Ni hao Shanghai ...

It was my first visit to Shanghai, a city of a country in transition but comparable to the cities in the developed country. I was able to take out time off despite the busy schedule in the workshop that I had to attend. On the 3rd day (4 June 2008), the final day of the workshop, it was signed off by a farewell party which was hosted in the honour of Japanese delegates in an exclusive Japanese Restaurant in a newly built Shopping Complex along the Handan Road. For me, it was like recalling once again the moments that I had spent in Tsukuba with varieties of Japanese delicatessen served by a chef standing and serving to us. Especially, I liked the "wasabe" with "sussie". It was a raw fish eaten with green vegetable paste of "wasabe". The first time I had tried that in a restaurant in Tsukuba. I was helpless holding my breath for a while. I had felt that a strong smell inside my mouth was spreading all over my head trying to escape from what ever the shortest exit available on the way. I had felt that the strong smell was coming out of my nose, ears and eyes, and my eyes had watered for a while as if I was crying. But I had liked its taste. Same way I tried to experience the enigma of the "wasabe" this time in Shanghai. Despite being "wasabe" it was not that strong. I tried over and over but could not get the strong result as I had it before. I wondered if that was a Chinese "wasabe" or possibly I could have adapted to its strong taste.

At the end of the dinner, we had planned to go shopping and walking along the Nanjing Road - the popular walking street in the Shanghai. Shang, a chinese lady, in our group had her home on the way to the walking street. So, she was ready to accompany us. Shang was in her early twenties and just completed her undergraduate from a Chinese University. It was fortunate for us that she had a beautiful english and she was proactive and intelligent too. She was a student in International Politics in US-China Relationship and possessed a good attitude towards living up a life. Probably these were the reasons, she became closer to us in a short time. In no time, we became familiar with Shanghai city and its characteristics through her. We learnt the landscapes of the city, chinese lifestyle, one child policy, government protection of landownership, corruption etc. Probably we would not have learnt these, if there was someone else in her place. As soon as we had entered the Nanjing Road walking street, we had lost ourselves for a while in the magic of the lights all around beautifully decorating the european styled buildings. The place was full of tourists, sightseeing trains honking its horn, roadside hawkers making their boon, huge billboards displaying multinational product advertisements and welcome sign for Beijing Olympic 2008 as well as for Shanghai International Trade Festival 2010 were some of the attractions that surely will stupefy anyone walking the street.

We ended up our adventure at Tian Xing Di Square. We had a green iced tea at Starbuck Coffee shop, took some pictures for our memory and kept on talking all sort of current affairs. Surely it was like a meeting among the international delegates from 4 member countries (Chinese, Thailand, Vietnam and of course, Nepal). Some of the topics we discussed (but didn't minute it) were about education, communism and religion in China. We had learnt that the Chinese people were realizing that the belief in god and following religion would simplify their effort on solving social problems. It was already 2 AM in the morning when we finally felt that we should leave.

The next day, 5 June 2008, we went to Yu yawn Garden. The garden was an age old collection of buildings at the time of Ming Dynasty. On the way to the garden, as I was exploring some of the shops on the walking street towards the Yu yawn garden, suddenly from no where, I was approached by 4 students from Beijing University Faculty of Fine Arts. For the first instance, I was a little hesitant to reply their question who I was and what was my profession. But they didn't mind my hesitation rather made me quite comfortable with their non-stop talking in English, explaining why they were there in Yu garden walking street. I thought like they were not fine arts students rather international marketing or business. These students were apparently having a painting exhibition from their university in Shanghai as a part of their academic exercise and the day was their last day. They were asking me to visit their painting exhibition. They also said that it was just on the side of Yu Yawn garden entrance. So, I went with them talking friendlier than before. They were quite happy to get at least someone who had shown interest in their exhibition.

