Good Job, Wikileaks

Since Wikileaks unearthed and published the corruption scandals of Tunisian government, the president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family have been forced into exile by people’s power. This Jasmine Revolution has further “inspired” their neighbouring Islamic countries (Egypt, Yemen, Jordan etc.) to walk out the streets proclaiming their dissatisfaction and anger. The riot erupted in Egypt has by far destabilized the social and economic operation. I think Mubarak would fall in this crisis.

I really appreciate the guts of Wikileaks disclosing the hidden facts of dirty politics, to keep us aware of the unjustified and unfair practice of a handful selfish bastard. Like most of the ordinary law-abiding citizens, I’m sick with the corruptions that obliterating our efforts and deterring country development.

I don’t think any new replacement government would be clean. The words “Anti-corruption” have been seriously abused by these politicians. Who would enact/ amend laws to shun their wealth generation opportunities? Will a thief alert himself to be caught?

 

I hope Wikileaks could do more to shake up the world, act as a watchdog/ spy to keep those foul practitioners be more cautious.

Malay Reserve Land

I went to look for another new house the day before. Quite near to my present house, good looking and much much more cheaper. I walked in to the developer’s office. The staff immediately informed me that this is a Malay Reserve Land, and cannot be sold to non-Bumi. In Malaysia, Bumi is referred to those genuine Malay who claimed to be the aborigine on this Malay land.

I asked if it is possible to buy it on used properties basis. He replied, “No, never, only for Malay.” Not fair, I cursed a bit. What can I do, their privileges was noted in our laws.

Damn the speculators (mostly the money minded Chinese) who fry the housing price high. Please… someone please burst the properties bubbles!!!

Sudan Referendum 2011

While I was working in Sudan from 2001-2005, the conflicts (civil war) between the Sudanese central government (north Sudan, majority Muslims, Arabs) and “Sudan People’s Liberation Movement” SPLM (south Sudan, majority Christians & Animists, black Africans) who was termed “rebels” continuously erupted. The southerners accused the government’s tactics of suppression, marginalization and unbalance wealth distribution. Both parties eventually signed the Naivasha Agreement in 2005 and truce was called. The agreement was to develop democratic governance countrywide and share oil revenues. It further set a timetable for Southerners independence referendum in 2011.

At that time, I had predicted the country/ the 2 parties would split up in the end, based on the factors of widely different cultures, traditions, mentalities, high illiteracy, lasting poverty, corruptions, contradictory political philosophy etc. This 6-year transition period was too short to change the mentality.

The initial polling result of the referendum announced up to 98% of the votes opted for independence. The Central government led by Omar al-Bashir by no mean would agree to split this largest African country into 2, the government would never let the fertile and resources rich southern lands out of their grips.

The next step, I predict the government may do some tricks to agree with concession to buy time and plan to strengthen their hold in the South. They can’t afford to initiate next round of civil war to jeopardize the booming economy. No matter how, President al-Bashir wouldn't give a damn to the world for his humanitarian accuse.

In case that the Southerners succeed to claim independency, I’m afraid the new land would probably turn out to be another Congo, and another outlaw sooner or later.

Thaipusam 2011



The neon light illuminated cart is no longer drawn by cows.



Smashing coconut... can't remember the meaning. Sort of expelling evils.

Tomorrow will be the Thaipusam festival, celebrated mostly by our Tamil countrymen. Malaysia is hosting yearly the world largest celebration, particularly at Batu Caves.

The parade has started today. Not feeling well lately, couldn't join the devotees tomorrow to participate in this "exotic" and colourful festival. Some wonderful photos can be seen here or here or try google it.

Want to complain that, rubbish was found scattered along the whole stretch of roads where the parade marched through. The coconut (offering) shells are fine, but why all styrofoam containers? Why can't people be more environment concious in this 21st century?

Photos - Rwanda

Just found out I have forgotten to put a link to Rwanda photo gallery. Pls refer to my Travelogue.

Photos - Hong Kong & Macau

The photos of Hong Kong and Macau trips have been uploaded to my Travelogue.

20110110 Macau

Conveniently accessible by an hour ferry ride from HK.

