal I will travel to Tibet and then to China.  I will be spending about a month in China, Nepal , and Tibet.  After China, I will probably be heading home to North Carolina. In this time, I will have traveled entirely around the planet!  I am so excited for this trip as I have traveled very little in my life time.  I hope you enjoy reading about my travels, but if you don't, this is mostly for me anyways.  Talk to you soon!