The travels are over and were amazing, but it is good to be home.
Tibetan New Years is coming to a close (Losar Tashi Delek!) and classes start up this week. We are back in our apartment and are grateful for the short break to re-acclimate to the altitude, rest from our travels and prep for classes.
For those who didn't know, we were able to travel throughout Asia during the winter holiday. China school schedules vary from the US in that their long holiday is during the winter months between semesters while most US schools have a longer summer holiday. The main reason for this long holiday is because of Chinese New Year or 春节 Spring Festival. Spring Festival is the biggest and most important holiday in China where the whole country shuts down so that everyone can spend time with their family celebrating the Lunar New Year. The extended holiday is given so that students and workers have time to travel back to their home town. Every year China has the largest migration in the history of the world as everyone heads back to their hometown and then back to their work or job. Tickets, as you can imagine, are a bit hard to come by. While all schools have a long winter holiday, our school has an even longer winter holiday due to the fact they celebrate both Chinese and Tibetan New Year. While often the dates are very close, like last year, only a day off. Some years, like this year, are almost a month apart. Our city becomes somewhat of a ghost town while all the students leave campus for home and the most of the city head back to their hometown. Only the end of this last week have restaurants and shops begun to open up again.
Tibet
Because of this unusual schedule Megan and I were able to both play the role of tour guide and tourist during this break. Our first adventure started up here on the rooftop when Elani and her dear friend (and our dear friend) Avery came to visit.
Elani, Seth, Avery and Megan trying not to freeze at 5,190 Meters (17027 feet)
Here we are visiting Lake Namsto. They came up for just over a week before the four of us set out to our next destination...
Chengdu
We took a quick stopover in the city of Chengdu. Chengdu is a city that is famous for hotpot restaurants, spicy food, lots of ethnic diversity but most of all... Pandas!
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has had over 100 panda births in the last 30 years and is currently home to 84 giant pandas. The site is truly amazing and gorgeously done. And yes, the pandas are that cute. So to the panda base we went.
But alas, their cuteness cannot stop our travels. So after a day with the pandas the four of us were off again.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Elani, Avery and Seth in front of Angkor Wat
After a long layover in Kuala Lumpur we arrived in Siem Reap and although Megan was a bit exhausted we made it to Cambodia! For the next three days we exposed the ruins of Anchor Wat, surrounding temples and even had time to check out a waterfall. From there it was off to the beach.
Phuket, Thailand
Thanks to Air Asia air travel in South East is extremely reasonable. Sometimes it is cheaper than a bus or train! They just started a new direct flight from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Phuket Thailand. So to Phuket we went.
The above video was from a snorkeling tour of the Similan Islands off Phuket's western coast. While the actual tour was packed and we felt like cattle half the time, the views were spectacular. Alyssa joined us on our last day in Phuket before we jumped on another Air Asia flight to Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai has a special place in my heart. My first time visiting was in 2002 when I thought it would be my only chance to visit. Since then I have been 10 times, and every time I find something new I love about the city. Although it is getting busier and traffic is getting harder to navigate I still love Chiang Mai.
Megan, Alyssa, Avery, Elani and me right before we saw the elephants
So many highlights of Chiang Mai. Above we are in the Elephant Conservation park where they rescued elephants that used to be in shows. We also did cooking classes, visiting the zoo, motorbike and bicycle rides, lots of eating, and shopping. Soon we had to first say goodbye to Elani and Avery and soon Alyssa left us a few days after. From there Megan and I got back to work. We had a conference nearby and an untold number of meetings.
Here we are with our dear Oregonian friends Patrick and Rebecca who also teach in Asia at our company banquet. It was a busy week but a great time of learning, reconnecting and meeting new people.
Chiang Rai, Thailand
We took a quick trip to Chiang Rai where Megan and I got a couple days with just the two of us. Although we did get a chance to meet our relatives Wi and Geoff on the last morning before catching our 3 hour bus back to Chiang Mai to meet up with another set of relatives.
Geoff, Wi, Seth and Megan before Megan and I jump on our bus.
Back in Chiang Mai
Brett and Jenna joined us when we got back to Chiang Mai. From there we rented scooters, checked out the flower festival, did a cooking class, drank lots of coffee and ate lots amazing food. Then off to a different beach then the one we were at earlier. And by a different beach I mean 7 different beaches. We flew in Krabi and the boat adventure began. We may never get on a boat ever again but it was a great time hanging out, getting sick together and seeing the amazing sites that the beaches around Krabi had to offer.
Krabi, Thailand
Seth, Jenna, Brett and Megan at Ao Nang Beach on one of our last nights together
We said goodbye to Brett and Jenna the day after Valentines day and headed off to see my old college friend and my colleague from my current school who is studying for his master's degree in a country I had never been before...
Singapore
Have you ever asked yourself, "Is there a place in SE Asia I could travel but yet still pay European prices? Well there is! It is the only 100% urban country in the world where it is actually illegal to sell gum. That's right, we are talking about Singapore.
Thanks to the generosity of my college buddy Anthony Morse and his wife Elizabeth who put us up for 4 days we were able to visit this amazing country. And yes I am talking about the Anthony Morse from Hidden Cities fame. And yes the Liz Morse from the upcoming Dead Squad Movie. Okay my plug for their acting career is over, but did I mention there are two of the kindest and most fun people we know!
Anthony, Liz, Megan and Seth eating some Roti Prata near their apartment
We also got a chance to swing by NTU (Nanyang Technological University) to catch up with my Tibetan buddy Yidian. He was in the middle of his school year and gave us a tour of the amazing campus. After catching up with him and hugging goodbye, Megan went to see the live production of Chicago and soon had to say goodbye to the amazing Singapore. And from here we went to an another amazing country neither Megan or I had been to.
Seth, Yidian and Megan hanging outside the cafeteria at NTU
India
This country has intimidated me for years. I have always been so close but yet never took the plunge. But this year we had an amazing reason to visit... Aliya!!!
Aliya and Megan enjoying one of the many amazing home cooked meals
Our niece Aliya is on exchange with Rotary to Nagpur, India. For those who don't where Nagpur is, (myself would also be included in those ranks until recently) Nagpur is the geographical center of India. There is a marker in the middle of the city and everything! We got to stay with Aliya and her host family for over a week. They and Aliya's past host families spoiled us for the 7 days we were there visiting. We got to meet some of Aliya's friends, go to a movie, check out a few temples, drink lots of milk shakes and did I mention eat? The food was amazing.
After having to finally say goodbye to Aliya we had to have an overnight in Delhi to catch one of our last Air Asia flights so we took a quick day tour 3 hours away to the Taj Mahal. We had a great tour company work with us so we could get to the airport in time for our 11pm flight (with Air Asia of course).
Us with the masses at the Taj Mahal
Back home
The tour was amazing and we got to the airport with plenty of time. After a long series of flights we got back into China and stayed in Chengdu for a couple nights the flew up the "hill" back to our apartment here on the rooftop of the world. It was an amazing trip but it is nice to be home and we will be excited to get back into the classroom at the end of the week.
If you're wondering why our bathroom has an umbrella in it, our shquorlet (shower + squatty potty) may have some leaky pipes above it, so this seemed like a logical solution until the repairman comes on Monday. (totally Megan's idea) Oh it's good to be home. :)
-s
