Calling All Exiled Burners in India

We're scheming up a plan for our first missed BurningMan. For Darin it's been 10 straight years, for me 3, and we're feeling very homesick as Garage Mahal camp e-mails are flying around with planning, coordination + much excitement. Seems appropriate that we'll be at the location of the ORIGINAL burning man after all...

Stay tuned here or here to see the latest.

Here are our Playa pics from last year.

You Have Questions, I Have Answers - Maybe

One of our loyal followers (you know who you are), has asked some questions about travel basics + ethics in developing countries. I am by no means an expert on these subjects, but I'll just note my own experiences from travel to several countries each in Latin America, Europe + Asia. As this has become an even greater concern + passion of mine on this trip, and something I will continue to explore here, I'll try to address them in this public forum -

Where do you eat?
Pretty much all my travel has been on a budget. Even when I was steadily employed and making a decent salary, I chose to do this primarily because I felt less insulated from the country I was visiting. Kind of a "when in Rome do as the Romans do" philosophy. So then, as now, we mainly eat in local restaurants (here they call them dhabas). Not only is it dirt cheap, but it's an interesting experience. Yes, cleanliness may be an issue, but there is really no assurance that the kitchens of "nice" restaurants (even at home) are any more sanitary. Just consider the bonus that you're building up your immunity :) Another thing to note is that people WILL stare, sometimes everyone in the place, but just smile and ignore them the best you can. It's probably just because you're eating with your left hand, which they only use for more unsavory purposes, but do you really care?! We do break down and eat in "Western" restaurants every couple of weeks when we're in a town with that option. The occasional veggie burger + fries or banana-nutella pancake will taste all that much better in moderation, no matter how inferior the quality.

What do you eat?
We've both been veg for several years and neither one of us could choke down meat even if it meant refusing polite hospitality. Many third world countries, especially the poorer ones, subsist on some kind of legume and starch, fortunately for us, so in most cases it's not a problem. I'm pretty religious about keeping the grease/fat intake low, and sometimes that's not possible as deep-frying is a cheap + fast method of cooking, but you do what you can. We always try and keep a balanced diet with fresh fruit + veggies and protein too. Here, as in many other countries I've visited, eggs + bread are pretty widely available for breakfast, and if you go to the markets it's cheap + easy to buy fresh fruit, curd/yogurt + honey for a healthier alternative. Lunch on-the-go is usually fruit, and in Latin America it was very common to buy bags of pre-cut fruit for about 5-10 cents each so you could snack throughout the day as you got hungry. Many other quick snacks I've enjoyed include steamed corn, samosas, grilled bananas with coconut milk, cheese, noodles + beans. Street stalls ABOUND for this kind of thing, so just pick one that's busy and chances are you'll be rewarded with something tasty that won't get you sick. Dinner is most always some combination of legume and vegetable served with rice and/or bread. There ARE times when, being a fairly picky eater, I just can't find anything I think I can stomach, so in case of emergency I keep nuts or dried fruit on hand.

Where do you sleep?
At 35 (well, even at 28) I consider myself far too old to do the dorm-bed thing. You WILL pay a premium as a single traveler (around 30%) vs. getting a double room, but in the third world - What's a dollar! I've found that in much of my (third world) travel it's cost me around $2-6 per person for a room. What you get for that price is highly variable so you have to look at a few before you accept. If you've got a bit more cash you get quite an upgrade in the $6-10 p/p range. In the past I've always used Lonely Planet for guidance, but lately have been dissatisfied with their change of focus, so have been turning to both Footprint + Moon Handbooks as good alternatives, as well as asking other traveler's. My budget digs have ranged from ones with hand-stenciled walls, writing desk + views to others where I've later discovered there were so many roaches I had to sleep on top of the covers with the lights on :( Most have been somewhere in between. We typically opt to save a couple bucks and get rooms with shared bath because really, how often are you in there? And after a while those extra dollars add up on a long trip. On this trip we just splurged on a Raj-era deluxe houseboat on a lake that only cost a whopping $7/night each including meals. Not too shabby, eh?!

