My accidental trip around the world

It all started with a wedding, but turned into so much more. Ah, Norway sounded so good while I was sweltering in the heat of Texas in August. Just what could be better than seeing a family member tie the knot in another culture? What a privilege to represent the the crowd of good folks who make up my extended family at Laken and Henning's beautiful wedding ceremony and the fabulous party that came after. I still need to write that blogpost. I was always waiting til I had some time to really do it justice. I have some pretty good pictures. It may yet be forthcoming! Anyway, thank you Stan and Laken and Henning and all Henning's family who so warmly and graciously welcomed me and facilitated my visit. Without you none of this would have happened!





So, with very little planning and preparation, I bought a one way ticket to Norway on Air Berlin using frequent flyer miles. Then, meeting up with Barb, I hopscotched by bus, train, and cheap commuter flights across Eastern Europe. One thing led to another and we ended up saying "why not?" to Istanbul and Thailand. What a trip it turned out to be! I ended up fulfilling one of my dreams of traveling all the way around the world in one trip!
The challenges were many, but I learned so much. One of the things we had to deal with was the ever changing currencies.



I handled eight different currencies during this trip. Keeping it all straight, what equalled what, was hard. The best way was to use my currency translator app and figure what amount was roughly equal to $1, $5, and $10. Writing it down helped! If you just knew these three you could figure out most prices using multiples.

The languages were completely incomprehensible to me and at times the alphabet was even unfamiliar.


Luckily, there was a lot of English most places and I got comfortable with just pointing and making myself understood without language. The good thing is that these countries know their languages are not widely understood outside their country, so they are anticipating the problem and have ways to deal with it. It would have been much more difficult out in the countryside away from the tourist hubs where we were. Nevertheless, I got by, and that was a huge step for me. Overall, I found people to be very kind and helpful. I never felt scared or threatened or even particularly worried about pickpockets!

A very interesting aspect of my trip was the opportunity to experience something of the different religions of the world. From starting out on a Christian missionary base in Norway, I went on to see a good deal of the impact Catholicism had on the development of civilization in Eastern Europe. The ancient Sophia Hagia (circa 500s A.D.) in Istanbul gave me a feel for the Byzantine Christian culture. I wish I had taken the time to tour some of the synagogues in Eastern Europe. The horror that was the holocaust and World War Two still hangs heavy over these places. Czech Republic and Hungary bear the imprint of the godless times that were the communist era. I sat in a real mosque during prayers, breathing the same air as my fellow humans of the Islamic faith. I shopped elbow to elbow with women decked out in burkas and felt, because of my western dress, like they must feel walking around over here. I wondered at the mysterious symbolism and visual splendor of the Buddhist temples, finding the people therein to be peaceful and respectful. I felt honored by the sincere "Wai" I was given repeatedly by everyone from the hotel maid to the clerk at 7- 11. Here is Ronald McDonald doing a Wai!


One of the best things though, was the international language of mothers everywhere. No matter where I was, I could look straight into the eyes of a mother or grandmother, and without a word, just a faint upturn of the corner of the mouth, we could have a whole conversation about how cute and adorable that kid at her knee was. I swear, if grandmothers ruled the world there would be no war!!



It was a long journey to get back home. I am really grateful for my smooth transition from Chaing Mai, Thailand to Bangkok, to Hong Kong, to LAX and finally to Austin. Once again I have my flyer miles to thank for making a really expensive ticket so affordable. In addition to Berlin Air, I also sampled Norwegian Airlines, Turkish Air, Bangkok Air, and Cathay Pacific Airlines. Except for Norwegian Air, I was thinking these would be kind of second class airlines. Actually they were all fantastic and put good old American Airlines, which carried me from LAX to Austin, to shame. One of the coolest things was the camera located under the Cathay Pacific jet that showed live feed of the take off from Hon Kong out over the ocean on my seat back screen. I wish I had gotten a better picture! It was awesome!



They were serving you a meal every time you turned around on Turkish Air and Bangkok Air. The Bangkok Air flight was only 1 hour twenty minutes and they served a full breakfast to everyone. Also you got free access to their lounge in the airport with lots of free snacks, drinks, in addition to comfy chairs and free wifi. Turkish Air had a guy with a chef's hat who passed out samples of Turkish delight in addition to a nice meal with wine. Meanwhile on American, which left at 5pm and arrives Austin 10 pm ( dinner time), you get free soft drinks or this. Yeah, $3.50 for a bag of Chex Mix.


Luckily I had a protein bar in my backpack.