The paintings were surely good ones. The team leader, Frank, as he had signed on one of his painting, was showing me all paintings one by one. At the end, I was asked to sign in their guest book. Probably this would earn them credit. I was quite thrilled to learn the stories behind every painting. I was not an artist but the way Frank told me the stories behind each painting, I kept on watching for some time and tried to trace the story in each of the paintings. But I was not allowed to take pictures as they were afraid their painting might be copied. At the end, he was showing some of his paintings and was quite jubilant in explaining how he came up with it. It was a simply a bamboo stick with snow on each of the leaves branching out from the stem of the bamboo. The bamboo was thicker one and there was another painting with similar nature but the stick was thinner. As he had explained, the painting would show, how a person would build up his/her career step by step with boldness in each part of one's life. There would be sorrow in every step but still one would need to stand boldly. The thicker stick was a symbol for the boldness; every node of the bamboo was steps in life; the stem between each node was part of life and the snow lying on the leaves were sorrow that one would have to face in one's life. I was quite thrilled and touched by the way he had explained and kept on looking at the painting if it would really depict such story. I could not figure it out but I thought I should contribute for their effort and I wished to buy the painting. It was really costly. I had not bought such costly painting ever in my life. With the several happy lines appearing in his and his friends' forehead, I was happy that I had contributed to a cause, no matter it was real or not. I asked him to sign at its back as that would be more valuable for me rather than the painting alone. He happily signed it in both English as well as in Chinese.

Where is the Grand Palace?

July 08 2007: This was my first day, I went to Central Bangkok on my own. Actually, I was supposed to meet two of my friends at Mahidol University who were there for PhD. I was quite excited to meet them in Bangkok even though I didn't meet them that often when we were in Nepal, huh!

I started at 7:00 AM and caught an empty van with the color Chaitya had suggested. I had tried that van earlier and I had experienced the speed of the van with throttle at 140 km/hour. But this time in contrary to my expectation, it was really slow. Stopping at every bus stand and stop, slowing down trying its luck to every group of people waiting for bus, one probably should not expect a speedy travel even though in the low traffic area. Though it looked crazy, but I would suggest never travel in an empty van. I was about to conclude it we reached the toll way and I had a sigh of relief!

It didn't take much time to find my friend who came to pick me up at the monument. But the only thing that confused me was my friend's understanding about sky bridge. He asked me to come up to the skybridge where I was supposed to find him. I looked around and saw more than 4 sky bridges and some of them were pretty much far. I felt quite dejected when I didn't find any clue how to get hold of it. I tried him on his mobile number and asked him again. All he could say was, I should get in the skybridge towards Central Park Hotel. Oh how could I see any Central Park Hotel from such a place! I called him again and this time he said that skybridge was the only one which went round the monument. Then I was pretty much clear that he was talking about the longest skybridge that was below Bangkok Sky Train way. After a few minutes we were exchanging big grin in a nepalese style!

I went to his apartment where he was staying with the other friend. On the way, I saw a beautiful park with a musical fountain. He told me that lots of people would come there in the evening. Some would come for cooling off the heat, some would come with their partner/family for relaxing, while most of them come for physical exercises, also I saw some people jogging and making round to a small pond full of red fishes. Usually the place would be full of people in the evening when, some volunteers taught a yoga to the public along with a background music and a musical water fountain! It seemed to be an ecstatic view to watch. Surely I felt I would like to join the crowd in an evening some time later!

They were quite happy to see me, a friend to talk around anything in Nepalese language ;) We had good lunch together and a good talk. Nepalese food made by nepalese...eaten by Nepalese ...in central Bangkok!!! We had all sort of talk. They were also pretty new to the place and they had not gone far much from the apartment. So I thought probably we should go around and visit some of the attractions in the city. My professor had told me much about the Grand Palace in Bangkok and the Emerald Buddha inside it. It didn't took me much time to persuade them to visit it! Off we went in a taxi @100 baht!