What do you shop for?
My primary shopping always seems to be for food, especially fruit. The stuff you get out here, because it's both in season + local tends to be some of THE best I've ever had in my life! Other than that, I always look for unique items that don't appear in every tourist-oriented shop. Some things I've bought in the past that I especially treasure are a necklace from the wife of a Shaman in the Ecuadorian Amazon made out of local seed pods and a fabric wrap that women wore specific to only that one village in Guatemala.

How do you feel about traveling in an area teetering on the edge of famine?
There are fairly obvious pros + cons to this. I personally would tend to say "go"! Seeing something so radically different from our own consumerist culture will change you profoundly. Even seeing western consumerism translated and transferred halfway around the globe will change your views, and most likely actions. I believe that the more foreign + more challenging the trip, the more you stand to gain from it. I know lots of people have ZERO desire to take a trip like this. Sure, everyone needs a break and coming to the third world is not necessarily "relaxing". Some destinations CAN offer you both though. I've witnessed some pretty nauseating human suffering during my travels, but it's been mainly with specific individuals, not a people as a whole. I'd suggest not to bite off more than you can handle without becoming an emotional wreck to start. Do your research before-hand and find out if there are places you can volunteer, even for a day, or give money to an aid program (Plan International ) and then visit your donor family while you're there. This might help ease your feelings of looking on the situation as a bystander rather than having come to understand, sympathize and give something in return.

All those things you wish you could do without... but how do you really get off the grid? Is it really necessary to disappear for years?
My trip to Thailand + Cambodia in December 1999 changed my life. I know that's stating alot, but ever since that trip I've felt differently - Less entitled and more aware of myself as part of a larger global community that all shares the same resources on this planet. I returned with a greater appreciation of what it really means to have been lucky enough to be born a white woman in the US. Not even a white MALE, but as a WOMAN I have more rights than many poorer people of the World. I've been given the privilege of always having food on my table, clean water, shelter + education. Not to mention ALL the luxury items I take for granted on a daily basis - Hot baths, imported coffee, heating + cooling, access to information. I don't always appreciate these things as I should, but being aware of my privilege I've made a conscious effort in my life to conserve water, use rechargable batteries, use + re-use paper grocery bags (will have to finally get a cloth one when we get home), recycle plastic as tupperware (instead of just throwing it into the recycling bin where much of that never really gets recycled anyway), wash + reuse zip-lock bags to save them from the landfill, buy things bulk, compost food waste for the garden, take mass transit (as much as I can) + own a car that get great gas mileage (Honda Civic's Rock!). So the answer is "no", you don't have to escape your life, just alter it. Seeing how the majority of the World lives will make these small sacrifices (which we all really will have to do ANYWAY btw, since we're depleting the finite resources of this planet) less painful.

As I said, I really don't have all the answers. We struggle with the in-your-face poverty here on an almost daily basis. It's one thing to read your guidebook which says not to give money to beggars and quite another when someone that is SEVERELY deformed comes/crawls up to you and gestures to their pocket to put money in because they don't have any arms. These people all target westerners too, btw, because they have the impression we're all rich, even if a very well-dressed local is standing right next to your grubby self. Being on the local bus here has been particularly challenging for me because you feel trapped and EVERYONE is staring expectantly at you to see what you'll do or give. When you say "No, Sorry" locals will even offer to help you by pointing out that the person is blind or limbless, as if you didn't quite get it. This has proved to give me a FAR more profound sense of guilt than any strict Christian upbringing ever has. I still haven't found a good solution to this dilemma. Maybe someone else has the answer...

Living the Life of the Raj

Srinigar (Mon. 7.17.06)

Sitting now on the back veranda of "Flora", our floating palace on Nageen Lake, quieter cousin of Dal Lake. These houseboats are a legacy from the British Raj who were not allowed to own property, so instead they built elaborate floating accommodations, complete with hand carved wood ceiling + screens, multiple bedrooms, dining + sitting rooms. We feel like Majarajah + Maharani in this decadence.

