Monthly Archives: November 2014

TRAVEL TALES

YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY SANTIAGO

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Days1-2
Leaving from LaGuardia Airport was like entering the future we imagined watching Blade Runner or the Jetsons.image Inside the terminal all the tables were equipped with iPads and there was little evidence of conversation where the tablets outnumbered the attendees. But it seems to be a popular decision; few people were seen in front of dark screens. The visual stimulation of all these screens bouncing from one image to another creates a harsh and jarring environment. Are my sentiments shared by my fellow travelers? It’s hard to say and I haven’t asked. I’m too busy writing on my iPad.

We have taken off and although it is just past 6pm the sky is dark. As we gain altitude for a stop over in Atlanta the lights below look like golden beads glittering haphazardly, arranged in ripples and rows.

Arriving in Santiago after 9 plus hours of flight, I took a bus then metro to the hostel and my attempts at Spanish elicited the kindness and guidance of the locals. A wrong train was forgiven and free re-entry allowed; all directions were offered with a smile.

Settling in is easy. My roommates are from Brazil and Chile. All are warm and welcoming but I dash off to see the PreColombian Art Museum which is modern and houses a  beautiful collection. But my lack of sleep on the plane forces me to plan a return visit so that I can  fully appreciate the artifacts.

The highlight of the evening was heading over to GAM a modern arts center which houses a bookstore, cafe, restaurant and theatre amongst a recording studio and  other venues. I was graciously invited by a ticket seller to attend a performance for free. Ironically, the piece transported us via a flight to a new land and taking part in the song, dance and music of the locals; it was quite a treat. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-awareness.
Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

TRAVEL TALES

LEAVING HOME

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P1050126Later today I fly to Santiago, Chile. I look forward to discovering new lands and taking pleasure in life under a different sky, but I am particularly grateful for my family and friends who understand me and know I keep them near to my heart in all I do and see.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-awareness.
Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

PREPARING FOR THE ROAD AHEAD

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P1020995Embarking on a voyage takes some organization as well as planning; I’ve been spending the last few weeks doing a bit of both. Tomorrow I am leaving for Chile. The idea is to travel, during the seven weeks I am there,from South to North, flying both in and out of Santiago. I will be bringing a tent and sleeping bag, but will limit my luggage to my trusty, and recently refurbished, carry-on bag. Even though both the tent and sleeping bag are compact and light, I am in the process of paring down my needs. I have compiled a list over the years, that helps me a great deal, (I will be happy to forward it along to anyone who may need one.) but I’ll still be making some tough decisions before I walk out my door. I have a general idea of my itinerary, but I am open to change. When I can, I hope to keep you informed of my days.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-awareness.
Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

TRAVEL TALES

BOMBAY TO KATHMANDU PART III: NEPAL

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P1030017The trip from Varanasi to Kathmandu entailed a lengthy, sometimes harrowing, but ultimately safe bus ride. Sitting by an open window on the side of the exhaust pipe however, had not been particularly wise. My face when I arrived was completely blackened by the fumes. The other passengers and I disembarked from the bus and walked a short distance across the Nepalese border sometime in the night. The official area was dimly lit offering just enough illumination to make out the lines of the faces before us. We waited while a bureaucrat perfunctorily stamped our passports. It reminded me of scenarios I’d seen in the films from the 40’s. All of us then walked to an accommodation to spend the night. The place was comfortable but spare. One large room was filled with rows of wooden cots with woven mats. The exhausting day of travel provided a wonderful incentive for deep slumber.
The next morning we set off on the same bus for Kathmandu.
My first impression of Nepal was the absence of cattle. It was a relief not to constantly maneuver amongst the bovines standing and lying in the Indian streets with their long sharp horns passively threatening any passersby. In this land, the cow was no longer sacred.
The end of my travels was nearing. I met a woman from Holland and after we were sated with westernized cuisine and shops of Kathmandu, which reminded me of NYC’s Greenwich Village, we set out to see the countryside.
While spending a day in a small village, a young boy approached us. He spoke enough English to offer himself as our guide. We strolled together for some time and he led us to a hill where the Himalayas dominated the distant view. We wanted to offer him something for his time and services, but weren’t sure what amount of money to give a boy of nine or ten. Then we recalled the price for a can of Coca-Cola and thought the same amount would be appropriate. We discovered later that the price of a Coca-Cola in those parts was about the earning of a man’s daily wage.
The time passed quickly and soon I was heading home. My friend kindly saw me off at the airport and as the plane ascended I could see that she was waving to me from the ground below.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-awareness.
Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

week end break

TAKE SOME TIME TO SEE SOMETHING NEW

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P1040332Thank you subscribers and readers for taking the time to visit my blog!!

If this is the first time you are visiting the site, welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new.

Although I take a break during the weekends, I’ll be back on Monday and would be delighted, in the meantime, if you would look through my previous posts. Perhaps you missed a few or will reread one with a new perspective.There is a list of all the previous posts by title and date.

Since the configuration of the site may differ on your browser, perhaps you have not noticed the tabs which offer some additional information:Why this blog?, Images, How I Began, etc.

You can search certain posts by category: Practical Advice, Thoughts on Oneself, Snapshots, etc.

All of these may be at the very bottom of the posts.

While traveling I may not be posting each day. To be notified when I have written a new post please subscribe-of course its free.
I would be delighted if you would sign up.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.

Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

week end break

TIME FOR SEEING THE FAMILIAR ANEW

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Thank you subscribers and readers for taking the time to visit my blog!!

If thP1040318is is the first time you are visiting the site, welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new.

Although I take a break during the weekends, I’ll be back on Monday and would be delighted, in the meantime, if you would look through my previous posts. Perhaps you missed a few or will reread one with a new perspective.There is a list of all the previous posts by title and date.