Also we had to watch commercials on the screens, like it or not. No movies. Just commercials and promos. Welcome to America where it's all about the money.



Americans don't seem to be out traveling much in the places I have been. Several of the world citizens I met and had discussions with are very puzzled by American people, attitudes, and politics. I could not say much to help them understand as I am frequently puzzled as well. The guy from England was incredulous when I explained that there were serious iniatives to arm teachers and allow college students to carry guns on campus. He ascertained it must be very dangerous in the US if people feel such a need to protect themselves. "Aren't there a lot of accidents?" he asked.

Well, here it is a week after my return, and I still have not posted this! I guess, to summarize, I would say that my trip was one more step in revealing to me that a person can do just about anything they can imagine! It is not even necessary to be particularly "well prepared". You can go forward even without a plan! You don't have to be wealthy. You don't have to be young. You just have to be curious, and willing to take baby steps in the direction of your dream. You have to let go of some suppositions about the big world out there and just see for yourself. What's next? Maybe India! Happy Trails!

Location:Somewhere in the Air

Superstitions

All over the place you see these miniature shrines tucked away in a corner. This one was in the bank parking lot.





Supposedly, the Thais are very superstitious and believe ghosts and spirits might be hanging around. These little houses are meant to entice the spirits to occupy the little shrine outside rather than coming inside and causing problems! They are pretty interesting as they are all different! And they are everywhere! If you click on this pic to make it bigger you might be able to see the kinds of offerings people leave for the spirits. I think it's funny the drinks have straws! Food and incense are common as well as things like candy and tobacco. Flowers of course, and also betel, might be made into garlands for offerings. Just colorful little gewgaws! I wonder what happens to it over time?

"Offerings" seem to be left out in all kinds of places. Today we spotted this by the curb along a busy street? Not sure who the offering was for, but you must admit, it does appear to be intentionally left there. It seems way too small for a cat or dog. Hmmm.mysterious!



Also I learned it is very good luck to find a shard of elephant tusk such as the rather large one I saw at the museum. I did not realize it had a hole going through the middle. Anything to do with elephants is auspicious, or so they say. They are well loved here.


The "most auspicious" is the dark tusk found on certain kinds of rare? elephants. These are tied with red string for some reason.


Tattoos are used to ward off evil and are supposedly very popular. This is a model in a museum I went to that shows a man with elaborate thigh tattoos playing an instrument which has a " sound cup" held against the chest with the left hand and plucked with the right hand.


It's the one in the middle below.


Anyway, tattoos are often done by monks who say incantations and use traditional designs from long ago. The twin tiger tattoo is supposed to endow you with the ferociousness of a tiger, well, maybe a hungry tiger during the four hours or so per day he is awake. I think the guys who do the Thai boxing like this one.


I have seen some monks with tattoos. Another interesting thing about monks is that they can't touch or even go near women. They back away from us like we have the plague if we meet on public transportation or in a building. They also have their own restrooms in some places, probably mainly temples. It's men,women and monks on the door to the restrooms!
Amulets are also popular here in Thailand. They can be worn around the neck or the waist and are designed to attract love or achieve success in business. I was given this and thought it was just a keychain, but maybe it is an amulet?



There were lots of amulets like these below at the markets. They are worn around the neck as a necklace or maybe around the waist. I think they may be added to the "spirit houses" or used as offerings too.



While walking around the heritage museum I saw these brass fingernails which are used in traditional Thai dances. Although I am not sure of their significance, they sure look like they could ward off evil, don't you think?


Here's Barb pretending to be a Buddha in the heritage museum.


Here is an actual Buddha statue in the museum. He is performing the "Wei" with his hands which is a sign of reverence and respect. All the sales clerks and waitresses give you a Wei when you pay for something. It just kind of goes with "thank you". I was told you don't really Wei people younger than yourself so I have not been practicing the Wei much. I'm one of the oldsters around here!


Thank you, Thailand, for a wonderful visit! I hope to be back some day!

Location:Thailand

River cruise

Today being our last day in Chiang Mai, we decided to do a short cruise up the Ping river. Turns out this was a lovely way to while away a steamy afternoon! It was cooler down on the water, and there was a bit of a breeze, and trees, and less air pollution. Ahhh...



The water was chocolate brown, but flowing along at a good pace.
Our boat looked like one of these.


Our driver was a friendly young guy who just came to Chiang Mai thirteen months ago from his village up near Burma. He grew up on the farm helping his dad, but came to the city to find work. He aspires to work in a hotel, but he doesn't have a university degree so he feels that is unlikely. I asked him how he learned English. He said he had a dictionary that he studied very hard for three months. He makes about ten dollars a day driving the boat for the tourists. And he has a smile on his face.