Getting inside the Grand Palace after getting a 250 baht ticket, I felt we did right decision to come in this place. The place was surely a fantastic place for tourist to go around the historical royal palace buildings, the museums and of course the Emerald Buddha...approx. 2 feet high budhha made of green emerald stone.... I would say mesmerizing buddha...so many people watching him, praying, spending some quite time after getting through a soaring heat outside...surely mesmerizing enough. The golden shining painting on the walls of the galleries of some of the monastries were quite eye catching. It was like our Thanka painting. Not ours... Tibetan Thanka paintings that we would normally find at tourist locations in Nepal. Amazingly if you would look at the text in the information brochure and try to match the painting at the walls, you would find a story of Ram and Sita during her abduction by Ravana in Lanka. The brochure had even mentioned that the tale was of Rama of Ayothaya who waged a war to rescue his wife Sita. In fact, I had already visited that place 'Ayuthaya' the ancient city and it was not that difficult for me to recall it. It was really exciting to imagine and link up the strings in the history looking at the painting walls...of course the text written in the information brochure.

But one thing that surely caught me offguard....we came almost to an end of the tour, while keeping good track of the information map given at the gate! But I didn't see any Grand Palace as such. We asked ourselves..."Where is the Grand Palace then?" I tried to trace around the map a number of times but could not locate it! The brochure had a good picture of a building with a big title 'The Grand Palace' but finding the building in the map or in the place was not that easy either. I thought I should better read the information brochure and the text below the title and understand more about it. Well, it didn't take me much time to conclude that the whole place was known as 'The Grand Palace Complex'. It was King Rama I's decision to build the Royal Palace Compound in there, which was not only used to serve as royal residence but also as house for some of the administrative offices (probably like our Singha Durbar where most of the ministries including Prime Minister's office are located inside) and it was given the name as 'Grand Palace'. With that we concluded our half a day tour and got back to the apartment. This time we took metered taxi and only paid 90 baht...huh saved 10 baht?

On the way to return, I said goodbye to my friends and also I invited them to visit my place during any weekend they would prefer. It did not take me much time to find the stand where the vans to AIT used to wait. After confirming, I took a seat and waited. As soon as the van got filled up, we were asked to pay the fare. This time it was 50 baht each. This was 20 baht more than when I came. I thought I got screwed up. I had no choice but to pay him. Off we went and this time surely at the speed of 150 km/hour. On the way, it was heavily raining. I could see the rain flowing up on the windscreen. Shubha had told me about it but I didn't have any chance to watch it. It was true. It was because of the van's speed, the rainwater falling on the windscreen was going up rather than coming down.

Crazily the van came to a halt on the highway that was very near to AIT. I thought it would take us at least to the gate of AIT as normally it used to in the past. Hastily I got off and also I saw a lady in college uniform (in Bangkok almost all colleges were required to wear same uniform: black skirt and white shirt) got off too. Probably she was student in Thammasat University. She was walking quite fast probably to catch up with the classes ...not sure. I called her up...Excuse me...with a smile of course. She looked back and stopped with a surprise! I hurriedly approached her and asked how much she paid to the van. I thought she would understand english but she didn't. I knew 'sip' was called for 10 baht. So, I told her, showing five fingers, I paid 'sip' to the van. And using sign languages, asked her how much money did she pay. Then she answered 50 baht. I got a relief I was not screwed at all. She told me that the van was not of the regular route to AIT and thus charged us more. Oh! goodness! that was the reason. Now what next, we had to talk, it was a bit long walk up to AIT. I tried my best to understand her which level she was in. All I could get out of her was .... she was Commerce and Accounting student in Thammasat University...her english was not that well....She got a call at her mobile by the time we reached AIT gate. But she stopped her mobile and with a big smile said bye bye....c u later..I thought to myself ...oh great ... and I went to AIT gate waving bye to her!

Yeah! It was a Crazy trip to Ko Si Chang Island near Pattaya

Eventhough this was not my first time in the sea, I was thrilled to be in the beach of Thailand and this was something that I had planned for some time. And travelling in a group of 23 people from differnt countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Britain, Philippines, Pakistan, Thailand and of course Nepal was surely a thrill in itself. On top of that, Chaitya's company and her partnership in all the expenses till the end was quite unique in itself for me! By the way, this was her 7th Crazy trip !!!

