agra/varanasi.

we are alive and thriving. the hostage situation in mumbai has given us all a bit of a scare, but we have zero intention of heading down there at any point and are always as cautious as a reasonable person can be.. so i suppose we are at the will of the world.. [in the 21th century that may be a scary thought?] but we're just loving life through it all.

sitting here in our hostel at varanasi i've had quite the afternoon. we started out for a walk around the area after dropping off our bags and happened to stumble upon the "burning ghat" (i can't remember the hindi translation).. which is where they cremate all the bodies after cleansing them in the ganges river.. there i saw things. things that i probably would have rather not seen, but i watched in a mesmorized sort of wonderment and dread.. death is something that i don't understand in the least and i suppose that is why it scares (?) me. it takes about 3 hours for the cremations to be completed, and they have maybe 25 going at a time in this one area.. a red saree means it's a woman and white or orange means it's a man.. i couldn't imagine having that job.

we spent last night on another train, as well as the night before.. passed through agra quickly as there is really not much to see besides the taj mahal.. [please note that i am in no way down-sizing it's wonderment].. our train was about 4 hours late getting into agra and so we headed straight to taj mahal after lunch. 22 years to build; 30,000 workers.. the marble work was unbelievable. and the size.. they did alright.

monkeys running rampant all over the place.. it's pretty crazy to see them free of cages, yet i'm sure they are quite the nuisance in the cities without any population control.. india has also finally received a back-ordered shipment of high rise bell bottom pants for men.. i feel like we're walking through the movie set of a 70's flick.. fantastic.

standing at the train station last night we got to talking about how funny it is when people's names match their occupation.. so then we started playing a game.. a few we came up with were: "gemma - the jewel maker".. "moe - the landscaper".. "phillip - the gas jockey".. "patrick - the magician".. the best one was "amanda --- the transvestite".. priceless.

we'll be here in varanasi for a few days. trying to get on the forum, but nothing yet..

jalismer/udaipur.

much to our delight the train wasn't bad. we boarded feeling worried and intimidated.. mike caught a hand in his back pocket within the first 2 minutes (he's got good reflexes).. and on 5 benches in our immediate vacinity i could count 21 people without even turning my head, not including the 4 of us [and all very blatantly staring at the foreigners].. not what one would call 'spacious' or 'comfortable'.. however, we all loosened up a bit (while still remaining very cautious with our belongings..) and by 10pm the train had cleared out and we each had our own bed [hard bench], which was 100x better than our 24 hour stint in the upright seats.. the constant draft through the windows was terribly cold but we wore as many layers and we could find and have now acquired blankets for the overnight rides..

i could not believe the scenery on the ride.. they leave the train car doors open (i'm not sure they even had doors) and you could just hang out there and take it all in.. desert.. camels.. a few shrubs and huts along the way.. amazing. we arrived in jalismer at 1pm and were ushered straight to the henna hotel by a man we met on the train [he was legit]. settled in and got straight to exploring the city.. we walked around the old fort which is raised up on a hill and has tons of buildings surrounded by massive walls, all built with sand stone.. witnessed a beautiful sunset from up there..

the next morning we set out bright and early for an overnight camel trek! we rode for 4 hours the first day, stopping for lunch in the heat of the afternoon to duck under a tree and catch a nap.. i rode the 'rocket'.. melissa was on 'raza'.. stacy clopped along on 'partner'.. mike's didn't have a name but we referred to it as 'fonty'.. while steen picked up the rear with 'michael jackson'.. good 'ol mj.. doesn't matter what country, everyone knows who he is.. nobody thought they'd walk again by the time we dismounted to set up camp.. you don't realise how many muscles go unused until you ride a camel..

the scenery and basically the entire experience of being there [and india in general] is indescribable.. words don't give justice to the rippled dunes and the sunset and the beetles scuttling all over the place.. the curry and chipati's cooked on open flame.. the coolness quickly taking over the sand and air as soon as the sun had set.. the conversations had at the bonfire.. we had tent malfunctions and ended up camping out under the stars.. never have i seen a sky like that in my life.

the next morning we woke to a hot cup of chai and watched the sunrise. another few hours on the camels, and we were back in the city.. (by this point we could hardly move, nevermind walk..) but i want to do this again.

we bused to udaipur that afternoon and arrived at 5am, finding refuge at the palace view hostel which is owned by an adorable couple. they have been very good to us. i decided to get my nose pierced and found a place.. possibly sketchy, forever unforgettable.. we all got henna on our feet and legs.. walked down to the lake and hiked about 30 minutes up a mountain for an amazing panoramic view of the city where we again watched the sunset..