Macau is a magnet to gamblers. This tiny city is heavily packed with casinos. Each one is competing to be grander and larger, providing free entertainment and lucky draw to casual players. All major casinos provide free shuttle service at ferry pier and airport to transport guests the very first hand to their own premise.

Each casino has its own character, while Venetian is the most unique. It copies the scenic view of Venice into it, has the most beautiful deco with water canals and huge shopping mall. Coupled with the world class Four Season Hotel, the flow of tourists never cease.

Chinese gamblers (mainly from mainland China) dominate almost the entire gambling industry. Chips on their hands seemed to be worthless. They throw on the table in stacks. While the luxurious boutiques around are frequented mostly by them too. The consumption power of the Chinese has reached an unprecedented significant.

Lots of watch and jewelry shops sprouted around the casinos, but the price tags were ridiculously high. Probably the winners from the gambling do not mind to waste some easy fast money to flash around.

There are a few world heritage monuments on this former Portuguese colony. Largo de Senado has the finest example of Portuguese architecture influence. The black and white waving pave walk is elegant.

The iconic Ruins of St.Paul is a must visit to most tourists. Nothing much left after the fire eruption in 1835. The majestic stairway certified it was once an important Christianity centre in the past.

Macau is less developed compared to HK, but the culture is quite similar. It has no short of delicious cuisine. Don’t miss it.

20110107 Hong Kong

Hong Kong, a metropolitan, an international financial hub, paradise for shopaholics, famed for cuisines, previously the Hollywood of Chinese movies… all these factors form an unique character of this city and attracts lots of tourists.

After this trip, I have changed many opinions on HK positively. It is more organized and disciplined than I thought. People, mostly are friendly. The transportation system is absolutely efficient. Local foods are reasonably priced. The drawback was the hotel rooms are far too expensive.

There are not many sights to see. Am not interested with the temples, no spectacular sceneries… but the suburban like former fishing village Tai-O was attractive with its personality.

Foods were good in general. A bowl of noodle under EUR1 is still available; some exotic restaurants tucked in narrow lanes secretly only be known to local people; snacks and desserts can be found anywhere… international cuisines, you name it, you get it. My stomach got no chance to feel hunger throughout the trip.

Shopping… international signature boutiques flagship stores studded mostly at Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. Lots of variety and the demand was strong. Imagine customers have to queue up patiently outside LV store waiting for their shopping spree.

Compare to Lan Kwai Fong where pubs filled with executives after works at Central, I prefer SOHO at stone throw away. It has more character and wider choices.

My trip wouldn’t be so memorable without the assistance and hospitality of my local friends Jimmy, Ivan & Tung. Thanks again! I will definitely visit again!

p.s. On my first night of arrival at HK, we walked past a crime scene near to our hotel with police and reporters gathered around. A dead body was seen. Someone jumped off from a building. I reckoned it was quite unlucky superstitiously. On the way back, a woman kept pointing and reminding us a corpse was there. Weird people, was it exciting to her?! The newspaper next day reported the case saying that the limbs of the person were found scattered around. Was he dismembered or the momentum of falling torn the limbs apart? Scary…

Photos - Indonesia

Have uploaded the photos of Indoensia trip to my Travelogue.

Happy New Year

Looking back year 2010, it was a good one. The 1st half was hectic with works, while the 2nd half was a total leisure vacation. Felt like wasting my time luxuriously. I possessed and enjoyed my freedom that I dreamed of. Unfortunately I had neglected the most important aspect – health. The blood test identified my cholesterol exceeds healthy range. Not a big deal but I have to control my diet stricter from now on.

I wish to have a fruitful and happy new year.

20101208 Indonesia – Bali

The tiring 17.5 hr bus journey started at 12:30pm from Yogya. It was terribly uncomfortable because of the nauseating artificial air refresher in the bus. They had done slightly too hard to please the passengers. It took me a few hours to accommodate with the ordour. A female passenger boarded, I guessed she had overdosed cheap perfume… my nose suffered again.

There was no highway from Yogya to Bali, only 2-lane roads. All the way the bus navigated through green fields, jungles and local villages, and boarded a ferry for an hour. Was so glad to have hotel pickup arranged beforehand, saved my time searching for transportation in the tired mood.

08-Dec was a Hindu festival, many shops were close. I spent my time strolling on the beach and had a long sleep to compensate the sleepless night earlier.

