5 tips and tricks to survive traveling 3rd world

Having lived in a few different countries I have felt my own variations of homesickness. I mean lets face it, life outside of the USofA is different. So to combat I have come up with a few tricks to keep that homesickness at bay.

1. Bring your favorite treat (gummies, popcorn, gum, chocolate etc). chances are they wont have it or it tastes different. Even though I have found my favorite treats in each country, after a time you start craving that one thing and it helps just to have a little taste of home to keep you from going crazy.

2. After travelling and at times sweating in places that aren't up to Americas standard of clean, I start feeling like crap... for whatever reason taking some time to really "pamper" myself makes me feel better. Whether that is washing clothes, shaving my legs, putting lotion on those said legs, or going somewhere nice that requires you to ditch the traveling clothes and dress up.

3. Take a rest day and do something "American" like going to a movie, taking a nap, reading a book, finding an American restaurant.

4. Before you leave pack something you enjoy (food, a book, music, clothes, products for great hair) and when you hit those days where you start wondering what you were thinking in going abroad, pull out your "sanity pack".

5. When you first arrive, write down the things that amaze you and that you find fascinating. When you start having days when you cant remember what you liked about travelling pull out that list. Be candid when writing it.

No Shame in stopping at the Krispy Kreme for a donut every time we went thru Bangkok

Thailand offered great, cheap smoothies



Loved the gate art in India





Every now and then we come up with crazy ideas that provide many laughs and stress relief

My favorite thing to watch at big sites is everyone posing, when you don't have the
perspective their photographer does, people look hilarious.

Take a step back and watch all those people..

Sometimes if you just remember the magical feeling of arriving in your dream destination it is enough

Everywhere has a heart warming moment if you look

Watching how excited everyone gets (adults and kids) when they see the magic come alive

What tricks do you have when travelling?

Wonders of New Delhi!

Last leg of the trip, Delhi. After we hired our taxi driver to take us from Agra to Delhi I am pretty sure we all fell asleep. I can't help it, something about car rides in the rain are magical to me and lull me to sleep. We had a rough start, the hostel we were going to stay at was completely booked, but we did get a few recommendations from the staff for other hotels. 

Hudson and I went to check out a couple hotels while the group sat with our stuff. Once we decided on our hotel we went out to explore and found a great little restaurant tucked away amongst the shops. 

Finally the true moment I had been waiting for, the 4th of July celebration for American citizens at the embassy. I had prepared for this, once I realized there was a celebration in Delhi I began working on my fellow friends to help them realize their own desire to go party. In Darjheeling Ann and I had found these awesome leggings to enhance the American spirit. Oh and US passport  is required to enter. 

Once in there was american food, games, and FIREWORKS! 

The best part was the dancing, I love a good dance party and once Ann and I got up and danced our little hearts out we were joined but many more fellow American citizens. Dancing has never felt so good.
Once the party ended I met one of the members that work at the embassy, we chatted and had a great time, she introduced me (and in turn everyone else in the group) to other ex-pats. We passed the test(mostly since we don't drink) and were invited to join them at the Belgium embassy to watch the World Cup in the quarter finals as they played against Argentina. The Belgians provided Beer which everyone was super excited about, and since we don't drink we became their new favorite friends.
It was such an amazing experience to have, this trip was so worth the stress and effort.

Sunday we found a ward (very difficult to find the meetinghouse) and attended church. After we went to the Lotus temple. Beware there is a long winding line to get into the grounds, but it goes fairly quickly. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place from the building to the grounds, totally worth the wait. The Bahia faith is a beautiful belief.

The more I travel and learn about other cultures, religions, and beliefs I realize we as the human race have much more in common than not. Yet as humans we to often focus on the differences and let those differences tear us apart. What would the world be like our main export was respect, and love for one another. We are all living our own personal truths and doing what we can to survive and thrive in this life. How amazing would it be if we all stopped to help another? This is one thing that impacts me the most about travel, I am representing my country, my religion and woman. Am I leaving people better than I found them, with a positive lasting impact so one day when someone speaks ill of what I represent and hold dear, the individual I met will think twice before believing that ill.
We often hear one person can't change the world.. But one person can if we believe in ourselves, for better or worse. To name a few people that changed the world. Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Michael Jordan, Nelson Mandela, Walt Disney, Madam Curie, Florence Nightingale the list goes on and on. So yes, I believe a smile and a positive word can change the world.