back at our hostel, we arranged for a 'cooking class' [we had chosen our dishes that morning..] however a random power outage didn't allow it.. they just made it for us when it came back on and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner over candles on the rooftop where we had a full view of the palace and city.. fireworks were going off everywhere as many people were celebrating weddings, and we just reaped the benefits..

today we checked out the palace, and are now heading to a restaurant before jumping on another overnight bus.. agra in the morning.

shanghai/delhi.

we spent 4 days in shanghai walking around the city streets, boardwalk, people's square.. took a journey through the psychedelic "bund tunnel" and questionable "aquarium" (a room with a small selection of living creatures, as well as randomly jarred fish - wrinkled, possible pickeled..) we ate every evening at this tiny soup place hidden just off street, a random find which we took full advantage of.. there was a cooler full speared vegetables and bundles of leaf greens which you put in a basket, they cook it up in some broth, and voila.. for $2 including a bottled drink, we left stuffed and content every time. and our long lost melissa showed up at our room the morning of our flights, much to everyone's delight..

and here we are.. india. it was a slightly clausterphobic plane ride, but we slept. got into new delhi at 5am china time, but got an extra 2.5 hours with the time change.. met stacy and melissa's friend mike (another korean teacher..) who has settled right into our group, (an impressive endeavour). yesterday we got a driver to take us around some of the sights.. we saw humayun's tomb which is a smaller version of the taj mahal, excluding the four pillars and made of red sand stone and marble.. it was an expensive entrance fee, but it just so happened to be world heritage week.. so we got in for free. saw ghandi's cremation place.. the india gate.. drank some amazing tea from a street vendor (courtesy of our driver who was wonderful to us).. tried some red beetle nut paste..

it was been an eye-opening 2 days.. the pollution is dense, the poverty is apparent, and yet there is so much beauty here.. the women's sarees are rich colors, nothing bland.. the food is everything i imagined and more.. the streets are packed with stolen car parts to sell, clothing, scarves, carvings.. and people everywhere. what an experience. i must admit i feel much more at ease having mike around, although i haven't felt threatened in any way.. we are grateful that the weather isn't too hot because it would be much more difficult to keep the shoulders and knees covered if it wasn't the case..

this morning we checked out the ghandi museum which was pretty neat.. that guy is quite the role model. to even have a fraction of his determination (my stubborness may not suffice) and his selflessness.. very incredible how he changed a country, the world, and showed just what can be accomplished without violence. a humbling reminder.

this evening we travel to jaisalmer on an overnight train. we're told it is a 19 hour excursion, but are warned by others the the trains have been known to frequently break down.. fingers crossed. our tickets were $8 a piece, so i'm not expecting first-class.. but i worry that i may still be thinking too optimistically..

hangzhou. [ode to my family].

this past week was one that i will remember for a very long time. spending 24 hours on a smoke filled train car, on a hard upright bench, with hundreds of people standing in the aisles due to non-existant capacity restrictions.. we arrived in hangzhou. hailing a cab exhausted and excited, we pulled up to the huagang hotel feeling like will smith arriving at the bell air mansion.. i assumed the fam would all be waiting in the lobby with open arms..

[three hours later] we were welcomed by my parents, sisters, ken, helen, vee, kris, laura, jess, andrew, peter, grandma, leslie, bette.. a whole slew of selby's. for 5 days we were hosted to the nine's.. enjoyed a beautiful traditional chinese wedding which was quite the experience (thank you peter and claire!).. laughed.. cried.. celebrated in style. the twisted sisters kept us on their toes with harmonized serenades, ken kept the teasing at a minimum and even managed to make a speech, and laura and i were angelic the whole time..

molly may toured us around the picturesque city, and recommended we go to see the "impression of west lake" before we left - what a suggestion. a cast of 300 people, with a lake as the setting.. (they built an entire stage just beneath the surface of the water so that it looked as though they were walking on water). using the colored lighting to highlight areas, the reflections, splashing to create movement and rhythm, and a 50 foot structure that raised out of the water.. i was impressed. the music was composed by 'kitaro' and the choreography was amazing.. and a love story to boot. a must-see if you ever find yourself in hangzhou.

it was a fantastically wonderful break from backpacking. we are all fully rejuvinated.. 20 pounds heavier.. and slightly more reluctant to continue with our prior budget commitments. in 2 days we are boarding a plane india bound. thrilled. i just want to give a huge thanks again to my parents, ken and helen, grandma, leslie, bette, peter and claire for loving each other and bringing us to china, claire's parents for their generosity, and just everyone for coming.. i love you!