I rented a motorbike (USD 6) and rode to Tanah Lot where a temple was built on an island, everything looked alike as 8 yr ago. The island was accessible in the evening during low tide. There was a cave at the bottom where “holy” spring water flow. I guess that was just a waterhole from the lime stone. Proceeded to Ubud, but under-estimated the distance was so so far away. Ubud seemed to be much more commercialized nowadays. Lots of expensive hotels, restaurants and souvenirs surround the palace. Ubud is famous for quality paintings and sculptures. Of course good stuffs are not cheap.

Went to the pub at night. Drinks were cheap, but the crowds were much less compared to Thailand. As usual, many people volunteered to accompany the lonely hearts… but they were not pushy.

With an acquaintance, I shared renting a car to travel to north Bali. Pretty cheap - USD15/day. First to Lake Beratan, not so impressive. Dense fog enveloped the whole area swiftly after we arrived. The adjacent temple Puraluhur Baratan was small. A few km ahead lied Lake Buyan & Lake Tamblingan. Circumnavigated the mountain roads was not easy in the rain. We headed straight to the north point - Singaraja. Quite disappointed, stayed less than 1/2hr and returning to Kuta. We stopped by Gitgit Waterfall, quite impressive but all of us were partially soaked in the rain.

The next day we covered the southern region. Nusa Dua has good white sand beach but almost exclusive to the luxurious hotels and resorts. We had our lunch at Jimbaran. We chose the lively seafood from the aquarium – clams, crab and a fish (frozen) for the kitchen to prepare grilling. When served, I noticed the crab meat shrunk and was too soft, 4 legs were missing. Obviously it was a dead frozen crab but not the lively creature that I chose. I complained to the waitress but she insisted that she supervised the food preparation.

20101205 Indonesia – Yogyakarta

I travelled by train to Yogyakarta (pronounce Jogjakarta), or Yogya in short. The service was quite good and clean, though the wagons were not new. It’s Ok, comfortable with a/c. The 8 hour journey passed through villages, symmetrically divided vast lush green rice field, the terraces shored up according to the slope contours, with scarecrows' thatching sleeves hung on the bony frame. I was listening to Yanni, wonderful feeling.

Rain poured lavishly at the time of my arrival. I was partially soaked. The rickshaw driver seized the chance to demand higher charges. I settled at a guesthouse tucked inside a very narrow lane near to the railway station. Was inconvenient to move around to find a better option.

Dinner was OK, had the local vegetarian food Gado-gado and scrumptious avocado juice.

Yogyakarta is said the most touristy city (other than Bali) in Indonesia. This statement misguided me somehow. It was not so attractive. The main draw – Kraton (Palace of Sultans) failed to impress me, only some exhibits of the previous sultans were displayed. The bird market was my pick in the city. Not bad, plenty of birds, roasters, lizards, dogs and cats for pets. The odd creatures like python, civets, bats, monkey were also found. Can't be sure some of them are illegally traded.

Due to the recent eruption of the nearby Merapi volcano, the most famous Borobudur Temple was partially close for ash cleaning and renovation. Tourists were only allowed to stay at the lowest platform though the entrance fees remain the same (EUR 10). Not fair… I skipped the visit this time.

I also planned to trek the highly recommended Bromo mountains. The authorities have banned the trekking due to some signs of eruption and the continuous rain pour lately. The risk had increased. I skipped again. Will definitely make it next time.

Without Borobudur and Bromo, there is no point to stay in Yogyakarta. I decided to leave to Bali, to try to recall some memories almost 8 yrs ago.

20101201 Indonesia – Bandung

Bandung is not a destination for ordinary backpackers, but its relatively higher altitude promising a cooler climate and being the hub of clothing factory outlets have attracted many tourists from both domestic and abroad.

Bandung airport is really small. 2 immigration counters were located right in front of the arrival entrance. The long queue of passengers may have to stay under the sun or rain outside the arrival hall. For all foreigners, all 10 fingerprints and a photo must be taken for record – first kind of experience in my travelling life. Process was fast somehow. The baggage conveyor belt (only 10m long) is found right next to the counters. Prudent custom officers checked almost each piece of luggage, but foreigners are mostly exempted from this tedious procedure.