Back to our Delhi trip, to end the vacation we met up with one of our friends from the embassy to get lunch before we left.
Ann & I both ordered salads and this (to the left) is how they came.. Something different… After we grabbed a couple of Autos and raced to the airport, barely making it in time to catch the bus from the auto drop off to the airport, and then barely making it to check in for our flight. We even got an escort to get us thru security and down the terminal to our flight. Turns out my seat was double booked so I enjoyed a nice flight in 1st class. It is a miracle we have not missed a flight or bus in this country when traveling. We have had so man "walk on" moments.








Lastly one of my favorite things in India but especially Delhi are the "warning" signs and slogans. The picture below says STOP Criticizing. Thank you India for reminding us to be better people.

Taj Mahal, another World Wonder down, 4 to go…

A dream come true, I have wanted to go to the Taj Mahal ever since I can remember. I don't remember a time when I didn't want to go to India. Call me crazy but I love this country. We arrived very early in the morning on the overnight bus, the bus had flat beds but no A/C so we kept the windows open all night. There is nothing quite like the lullaby of traffic and honking.

Once we arrived in Agra we walked down the road and found a hotel that would let us store our luggage with them and also let us use their bathroom to freshen up. No amount of freshening up can take away our time on the bus. Finally it came time for the Taj Mahal to open, we entered from the western gates and it was a beautiful site to see. The sunrise was just ending so the sky still had colors of purple and pink, with it being the low tourist season and given the early hour we were able to experience it with very few people around. We got pictures with just us & the Taj Mahal.

Sometimes early mornings pay off

Once we got to the end of the pools we removed our shoes or as they call them in India we removed our "slippers" and walked up to and thru this monument. What people don't tell you is that there are 2 beautiful buildings to either side of the Taj Mahal as well. *Note if you have a foot/germ phobia then the platform of the Taj Mahal is defiantly not for you.* After we spent quite a bit of time soaking in the beauty we determined it was time for food. The place we stored our luggage had a rooftop restaurant with good food and a great view of the Taj Mahal.

We didn't have much time to explore Agra, but from the bit we did see it seemed the Taj Mahal is pretty much it for this small town in India. The only place we saw souvenirs was in the market as we left the Taj Mahal.
We left soon after taking a taxi to Delhi, I am pretty sure everyone slept the whole way there ( I know I did)

** to note the Taj Mahal is closed every Friday and is open from sunrise to sunset.**

Looking back at the gate to the Taj Mahal

This nice older guy came up as I was taking selfies
and asked if I wanted a photo with the Taj in my eye.
I think he has done this before.. But it is a cool idea

Traveling India's Himalayas 2.0

Now that we got the crazy story from the Himalayas out of the way, I can proceed to the shorter tale of Darjeeling. Feeling adventurous we decided to head out on a hike thru the Himalayas into Nepal.
Being wise, we decided to hire a guide, since the Himalayas are a crazy place to get adventurous.
I was a bit hesitant at first since this was a full day, no turning back type of hike, but it ended up being more than worth the anxiety. Pima, our guide, picked us up in the AM and headed about 1 hour away into Nepal where we ate an early breakfast before heading out, the food was delicious and the warm mug of boost was delightful. It was a tight fit getting all 8 of us seated, since the kitchen was out of someone's home, but it was some of the best breakfast food ever. After we went to the customs office to present our passports for documentation, it was a great "typical" mountaineering-in-a-foreign-country office.
From there we began our hike up thru the amazing lush green mountain, what started off as a nicely cobblestoned path soon disappeared (which is when we were so glad Pima was with us).

I wavered between thinking we were in India, Ireland and New Zealand, with the mist settling over us it felt like we were the last people on earth. As we continued walking amazing cultural & natural beauty awaited us as the fog revealed its treasures. Already in love with the Tibetan culture, seeing the brightly painted stones only enhanced my love and sense of wonderment for this land, its history and culture. I mean talk about a magical experience!
Was I in 2014, or had I gone back a few centuries?

Eventually we did stop for lunch in Nepal at a great little lodge tucked up in the slopes of the mountains. I learned you can also hike and spend the night up there, during summer they are completely booked with many travelers filling every available space on the floor! With wonderful food cooked over the wood stove, a perky little puppy and friends gathered around the table what is not to be loved? The whole place is a recipe for memories for years to come.
Eventually we did finish eating and continued our way down the mountainside. We did cross inbetween Nepal and India so we came to another "border crossing" and presented our passports for documentation at the smallest boarder crossing station I have ever seen. (sorry no pictures) but it was just a hut big enough for a guy and platform for writing. The last part was the hardest part since it was all down hill(and we aren't talking a nice stroll, I mean we are in the freaking Himalayas!)