xi'an.

our last few days in beijing were more than enjoyable.. boosted our egos by being in dozens of photo shoots with couples, friends, families (sometimes voluntarily).. while walking down the streets, us foreigners are quite the attraction. watched the flag ceremony in tien'amen square at sundown.. soldiers perform this ceremony at precisely the same time every morning at sunrise and every evening at sundown to raise and take down the chinese flag. they looked almost robotic marching across the street and into the square, not even slightly out of step.

that same morning we viewed the body of mao zedong, preserved in a glass coffin in a memorial hall.. he was responsible for the communist movement here in china. people would walk into the building and bow to his picture as though he were a god.. i felt a little unsettled afterward.. could have been that he's been dead for over 30 years?

checked out the forbidden city and the summer palace.. both extremely impressive. amazing gardens, ponds and architecture over a massive amount of space permitted only for the emperor, staff, and elite guests.. the guy was a little excessive, but had equisitite taste none-the-less.. found a secret little side street which sold unimaginable things on sticks.. scorpions, starfish, sea horses, chicken hearts, huge beatles.. (we opted for the candied apples with walnuts).

will miss the repetitive loogies being horked on subways.. streets.. hell, even building hallways.. not to mention snot rockets, sometimes aimed at garbage cans.. (and unsuspecting enemies i'm sure..) also the method of potty training infants which is composed of slitting pant seams from front to back and letting them go wherever, whenever. oh china, how i will miss you..

we took a 10 hour train down to xi'an and have spent a few wonderful days here exploring the little markets and dining in back streets.. today we went to see the terra cotta soldiers. 8th wonder of the world.. absolutely phenomenal the lengths this tainted emperor took to protect himself in the afterlife.. karma's a bitch! (for those of you who do not know the story of the terra cotta soldiers, i urge you to check into it..) basically, this guy killed tons of people, and then started getting nervous about the afterlife. so he forced thousands of people to carve thousands upon thousands of individually faced warriors (archers, sword carriers, horses and chariots..) to be his protective army after he died. then he killed everyone who aided in the construction because he didn't want anyone to know the whereabouts of his tomb. people found it anyway, and destroyed the warriors leaving him vulnerable. it was discovered in the 70's by some farmers digging a well, and they have been excavating and slowly piecing everything together since then.. heavy.

today we found out that stacy and christine ate what we thought was some type of seafood.. but was, in fact, worms. not tentacles after all, just little bundles of wriggly delight. they said it tasted good anyways, but are glad to get the info after-the-fact. tomorrow, 20 hour train ride to hangzhou for a reunion/wedding/party of sorts!

beijing.

time has been flying.. already a week in beijing, and no blog-report. the weather change here has been a treat from the last two months of heat, although our now tropical skin is finding the humidity levels difficult to adjust to! beautiful fall foliage and crisp air. i love it. i also love that i just got back from enjoying a day out with my parents, sisters, grandma and the "twisted sisters", aunt, uncle, cousins.. how amazing to be able to meet up with family on the other side of the globe! they continue on an action packed tour, and we reunite again in 10 days for the infamous wedding..

we've been slowly conquering new areas of the city, checking out different city buses and subway stations.. the architecture in this city is phenomenal, angled skyscrapers of all different shapes and sizes.. the streets are clean, and people obey traffic laws moreso than anywhere we've been thus far (which means a lot, but i am still terrified crossing the street)..

a few days ago we took a day trip out to the ming tombs and the great wall. it was the coldest day yet, but that meant for perfect conditions while we were walking the wall.. we drove an hour further than the badaling section because we were told that was the most touristy.. it was wonderful because there was hardly anyone else there, and the scenery was amazing. mountains fading into the horizon and history at your feet. we took a gondola up and roller-coastered down on plastic seats in a metal half-pipe.. (both, obviously, original features..)

i also celebrated the monumental age of 22 in beijing.. went to the zoo, which was fantastic.. pandas and zebras and alligators.. monkeys and lions and pythons.. we were quite annoyed at how many people were feeding the animals, and took it upon ourselves to put an end to it, pointing at the signs and talking sternly until they got the point.. except one time we started heckling a guy, only to find out he worked there.. he should have been much more grateful that we were keeping things in order! that evening we went out to a pub street near our hostel and went all out, china style.. and did it all again for halloween! beijing didn't know what hit em..