We've just had a 1-1/2 hour sunset cruise around the lake and through floating water gardens, watching Kingfisher dive for dinner + sparrows chase each other. Now the men paddle by on their low-floating "shikaras" - One burdened with wood, another is selling Kashmiri shawls, another displays papier-mache boxes and yet another has a mobile 7-11 set-up. We tell them "Shukria, but we can not". Now, the sun sets on the balmy evening. We could be in the tropics but for the northern latitude here. Maybe it's the monsoons down South. We thank Allah that the grenades did not keep us away from this magical place. From right here, right now, trouble seems a million miles away. The Muslim call to prayer drifts through the evening air. Or should I say calls? They come from every direction as mosques litter the city. You can easily discern half-a-dozen different voices + unique prayers. This lasts for around 15 minutes as the remaining light disappears from the sky.

For so many years the violence has kept people away from the "Veil of Kashmir". It's unfortunate for the one million living here because their livelihood has been so threatened in this tourist-based economy. In hard times many have had to sell their boats in order to survive. It's not surprising then that we've found these hearty people to be cut-throat businessmen who have mastered the psychology of how to make a sale + get a bigger tip. To truly enjoy Kashmir you in turn must master the art of smiling, complimenting and declining, constantly. The people are also master wood-carvers + rug-makers, and they're not bad cooks either! We may stay awhile...



(2 Days Later)
Kashmir still casts it's spell over us after interesting walks through the winding alleys of the "old town", past mosques, markets and old masonry + timber buildings. Here, people are friendly + curious with not a tout to be found. Here, people live + children play. Here, we can buy delicious local paneer (cheese) + sesame bread (very much like a bagel). We took a 6 Hr. long shikara ride yesterday and the highlight was the hours we spent getting a waterfront perspective on this area. These narrow canals filled with duckweed, lilies + lotus, and lined with shops, homes + floating gardens, seem much more at home in Southeast Asia than Northern India. What a surprise!

Back at the palace, we've taken to spending more time in our bedroom than the veranda or sitting room for the peace + solitude. Outside, men with goods to sell spot us from across the lake and quickly row over. Inside, we have four servants constantly hovering about so we have zero privacy and constant distraction. When we read, they offer advice or to bring us to quality craftsmen. When we eat, they stand around and rearrange items on the table to appear useful. They are killing us with kindness! We may make a break for it before the taste for this place sours...


(2 Days Later)
We're finally tearing ourselves away today. If it weren't for the constant sales pressure + lack of privacy this would be a DREAM destination! Srinigar is truly a unique city and perfect for slow exploration by foot or, even better, by shikara. Both of which we've done our fair share. Everyone I've heard tell of this place has a love/hate relationship with it, and I guess I'll be the same. It will live long + fondly in my memories though, despite it's imperfections.

Here's a "link" to more photos of Srinigar

Tradition vs. Tourism - Part 4

Likir, Ladakh (Tues. 7.11.06)

I've now had TWO redeeming monastery visits to take the sting out of Thiksey. Yesterday's visit to Spituk where monks had created a sand mandala for a 4-day Puja ceremony. I sat and meditated while around 30 Lamas, wrapped in golden robes, chanted and rang bells. No tourist-trap here, they're just going about their business while still extending the hospitality of offering salt-butter tea as I sit.

Now, I've decided to venture alone for a few days to some quieter villages. Today I visited Likir monastery which is beautifully sited and boasts an enormous golden Buddha sitting atop the roof gazing calmly out at the mountains. I'm staying with a wonderful Ladakhi family of women + children and have my own room with FANTASTIC views. This has given me a great opportunity to put some of what I've learned into practice and Ringchen (the woman of the house who speaks English very well) and I have had a nice talk about life in the US vs. Ladakh over dinner preparations. Now we sit in the kitchen/living room around low tables and a large iron + brass stove that's such a work of art it could easily be in a museum, unwinding at the end of the day.

I guess this was a pretty quick + painless lesson to me that people that survive on working the tourist industry are each going to take a different tactic, or no tactic at all. Just live their lives and include you in them enough to make you feel welcome.

Tradition vs. Tourism - Part 3

Thiksey, Ladakh (Wed. 7.5.06)

My God! We've just witnessed one of the most hideous examples of this gone wrong - The morning Puja ceremony at Thiksey Monastery. Darin's laughing about it now because it WAS so over-the-top, but I'm still depressed because it feels like the Monks have sold their souls.