The climate, indeed, not really cooling, but just a couple of degrees Celcius lower than Kuala Lumpur. The city is quite tidy, quiet and clean, this was a good start to convince my mom the place is not filthy like India.

Many street entertainers were waiting at traffic light junctions. Mostly have a guitar on hand, a few kids and transvestites were seen. They approached the stopping cars and sang or danced, expecting a few coins of appreciation.

Probably the hotel staffs didn’t understand us well, they couldn’t recommend precisely the outlets that meet our expectation. After visiting several disappointing outlets on Cihampelas Road, we finally found one. Ha… shopping spree commenced! The outlets have lots of signature brands with huge discounted price – some rejected items, some “A” quality imitation, some belong to previous seasons.

We rented a car to Tangkuban Prahu (30km north of Bandung) to see the volcanic craters. At the entrance, the rent car driver was so enthusiastic to purchase tickets for us. I counted he paid for 6 persons but only 5 tickets were given. I demanded back the difference. Reluctantly he withdrew the missing Rs50000 note (EUR4.5) from his pocket to me. I gave back the money to him end of the trip as tips. He was overjoyed.

There are several craters in the area, the car park was situated right next to the biggest Kawah Ratu. Scenery was good. Plenty of souvenir and fruit vendors gathered. The sulphuric fume was still emitting, tourists were kept a distance away from the poisonous gas. With my family, I couldn’t trek to other craters. The tourism authorities strictly requested all tourists to be accompanied by official guide to trek to other craters.

p.s. The hotels and taxi are not so cheap. Local foods couldn’t please our taste buds.

Indonesia – General

Indonesia is so close to Malaysia, yet I feel so far away. I have no clue at all about our neighbour other than Bali. The general impression (mostly negative) is mainly picked up from the local media about those crowds filling the hard labour works abandoned by Malaysians. How ignorant I was, the trip changed lots of biased stereotype positively. In fact majority of them are so genuinely friendly. Well, I had only been to Bandung, Yogyakarta and Bali (all in Java Island). My judgment is simply based on the experience on these 3 cities.

The country is wide, scattered in several huge islands. It is less developed economically than Malaysia, but this world’s largest Islamic country has a huge population of 270mil. It has great potential to surpass other Asean countries due to its huge internal market, low labour costs and rich resources.

I bought Lonely Planet edition 2009. Most of the prices and costs were not updated accordingly.

Re-Open

I have closed this blog for 2 weeks for some personal reasons. Now the mood is back and will start posting again. Thks for your visit.

Trip To Indonesia

Next week, I will travel to Bandung with my family, and will move on alone to other places in Indonesia afterward. No route plan yet, very much depends on the mood then.

Best Actor

The stampede set-off by the bridge collapse at Phnom Penh (Cambodia) 5 days ago caused a death toll of 357 and thousands wounded during a festival which attracted 3 million people from nationwide. The picture of the incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen with spouse weeping for the tragedy was published on the newspaper the next day. What a great actor. I guessed he didn’t blink an eye during his notorious period in office in the 80’s. His hands were stained with bloods of thousands of political prisoners.

Freedom In Exile

Being a highly respectful and reputable leader to the Tibetans, I guess most of the visitors are definitely interested to study Dalai Lama. This book was first published in 1990, narrating only the superficial history of his life and philosophy, gratefulness to Indian government, struggling to free Tibet. Quite interesting and it arouses sympathy. Somehow there is not any hint to uncover / criticize the mistakes done internally.

India 2nd Trip - Photos

The photos of 2nd India trip have been uploaded to my Travelogue.

Heritage

I made a day trip with a friend to Muar, a small town in southern peninsular. Things changed in great extend since my last visit 16 years ago. We drove past small villages densely decorated with greens and wooden huts; I learned to appreciate the ancient buildings with rich cultural elements… The small town no longer fit the images etched in my memory - a few pubs, modern buildings, shopping mall, luxurious cars scattered sporadically. Even the local foods tasted differently.

Journey Ends

Frankly I didn’t enjoy much the recent Indian trip. Probably there was no excitement satisfying my “curiosity” (McLeod Ganj was an exception). The general unhygienic environment and the typical arrogant kinda attitude of a handful local people (exerting superiority) were annoying. Anyway, the journey ends now. Very likely I wouldn’t visit India again. Never say never… I still have my heart with the Tibetan refugees and hope to set my feet on Ladakh one day.

p/s: Books are relatively cheap in India. I bought 9 books on this trip.