The lodge we stopped at for a delightful lunch.

This place is magical with the green hills, the fog and the stillness.

Tibetan Writing (love the colors)

Once we all made it down and back to town some of us were crazy enough to go out into town to get dinner and do some shopping, the walk uphill to town center was a killer! I have no idea what we were thinking. Ann and I stopped at a breakfast restaurant that happened to have the best gluten free cookies. Who would have thought we would find those in Darjheeling of all places! As everyone split up for various activities some how Ann and I got left alone without a working phone…when some of the girls took it to the border crossing into Nepal it did something… needless to say heading back in the dark thru the freaky alleyways was quite the adventure. At one point we walked past a small group who started watching us and then following us. Since I do believe in a higher power I silently started pleading for protection. Ann loves to sing so to calm our hearts we sang a medley of Disney songs.. It worked we made it home safely (with help from the heavenly side) and singing. Music is a powerful force in this world.

For our final adventure we took one of the last operating steam trains in the world(at least thats what they claim) from Darjeeling to Ghum. Great experience but be prepared for some major ash. This train used to operate all the way from the valley, but it has ceased those operations and now acts as a tourist operation.  One of the coolest things I was hoping to view was Mt. Everest, on a clear day you can see the mountain but we were never lucky enough for a clear day. But the respite from the heat and crowds did wonders for us all. One of my new favorite destinations.

"10 most disappointing travel destinations".. really?

I recently read a list of the most disappointing travel places, I was surprised to see that the Pyramids of Giza, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Stonehenge, Pompeii, Naples Italy, and Athens Greece made the list. I have been to each of those places and while Pompeii was not my favorite stop I've made, it was not at all disappointing.
If I had gone to see if the places looked like their photo I would have been sorely disappointed… because they do indeed match their pictures. There is no "magic" that the camera takes away. Other then the feel of the place, seeing people from all over the world

However pictures don't allow you to feel the heat of the day with sounds of arabic on the wind as you get your ticket to go inside the Great Pyramid

Pictures don't let you feel the chill in your bones from a cloudy English day as you meet a Warlock at Stonehedge. But so glad you got a glimpse of Blue sky for a minute. 

Pictures don't let you sit under the learning tower of Pisa and marvel as you eat a piece of European chocolate, just glad you got to see it considering you hopped on the wrong bus and saw all of residential Pisa. 

Pictures don't let you make memories in the ruins in Naples, or stuff yourself with one last Pizza before headed home. They certainly don't let you feel the air off the sea as you look across the bay, or let you have a moment of awe as you admire the upside down tree. 

Pictures most certainly won't let you grumble about seeing another broken building or pathway or entombed object as you are walking about the ruins of Pompeii in the heat. 

Pictures hold moments, it is up to us to create the memory. 

Adventures in India: Part Frustrations and Joys

First off I found this video that was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. It is a short film on what the people of India, especially the young girls, are faced with. 

http://youtu.be/A655AYdyXyM

My heart goes out to all those in the world who are faced with a bleak future due to their current circumstances. Why did I get to be so blessed??!! This question will hunt me forever I suppose. 

Anyway here are some memorable moments from India! 

Favorite moment of Indian culture

-being lost in BJR Nagar slum and being taken in by a generous family while we waited for Bindhu our guide to find us

- breaking it down on the dance floor at an Indian wedding with the bridesmaids while the groom in all his regalia watched from his white steed

Scariest moment

- being attacked by monkeys

(Thanks to Matt James & Richard Bruner for literally saving my life)

*they look cute and innocent... Don't be fooled

-driving up the Himalays, our driver was very good, and liked to go fast, especially around hairpin turns. Lots of tire squeeling.. 