Since the configuration of the site may differ on your browser, perhaps you have not noticed the tabs which offer some additional information:Why this blog?, Images, How I Began, etc.

You can search certain posts by category: Practical Advice, Thoughts on Oneself, Snapshots, etc.

All of these may be at the very bottom of the posts.

While traveling I may not be posting each day. To be notified when I have written a new post please subscribe-of course its free.
I would be delighted if you would sign up.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.

Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

TRAVEL TALES

BOMBAY TO KATHMANDU PART II: INDIA

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P1050125
This was the first time I was traveling solo outside of the States or Europe. I bought the requisite Lonely Planet Guide and focused on visiting Rajasthan.
Arriving into Bombay I flew over endless shanty towns; a vivid image of squalor and a precursor to the massive concentration of lives. Many a step in India entailed something or someone to contend with.
I was quickly introduced to Paan, made from betel leaves with an array of unknown ingredients, from a fellow traveler with Indian roots. It is placed in the mouth and chewed. This controversial item, with risks similar to tobacco, is sold on the street. The preparation is a show in itself, but the vendor’s smearing of the ingredients with his unwashed fingers diminished my curiosity and challenged my notions of sanitation. It would not be the last time I noted a different standard of hygiene from what I was accustomed.
I experienced culture shock daily: Seals on bottled water had to be checked carefully. I was told that kids refilled them with street water, then sold them. I was cautioned to insure my letters were postmarked at the post office, otherwise the stamp might be taken off and used again. The list goes on, but perhaps the most daunting was enduring bus rides with drivers who played “chicken” while evidence of this game’s risks lie on the sides of the road. It made me yearn for a country less confident in reincarnation.
However, the chance to visit Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Khajuraho, and the Taj Mahal, amongst other extraordinary places and sights, was not to be missed.
This was my most challenging journey, a touch of dysentery notwithstanding, but the country’s colors, sounds, odors, flavors, people and chaos has an indescribable draw.
My last stop in India was Varanasi, where I debated most of an evening with two Irish doctors doing their residency there. We spoke at length about the people’s faith in the sacred Ganges vs. its dangers.
I continued on to Nepal.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-awareness.
Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

TRAVEL TALES

BOMBAY TO KATHMANDU PART I: SINGAPORE

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My plan was to spend six weeks, traveling from Bombay to Kathmandu by land, employing primarily buses and trains. IMG_4246I purchased a flight from NY to Bombay on Singapore Airlines. My knowledge of geography was lacking and I failed to note the circuitous flight. But the price was great and the airline superb. Given the required stopover in Singapore, I decided to stay 3 days.

Singapore in its quest to modernize learned too late that its lovely, old, wooden buildings were precious remnants from its past. All were razed, except for a small area, in its extremely successful campaign.  Seeking the historical buildings and local cuisine, I found a small shop and ordered noodle soup. I’d become adept at using chopsticks years before, but these noodles kept slipping back into the bowl.  After several futile attempts my belly was growling for action. Fortunately, my plight engendered the aide of a lovely couple sitting nearby. The secret was to place the noodles onto a spoon, using the chopsticks, and eat them from there. (This technique has helped me throughout the years.) We began speaking. They were retired English teachers, and asked if I would like to visit, “People’s Park”. The imposing skyscrapers and abundant cement made the offer enticing-a respite of green- and I gratefully accepted their invitation, but moments later barely contained my disappointment to discover “People’s Park” was a shopping mall! Not a blade of grass was in attendance. The couple’s pride in the economic advancements of their tiny nation was understandable, but the nation’s soul seemed traded in the deal. I was grateful for their pressing appointment and my quick getaway.
I wandered over to Raffles, a hotel, emblematic of the country’s colonial past. It was worth a visit just to sip a signature Singapore Sling  in the bar while imagining days of old, even if few vestiges remain. While wandering the grounds I met a traveler who had been to India. Regarding my imminent arrival she said, “When you get sick there…..(offering me some advice I have since forgotten).” And I replied, “You mean, IF I get sick.” But she insisted on “when”.  I wasn’t too pleased with her fatalistic outlook; my time in India still lie ahead.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-awareness.
Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

THOUGHTS ON ONESELF

KEEPING THINGS SAFE

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When I was in Bombay, now Mumbai,  I found a pair of cat’s eye sunglasses circa 1950’s in a tiny shop along one of the boisterous avenues. I liked them very much, but I was hesitant to buy them because of their P1050117apparent fragility. The vendor listened to my concern and responded with, “You will lose them before they break.”

That was almost twenty years ago.

The other day I was looking through a box where I keep my journals and spied a hard plastic case that I’d forgotten. Lying inside, looking not one day worse for wear were these glasses. They were neither broken nor lost, but they had been rarely worn these years and years.

Perhaps it is best to wear them now and often. I’ll enjoy that, and take my chances.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and some thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images, and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-awareness. Please subscribe or follow me on facebook by using the button below.

Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

TRAVEL TALES

WASHING DISHES

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P1000985When I was a kid, I liked to wash dishes. It was a time to play in a seemingly endless flow of water. Living in NY, rain is abundant and something I took very much for granted.

It was not until I was older and visiting a friend abroad, that I gained an entirely different perspective. I arrived just after her lunch. She had a small plastic tub, that fit in her sink, and filled it with a few inches of water. She soaped the plates and utensils, then rinsed. The water consumption was negligible.

I have since been on lands where water is treated as the precious commodity it is and the cleansing of plates is done with sand.

By watching someone do the dishes, we might guess, rather accurately, the geography in which he/she was raised. At the very least, it reminds me of those who never took water for granted.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images, and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement. Please subscribe or follow me on facebook by using the button below.

Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.