20101026 India - McLeod Ganj (Return again)

Yeah... back to McLeod Ganj again - my favourite place in this trip. In fact the main idea was hoping to see His Holiness Dalai Lama on the upcoming Tibetan Children Village (TCV) 50th anniversary celebration on 30-Oct.

As I had done earlier, I joined the English conversation class to interact with the students - I really enjoyed greatly. Unfortunately the amount of teachers (mostly tourists) is decreasing in the coming winter period. Their learning progress would be affected.

I attended a couple of gatherings where the Tibetans sharing their experience and efforts in this exiled government, and their political views. Through various discussions, I realized that some of them were gradually losing their faith to free Tibet, the family issues and living environment top the reasons. Felt so helpless... History is not made in a day, could be through generations. The frustration idea could be contagious and sabotaging the efforts of their government.

I took a chance to trek to the Triund (mountain area) - altitude 2850m. The 3.5hr trek was quite tiring, but was rewarded by the splendid views when I set my feet on it. Grassland carpeting the mountain top, a few shacks providing refreshing meals and drinks, snow clad mountains standing stout behind us, enjoying the caress of the soft sunlight and the light cooling breeze. Too bad, I sprained my right knee again on the way down though I had put on a protection cap. Not so serious somehow. Was interested to listen to my guide (a student in the English class) telling his stories back in China.

On 30-Oct-10, I was so excited to join the crowd for TCV's 50th anniversary celebration. I know I should't expect much presentation from the school. What I wanted was just to see H.H. Dalai Lama... I saw him, though he was 50m away. My camera only managed to capture a small figure of him for this far distance. I'm content. I stayed only till noon, had to prepare myself to take an evening bus back to Delhi, and flight back to Malaysia on Sunday's evening.

Dalai Lama (71 yr old) has announced his retirement sooner or later. Many Tibetans worry about who would be his successor? What would be the next without Dalai Lama? I felt kinda missing the Tibetans here. Don't lose your faith, my friends.

20101024 India - Haridwar

I took a jam-packed rickshaw to travel from Rishikesh to Haridwar. It was OK, but the moment I arrived at Haridwar, I had the instant feeling that this was not my expectation.

After checking-in hurriedly into a hostel recommended by Lonely Planet, I started exploring the city, headed straight to the public bus station (opposite to the railway station) to check out the bus schedules. This short walking distance... hmmm... I can only describe CHAOTIC!

It was hot and humid. The ghats were long on both sides of the Ganga river bank. But... as usual, rubbish decorated the area. Lots of people. And plenty of poor people lying and scattering around under the scorching sun. The water level was low, probably controlled by the dam a short distance away. Quite some "extra objects" in the river - very likely not rubbish because no one should dump anything into this holy river, I think those were left over from the praying ceremonies.

Finally, I walked up to the largest ghat in the city... phew... very very lively and lots of pilgrims. Not many foreigner faces were seen. The whole city was very Indian. It is an important pilgrimage city but not a touristy place. It lacks the charm and uncomparable to Varanasi.

Right next to this ghat was the colourful Bara Bazaar. Most of the shops were selling local snacks and ceremony related substances. Plenty of unfortunates begging for money - those losing fingers and palms because of leprosy, amputees, old skinny persons... my heart sank...

An old monk pulled my shirt and pointed to a restaurant, I guessed he wanted me to buy him a meal. How could I do that? Dozens of them in the area, I would be besieged if I would agree to him. I walked away immediately, he poked me with his walking stick!!! What the heck!

I went back straight to my room and only walked out to have my meals. I didn't want to go back to the ghats anymore. Interesting, there were plenty of stickers printed "Keep Silence" in the whole hotel building, but I heard the Indians talking out loud from 8pm to 10pm. My ears were tortured.

The next day, I went to the local bus station. I asked someone which was the bus to Dharamsala... "~!@#$%^&*" and he shoke his head rhythmically and pointed me to another one. I asked the 2nd one, he shoke his head too but said "3pm". Fine, I sat down on the floor (no bench and chair at all) in the middle of the waiting hall. There were not even a sign in English. After 15min, I noticed there was a bus printed "Dharamsala", I approached the conductor, he told me the bus would be leaving in 10min, which means 2pm... NOT 3pm!!!