We headed up the steep hill to the Monastery just before 6:00 AM and were treated with the sun rising over the mountains and casting it's rays onto the valley below + the snow-capped peaks in the distance. As we reached the upper platform, two Monks with crested headress began to blow horns for the call to Puja. The bleariness wore off my eyes as my excitement built for what lay ahead. Soon, Monks began filtering up - One, two at a time. So too though did tourists - Eight, ten at a time. By the time we were seated in the back of the temple there were more tourists than Monks! As the chanting + beating of drums began, more and more kept coming in, and then it REALLY began - The Tourist Show. Shutters were snapping, flashes flashing, RIGHT in the Monks faces! These package-tour culture-oglers, cameras dangling 'round their necks, walked around right in the middle of the ceremony trying to compose the "perfect" shot. There was so much chatter that I couldn't even enjoy the experience by closing my eyes! We soon were so disgusted and embarrased, since we too are tourists, that we had to just walk out.

Obviously, the Monks have an agreement with the tour operators, and when they can only benefit from the tourist dollars for a couple months of the year, they just grin + bear it. That MAYBE justifies the Monks end of it, but from a tourist perspective, that was the most insensitive display of conduct either of us have EVER witnessed. And after being ALLLOWED into their religious ceremony no-less. So who do I direct my anger + blame at? The Guides, for not educating the people? The Monks, for not imposing limits? The Tourists, for their naivete? I know the answer lays somewhere in between.

And so, in our attempt to experience something "real" we go further + further off the beaten path and begin to not tell anyone, except maybe those we've met who seem to share our sensitivity, when we discover something "really" special. That also may explain why some of the most magical places we've found are the ones that guide books say little to nothing about. Point taken that if you don't want to be overrun by the hordes you either need to blaze your own path or travel in the off-season.

On a GOOD note, here's the "link" to our most recent photos

Tradition vs. Tourism - Part 2

Leh, Ladakh (Thurs. 6.29.06)

Since we've arrived in Ladakh, the clash between the two has become more apparent than ever! The culture here had changed little over the last 1,000 years before the influx of tourism. I found a great book by a woman that's spent about 30 years in the area (which has only been open for 40 years to tourists) studying the problem, it's causes and possible solutions. She's organized a couple of organizations here in Leh that we've visited who help to promote both ecological and cultural awareness for locals and instill sensitivity in tourists. Her book, "Ancient Futures - Learning from Ladakh" makes several goods points I thought worth passing along...

Though traditional culture is far from ideal and the people DO benefit from modern technologies (i.e. solar power + heating) they do not have the knowledge or experience to question many things presented to them as "progress" (i.e. western medicines, educational models, farming for export vs. subsistence, chemical vs. organic fertilizers). The individual changes that come along usually look like unconditional improvements and there is no way of anticipating their long-term consequences. The people receive almost no information about the impact that development has had in other parts of the World.

Conventional development seems attractive to the people since it appears to offer enormous benefits at no apparent cost. They do not hear what we have learned from experience and take far fewer precautions (i.e. our move away from toxic chemicals and return to organic agriculture, side effects of Western drugs and return to Eastern medicines).

An important factor of cultural breakdown is the sense of inferiority produced by contact with the Modern World. As the desire the appear "modern" grows, people are rejecting their own culture + traditional practices which are seen as "backward".

Development works on the assumption that the introduction of money is an improvement, and the more the better. While this may be true for the mainstream economy, it is not for a traditional subsistence one where there is no exchange of cash, but a bartering system based on local resources. Moving away from this system makes people dependent on the functions of international finance which is beyond their control.

The arguement that Third World countries should follow in our footsteps to be rich + comfortable too is flawed because our 1/3 of the World's population already consumes 2/3 of the World's resources.

Tourism is a double-edged sword. Once it's begun, the people rely on and benefit from our tourist dollars, but the impression we make is often damaging. Since we come here on vacation, it appears that we all have lots of money and don't need to work for it. TV + movies also give a false impression on what western life is like through their glamorized portrayals, and the impressionable younger generations feed off this and try to emulate it.

So what can we do as Westerner's?