This is what is called a "scorpion tailed" boat. The end looks like a stinger. It's the design from the olden times.


Not sure if you can see the huge tree behind the dock there. They told us it was over 350 years old. Imagine all it has seen in that time!


Here's a shot of the lower part. Sadly there is nothing to compare it to, so you can't tell that it is probably 40 in circumference at its base. No wonder the Thais venerate trees. This one is magnificent!


The river winds through town for a while, past the high rise condos where the expats live and under several bridges.


The driver pointed out this building established by the missionaries in Thailand. They have been coming here since the early 1800's, I believe.


The King and Queen are highly respected and also have a nice billboard on the river way.


Our driver explained that during the festival coming up next month people will come down to theses steps and set afloat little boats they have made from banana leaves and flowers. The boats carry a lit candle out on to the water.


Here are a couple of pictures I snagged from the Internet to give you an idea



I'll bet it is quite a sight!


Some scenes of the river bank.








There were plenty of beautiful homes along the river.








Here is part of the movie set built for Rambo 4.



We saw lots of guys fishing and lots of fish traps which I apparently forgot to take a picture of. Only saw one guy swimming. There was a lot of stuff floating in the water. No way would I swim in it.


This is a major river in Thailand. You can follow it all the way to Bangkok in a boat in just over 2 days.













So that was my last day! Headed home tomorrow morning!

Location:Chiang Mai

Street food

I have eaten quite a bit of street food since I have been here so how would you like a street tour? Just down the lane is an outdoor market. I have passed it almost everyday. These guys have a tank of live fish which are taken out and whacked on the head with a mallet, I think, skewered, then cooked whole on the grill to the right. You can ride up on your bike and select your dinner. Pretty simple operation. Not sure if the man there is the one who catches the fish. I have not been tempted to try this particular delicacy.


I have, however, bought fruit from the vendors next door.


To go food involves just pulling your scooter up and it's grab and go from there!


Here's a new fruit I tried called dragon fruit. I liked it just fine!



Kind of like a kiwi fruit inside.


Most of the fruits I do not recognize. I had no idea there were so many fruits I was unfamiliar with. Everything you see here is a fruit. The only ones I know are the grapes and coconuts. I have learned that the red ones are lychees.



This spiny brown fruit below is called a durian. See those yellow lumps in the picture above on the left? That is the flesh of the durian which, though it is known as the "king of fruits" and very popular, has a revolting smell and is banned from hotel rooms and public transportation. Sorry, I have not tried this either.





Why are some eggs brown, tan, and even pink? I think the tan ones are duck eggs and the brown ones from chickens. Now the pink ones seem to have their own story! I had to look this up on the internet, but it appears the pink ones are specially preserved by being packed in clay, ash, salt and quicklime. It think they are called century eggs and can be preserved for up to three months. But watch out! They are black on the inside! Yet another thing I did not eat. Andrew Zimmerman I am not.



Another interesting egg treatment I saw is called tea eggs. There are boiled eggs which have been gently cracked after boiling but not peeled, then boiled again in different types of tea. Then the egg is peeled it reveals a marbled surface with a spicy flavor, depending on the kind of tea. Interesting, huh?



Now if you don't have time for a fresh fish, there is a huge assortment of dried and salted fish and other critters available. See below.


Now you may be wondering, is this the stall where they sold the recycled poo? It sure looks like it. Our companion, who is from Chaing Mai, said it was tea (left) and hash (right). Really? Sorry! Not sure what they were selling here.


This particular market was huge and had lots more than just food.


Three stories tall!


After a hard day shopping we stopped in a little hole in the wall restaurant street side. All these little places use toilet tissue for napkins. They just set it on the table and everybody just pulls off what they need. Don't expect any TP in the restroom though.



This is an omelet stuffed with pad Thai. It was pretty good and was cheap to boot! In case you are wondering, I have not gotten sick yet. I just knocked on wood, FYI.


A lovely view as we ate. Monastery and temple across the street. There are over 300 temples in Chaing Mai. A church on every corner as we used to say in Abilene!


Boys spend time in monasteries as monk trainees as it is sometimes the only way to get an education. This kid looks like he is doing some studying.


They even had supplies for the temples at the market. Sorry so fuzzy!


Walking home we always pass people's laundry hanging out to dry by the street. They say you can get somebody to do your laundry for just a dollar but I would rather not have my underwear on display on the street. Backpackers are not so picky.



So, now you know about the streets around here!

Location:Chiang Mai