Glad to catch the bus... but the tedious 15hr overnight journey on this so-called "semi deluxe" bus was really really really not pleasant. I had to share with another 2 persons on the non-reclining seat with limited leg room. My neck was pain and my legs were sore.

20101022 India - Rishikesh

Have not planned to visit this town, stayed here only because of transit. Somehow the unexpected turned out quite good, not so touristy.

This small town is settled on the holy Ganga river bank. The water quality is much more cleaner and fresher than at Varanasi because of its location at upper stream. The serene and relaxing ambience provides a good spot to practise yoga, meditation and learning cultural music.

Hindu devotees come to cleanse their soul. The ghats (staircase leading people step into the river and bathe) were tidily constrcuted and fairly clean. Iron chains were for holding in order not to be flushed away by the swiftly drifting current.

An Indian lady tried to convince me to dip into this cold water in a morning, to wash away my sins, she said, this opportunity was rare to me. Well... I chickened out... Acc' to what I believe, "sin" is like a drop of ink dripping into a pile of clean water. No one could erase the sin, but to carry out more charity works to purify the contaimination.

I saw a naked sadhu performing his "ritual" on the river bank. His hair was so long till touching the ground. Well, I didn't want to offend him and dared not to get closer. His body was smeared with white ash. It was a little too dark to take a photo of him from far side. I tried to locate a better place the next day but he didn't turn up.

Walking around the town... I was really astonished to see piles of rubbish were dumped here. Water flew over the rubbish before pouring into the Ganga...

World Vision - My Sponsored Kid

I was overjoyed to know that World Vision (WV) is going to organize a trip to visit my sponsored kid in Thailand in Dec. I had only seen him on the photos he sent to me occasionally. Within this 3 years, I had no chance to meet him. I made all the necessary payments to WV before coming to India.

Last week, WV informed me that they couldn't locate the child because he has shifted out from the project area. Oh no... when was it happened? Why I was not informed? Had all my letters and postcards delivered to him? I paid the sponsoring amount regularly! WV couldn't answer any. Was a little frustrated.

20101015 India - McLeod Ganj

After 5.5hr spinning on the mountainous roads, was so glad to reach McLeod Ganj, which means I could get hot meals now.

The 1st impression was that McLeod Ganj has all the elements to be the hub of backpackers - religious background, cheap accommodations, good foods, souvenirs, narrow alleys, many foreign faces and languages. This is the typical den for those tourists overwhelmed with sympathy and hippies. Tibetans seem to outnumber Indians in this town.

Background:
Under the iron wrist and attacks of China government in 1950's, the renowned Tibetan political cum spiritual leader 14th Dalai Lama opted to flee Tibet to seek refuge from India in 1959. This further triggered exodus of Tibetans following his step. The Indian government granted the exiled Tibetan government to be established here, very small scale, smaller then my expectation. The major authorities were available - parliament, court, ministry of education, culture etc. The little museum (a room) inside the Library displayed those precious artifacts brought from Tibet. The main financial support is mainly comprised of public donations.

Another small Tibet Museum in town narrated the histories by displaying a few photos and videos, mainly about the invasion of China government to Tibet. No gory photos displayed about the massacre.

I met a Mongolian lady twice who was studying Tibetan language here. She kept asking about my dreams and gave analysis (prediction) on it. Frankly it was hard to believe. Since she was so serious and keen to explain, I paid attention on it. At last she said her service was not for free, I should pay some amount if I "would seek" her advice next time. Ha... the dream analyst was a commercial person too.

I attended a Buddhist philosophy lecture given by a senior monk. The lesson was somehow too difficult for a beginner like me.

There are several organizations and NGOs here to help the needy (especially those newly arrived) to adapt their new life by giving free foreign language courses, physical assistances etc. I participated in the English conversation class after lunch to try improving their communication capability. Meanwhile I could make some friends and to understand their background and dilemma. It was interesting, I hope my little effort would help.

I had been thinking of picking up meditation course here... till now I didn't realize any due to several excuses.