Buy products like shade-grown coffee which preserves the environment; Support local economies; Lobby for subsidies for decentralized renewable energy; Encourage a change in western-style education that would give a broader, more contextual + ecological approach; Increase cultural exchange - Tell them how people are willing to pay more for stone-ground, whole-meal bread vs. processed white; That homes built out of natural materials are preferred to concrete; That smoking is not cool and people now realize it's bad for your health; That people in the West have much, but that it doesn't make them happy; That we work many hours too, but suffer from stress; That we've lost our sense of community and rarely speak to our neighbors + sometimes not to our own families. Basically, break the stigma that our way is the "right" way and let them know that they hold much valuable knowledge about a sustainable future for us all.

The Road Less Travelled

Ladakh, and Leh specifically, has been not quite what we expected. After the beautiful solitude of the Kinnaur + Spiti valleys, we're we're expecting to enjoy more of the same, but instead find ourselves in a prime-time tourist destination in prime season. Whoa! How did all these people get here? For us, it was two GRUELING days on the bus from Manali (by road it's another VERY long day direct to Delhi). The second day was the worst - Rising at 4:30 AM, slowly chugging over the 2nd + 3rd highest motorable passes in the World with people suffering from motion + altitude sickness on either side of us, and not pulling into the bus stand in Leh 'til 9:00 PM! It was a bonding experience for those few westerner's on the bus who hadn't splurged for a private jeep as it felt like we'd been to battle together and survived! With this in mind, we'd envisioned visiting Buddhist monasteries + temples in relative seclusion, quiet strolls through fields saying "Jullay" to the locals and plenty of time for quiet meditation. Our first morning here though, we were dismayed at the plethora of tourist ammenities - The number of western cafes with video screens + guest houses alone was our big clue-in that this was no undiscovered Shangri-La.

We've been here 2 weeks now and estimate the number of people has probably doubled. How, in this remote corner of India? The answer is simple - There are direct flights from Delhi enabling anyone, particularly those inclined towards package tours, to get here quite easily. Ladakh really only has a tourist season of four months due to the formidable weather, so people looking for a scenic + cultural experience flock here during that time. It's certainly beautiful and inspiring if you can ignore that there are more tourists than locals.

So why are we still here? We've found that there is a defined "route" and as long as you find a semi-secluded guesthouse with a nice garden and stay off the beaten path, you CAN have that experience we'd hoped for. We've had SPECTACULAR days walking through terraced fields both in Leh and in the even MORE remote Nubra Valley, which requires another 7 hr. bus over THE HIGHEST motorable road in the World. A little extra effort definitely weeds out alot of the people!

This intense tourist impact into such an ancient culture isn't without side effects though (see "Tradition vs. Tourism - Part 2"). And "Yes" that windy squiggle in the photo IS the road!

We Love SteriPEN

After several months on the road and lots of promo to other travellers and locals alike, we're sharing the hype with you too. This thing is GREAT! Not only does it kill the bugs in your water quickly and easily, but it's a great conversation piece too! Maybe even MORE importantly, it saves 5,000+ plastic liter water bottles from the landfill! In only 90 seconds, we can purify the typical pitcher of local water always placed on our table, keeping us hydrated and in good conscience. Check it out "link"

What's UP with these $300 accessories that we have to rebuy every year?!?!

My 10-month-old digital camera just died a few days ago and now I've spent several dollars in phone calls just to find out that Minolta doesn't cover repair outside the US (as of April this year they've quit making cameras too, BTW), so I have to pay for shipping to and from home if I want them to repair it. The additional extended warranty I bought through a third-party won't cover it until after the Manufacturer's warranty expires! So where does that leave me?!

Also, Darin has discovered that only HIS I-Pod doesn't work at high altitude. It wasn't immediately clear WHY it wasn't working, but now that we've gone over the three highest motorable roads in the World we're detecting a pattern.

So, what IS it with these products that are only designed to last a year or two and then break down, forcing us on this constant cycle of rebuying? Seems a good strategy from their standpoint, but it sure is aggravating when you'd really like to rely on a piece of equipment to perform. It's also pretty depressing from a waste perspective as we add all this non-bio junk to our landfills :(