Most nostalgic moments

-bathing Lakshmi (the elephant) in a river in Hampi

- hiking the Himalyas with pyma our guide

-watching the sun rise over the Taj Mahal

-charming a cobra (like a real one

-climbing onto an elephant via the trunk

- celebrating American Indepence day at the Delhi embassy

Most heart wrenching moment

- leaving 2 puppies behind knowing the hard  life of starvation and abuse

- hearing of alcoholics and abuse and knowing there is not really anything I can do for them

Most frustrating

- seeing such a big issue with Sex Trafficing, & being told we can't talk about it. All we can say is 'don't talk to strangers and be careful'

- lack of translators (but to our few translators, we are so grateful!! Urmi was one of our partners and translators. Urmi is on the left of Abby-the white girl) 

- working on Indian time ( very small percentage keep time, everything else runs at least an hour late) 

-Seperate standards for men and women

Most confusing

-head bobble means ok, but looks like they are shaking their head... Not to worry we figured it out after a lil' bit 

Most rewarding

-Going to slum near where we held summer camp, and some of the girls recognized us, ran over and sang 'baby shark' and showed us the macerana we had taught them

- Working at bridge camp with girls who are catching up in missed schooling due to child labor, child marriage, illness or sometimes just falling behind, and realizing the impact we are truly making

Most funny 

-Watching all the Indian men 'hit on' Hudson

-at a meeting with one of our partners, they asked us to search out child labor for them, but to do it 'undercovers'

Most angry

- auto drivers thinking they can rip us off and get away with it because we are white and don't know better or that we owe it to them

Best meal

- definently home cooked ones. Porri with hard boiled egg. 

-chicken kebabs are very delicious as well

-paneer shahi korma 

Most laughable

-The time we were taking an auto to the bus in Jaipur and the kid driving wanted some of Matt's good smell (right then!) cause he was seeing his girlfriend after work.

-Watching two of our partners let down their proffesional side, and just laugh, joke and be women. Especially when it came to scolding Richard. Or when Lata, one of our translators laughed at Richard for butchering Indian phrases either with pronunciation or timing. 

- "if I flew, I could fly off this mountain right now"

- "seat belts? You don't need those here"

Apparently India is safer then America 

Most impressive

- going out and seeing people carry huge heavy bundles(like 30-50lb bags) uphill in Dahrgeeling 

-crossing the street safely

-watching our partners dedicate everything (be it a lot or a little) to their cause

-despite the belief that India is a "dirty" country, they work hard to keep it clean. Multiple times each day I see women out on the streets and sidewalks sweeping the trash into a large pile 

- how much rice people can eat here. We are all wimps compared to them

Most stressfully repetitive

-barely making our flights (or buses) on trips. Seriously a miracle we made all of those connections 

-cramming into over packed busses

-figuring out what to have for lunch or dinner when I have 5 non-spicy dishes to choose from (same ones over the course of 3 months)

What I'll miss the most

- mango anything (fruit, lassi, milkshakes, ice cream)

-all the "Hello sister, how are you, bye sister"

-possibly bargaining with vendors

- the actual auto rides themselves

-the sense of 'community' in so many places 

- seeing all the bright colored saree's and bangles

- creatively making food in a rice cooker (there is a lot more make options then you think)

-tea stands with boost

- people's generosity when ever we walk into a home

- taking your shoes off outside to enter homes, temples and some shops

- people watching out for us on buses and offering us their seat once they leave.

-fresh fruit and vegetable vendors

-fresh coconut milk, strait from the coconut

- so many options of juice, including but not limited to pineapple, mango, litchi, plum, fig, pomegranate..

-pista ice cream

- kulfi (delicious 'homemade' ice cream sold on the street)

- finding random people who come up to us and offer their NGO connections for our program

- Naan, Chapati, Gulab Jamoon and all carb related food

- all the kids imitating the Americans, the way we laugh, or say 'hello' or 'bye'

- security guards to every store

Random facts

- there is very little machinery for road work, most is still done by hand

Things I won't miss

-boiled veggies 

-language barrier

- being charged foreign prices

- being in the limelight all the time

- soon as beggars see us, they target us for money until we leave

-spicy food

- haggling for auto rides

- keeping an eye out for any possible dangers and being on guard

-all the starving stray dogs

-trash everywhere

-avoiding any and all water outside... We assume it's water on the street

-not being able to just look at merchandise, there is some one always there 'showing' you more items. Even when you say you don't want them

*Photos were taken by various member of the HELP International 2014 India team. I cannot take credit for them all. 

**After being back in America for 2 weeks, I realize even more how blessed we are, but that because of those blessings, we also miss out on some of the important things. Like putting family first, what "community" means and entails. Finding joy in each other's everyday presence. We do most of these but it's funny how in America, I feel this rush, this need to get things done at a fast pace. While as in India, even though it is so much crazier, I didn't feel the rush as often. Your train came when it came, if a restaurant was out of a meal, they simply said they were out, no matter how early in the day it was. My struggle is now to merge the best of both cultures and live life in the moment, but plan for the future.