Most of the monks here had no income, largely depends on the meager remittance from their family or friends to support their daily expenses. I was invited by 2 monks to their accommodations, very very basic living. They even prepared simple foods for me, was deeply touched by their hospitality.

The tough escaping journey stories depressing me again and again. They trekked over the snow clad high mountains for nearly a month, suffering freezing cold, frostbites, hunger, tiredness, avoiding the patrol police (they normally walked only in the night time), taking care of kids, paying huge sum to the traffickers, many people failed and died on the way...

This is the place I felt the most comfortable during this trip... I LOVE it.

20101012 India - Dalhousie

Another 6.5hr bus ride from Amritsa to former British hill station Dalhousie. The roads were snaking all the way up to altitude 2000m. Some sections were REALLY hair raising. It was a big construction to build these roads up to the mountain top. Surprising to see many small villages were patched all over the mountain.

It was dark on my arrival, cold, hastily settled at the hotel for Rs250 (EUR6.2) per night. Ah... with clean big bed, cable TV and hot shower! Wow... value for money. A spider was welcoming me at the toilet located at balcony.

Really small... nothing to see except the dense pine forest, mountains, cooling atmosphere and the sunrise/ sunset views. Dirty... it was dirty for a tourist spot. Rubbish was not taken care of. People dumped loads of rubbish at the slopes instead of burying them. They didn't even clean up the rubbish around the hotels.

A sizable Tibetan refugee community had been established here long ago. I met 2 Tibetan teenagers, they guided me to visit their compound and we talked about their livings. Interesting.

Many locals told me I must visit Khajjiar - termed "Mini Switzerland" with a lake at the center of grassland. It was an hour drive from Dalhousie. I was expecting dense pine trees, mountains, crystal clear water, beautiful grassland, herds of cows and relaxing cafe. Partly true, except the crystal clear water was replaced by muddy pond, skinny cows, cafe with plastic chairs, and worse, rubbish was scattered around, not huge volume but it was an eyesore for a tourist place. I was fantasizing a pretty Indian actress dancing Bollywood choreograph with me and chasing each other at this romantic dreamland.

I waited 2.5hr to catch a bus back to Dalhousie. Unexpectedly the bus broke down on the way, was a little worried. Something was wrong with the front wheel. After 15min, luckily we were on the road again.

I stayed my last night in my room watching Commonwealth Games closing ceremony. Was good.

20101010 India - Amritsa

I dared not to take the food on the street, therefore I went to a restaurant near to the hotel for breakfast. As expected my food was delivered without knife and fork - Indian style. As no one else in the room, so I asked the cleaner. I thought he would call someone to deliver to me, instead he went to the shelf picking for me! With his fingers at the tip of the fork and grinned. He was cleaning the floor with his hands and a dirty cloth just now! I was shivering and headed to the shelf immediately... regretful instantly... Now I know why it is better to eat with your hands in India.

The city is really dirty. Ahh... an Indian told me this is the dilemma of India. Almost everyone is throwing rubbish out of their hand anywhere.

In this holy city of Sikhs, the Golden Temple is a must-visit. This was Sunday cum a special holiday, the temple was full of devotees, surprisingly not many tourists were seen. It was really beautiful, constructed with white marble and golden domes, spot clean (a contrast to the surrounding outside the temple), flowers fragrance filled the compound... solemn and relax. I visited here in 2 consecutive days.

Devotees could dip in the pool to cleanse their soul. There was a huge kitchen and canteen (a hall) catering free foods for anyone in need. Lots of volunteers were preparing foods, cooking and cleaning like a great communal work.

I didn't know if I was lucky, 2 young ladies approached and asked for my contact no. They couldn't speak English at all. The 1st one looks ordinary like a village girl. Since she demanded unceasingly together with 2 older ladies, I gave my e-mail address to her. I won't reply to her for sure. The 2nd lady was more aggressive. She followed me entering the temple, asked for phone no., photo, address... she even touched me... goshhh... she is not so "attractive", her chin distorts to the left while the upper row of teeth protrudes to the right. Eventually, a guy came to rescue me and talked sternly to this lady.

Visited the adjacent Jallianwala Bagh, a small park commemorates 2000 Indians who were killed or wounded by the British authorities in 1919, some bullet marks are visible.

Another must-do in this city was to make a trip to India/Pakistan border at Wahga, 28km from Amritsa to watch the daily retreat ceremony (closing the border). Lots of visitors on this Sunday. Everyone was pushing and rushing to get a good seat. The crowds of guessing 3000-4000 people on each side were screaming patriotically. The border was merely separated by 2 gates on each side. My seat was slightly too far to see the actions. Both sides seem to parade in the same style. Was fun.

note: finally, I had my 1st KFC in India.

20101009 Srinagar to Amritsar

The houseboat servant only prepared hot tea for my breakfast, they cheated me by saving 2 eggs and a piece of bread. Anyway, I had no appetite because I had to catch the transportation to Jammu.

Mohd paid for a seat in a van (I thought a 4-wheel wagon). The driver... or all drivers were hell drivers. Almost met an accident on the road, though not our fault. The general attitude of the drivers was too reckless. The whole trip was navigating around the mountains, thousand of curves, thousands of trucks and horn blowing. The Bollywood music inside the van was blaring out loud most of the time. The high pitch tailing Indian voice was irritating. Luckily I had my own mp3. The journey consumed 8hr45min.

At Jammu, immediately I rushed to the bus station for a ticket to Amritsa, unfortunately the 5pm schedule was sold out. With my pitiful begging and charm, the conductor found and allocated the best seat (next to the driver) for me. Thanks a lot! Almost all the way from Jammu to Amritsa was straight, but some sections were very bumpy, my butt ached. The journey took another 5hr45min... much longer than I thought.

11:00pm, at Amritsa bus station, I picked up a a rickshaw driver to send me to the hotel. Around the bus station was really filthy, was almost suffocated by the ammonium stink (it was Indian's general habit to piss anywhere) and the rubbish stench. Poor rickshaw drivers and the homeless slept under the bridge... I didn't feel good to pass by this area.

The rickshaw driver charged me Rs60 (EUR1) instead of the agreed amount Rs20 (EUR0.33). He said the difference was his hotel commission. Ha... I didn't argue with him considering a poor man he is, I was a little annoyed by his trick.

I found 3 mosquito bites on my exposed arms, each had a size of 2cmx1cm. What a venomous insect! Looking at the poor hygienic environment, the mosquito breed must be extra poisonous.

Note: a newspaper costs barely Rs3 (EUR0.05)!!! How do they make profit?

20101005 India - Kashmir

The situation at Kashmir was not safe, I was advised. Strike had been going on for 3 months. All flights to Srinagar were canceled temporarily last 2 weeks. After collecting latest info, I was told the situation was under control and tourists can fly in again.

The flight from Delhi to Srinagar was 1hr10min. The Airport looks like a military base, almost all roofs were painted with camouflage colours. All tourists had to register again upon arrival.It was heavily guarded and militarized along the road. This strike was organized by the radical group demanding for Kashmir independence. Tourism was seriously affected. Most shops, banks and schools were close. Saw some slogans "Freedom", "Indian Dogs Out of Kashmir" etc were painted on the walls. Army was everywhere.

The climate in Srinagar was excellent, lots of houseboats but look deserted. Area not particularly beautiful, less then my expectation, but it was serene.

I signed up for 2 trekking packages for approx. USD160, which I think was overpriced. Considering the present uncertain situation, it would be better to let the agent to earn my money rather than organizing myself.

The first trip was to Pahalgam. The place was not so special, we headed straight to Aru (12km to the north). A horse was arranged for me, and the local guide walked the horse circumnavigating through the pine forest, all the way to Lidderwat, an hour each way. I just recalled the Salem High Country advertisement many many years ago. Frankly, to be alone on this trip was boring. Other than the mountains, pine trees and a few herds of sheep, there was nothing much to see. Anyway, was a relaxing day though my butt was sore.

The 2nd trip was to the glacier at Sonamarg. The scenery along the road was beautiful - high mountains, deep valleys, running turquoise blue mountain streams and small villages. This was what I expect from Kashmir. Felt like being cheated, the horse didn't bring me to the glacier, but still a far distance. I could see but not touch. I had to climb 1/2 hr more to get a little closer for better view. Never mind, the time was too short, and I knew how to plan if I would come again next trip.