We went to a beautiful chinese budhha temple located on a hill in the island. It was a laughing budhha. Then we climbed up high to the top of the hill to find a sacred place with Buddha's foot print on it. The footprint was nicely painted with golden color and looked quite bigger and not humanely in size. To be honest, I was not used to this kind of sacred places which were nicely decorated. Normally we did have sacred places in Nepal but these were either messed up with holy powders during 'Puja' or one had to put some effort to gather his thought to imagine what the object would look like in the past....but it looked natural....probably an untouched beauty! Well, probably we should learn from the way Thai people had been maintaining these sacred places!

One thing about this human nature. May be its crazy trip, perhaps I felt like going crazy for some moment too! It's about a cute child probably in the age of 3/4 years, who was accompanied by her Cambodian father in the group. She was so cute that every lady in the group probably liked to play with her. First a vietnamese, then a Cambodian, and then a phillipino tried to talk to her. Vietnamese tried her language and phillipino tried english language but from her expression I could understand that she did not follow any of these languages. At the end, obviously a cambodian was able to make her comfortable. I thought how different we humans were. Being human we didn't have a common language that could be understood by even a child. If the same child was to be brought up by a Nepalese parent then she would probably never understand the cambodian. huh! I said to myself, "Are we human in real?"-"Are you crazy?"

On the way to the Palace, I learnt from a Cambodian friend that we could easily go to the Cambodia and then to the Vietnam by road from Thailand. She was a cambodian lady just graduated from AIT and was very enthusiastic to tell us about her country and the things we should see in there. I asked her if there was 'Tuk Tuk' in her country. She said 'Yes'. Then I asked her how much would a 'Tuk Tuk' cost? Straight away she said, 250 baht. I repeated my question. She got surprised and reiterated that it was just 250, this time a littel annoyed and put more emphasis on discount that I might get on bargain. I said to her that the cost was probably for a trip. I tried to explain her ... I told her I would pay an amount if I had to buy a shirt in a shop, so similarly how it would cost for a 'Tuk Tuk' there, if I had to buy it like the shirt. Then she understood and stared at me as if I was crazy guy, she never imagined I would ask her about the cost of a 'Tuk Tuk'. Yah I was crazy, after all it was a crazy trip!!!

I could never imagine how a Crab would taste. I had not had its taste till the dinner in a restaurant near the coast in the trip. We ordered fried rice, a big fish with hot lemon soup and Sam Tam (veg salad alongwith crab) and of course a basket full of ice pieces. I wished to try crab meat when I came earlier in Bangkok but could not do it. Alongwith fired rice, first Sam Tam was served with a small black crab. I got a piece of it to try but I could not stop myself from staring on it for awhile....didn't know where to start it from... Chaitya came for my help...somehow I took out little (tiny) meat out of it and tasted it.... a big Woh...and one could see my face, nasty way. I just could not keep it inside my mouth and had to spit it on the floor. It had so hard smell and it tasted like rotten egg. I thought to myself... okay my wish fulfilled, that was the taste of a crab meat huh....I tasted the big fish with hot lemon soup. It had really great taste and much better than what we would normally have in Kathmandu. I kept on eating it so that I could put that bad taste of crab meat away. After awhile another Sam Tam was served. But this time it was red crab but a bigger one. Chaitya asked me to try this once. I said Woh no more no more huh! She said she tried that once before and tasted good. So, I felt I should give this nasty Crab a chance more and then I requested a piece of it as I did before. Hastily, I put the piece in my mouth, afraid I would get the similar taste as before, trying to avoid the bad taste I had earlier. Surprised, this time, it tasted really great. It tasted like a lobster that I had when I was in Roskilde. Well, I thanked to myself that I gave it a try otherwise I would have minded bad taste of the crab meat all in my life....probably it would have been worst for crab lovers huh!!!

Its Crazy people on Crazy Trip! .... Crazy me!

Don't get surprised to see 3 Crazies in the Title. Actually I was told only about Crazy Trip but I came to know about other 2 after I went to the trip myself. Hey! it is 00:44 AM now and I returned from the trip an hour ago...a little bit tired ... but still felt I should write about it no matter how late it would gonna be now.

You must be now Crazy to know about this trip huh! Well, I am told that the trip is crazy because goers are usually informed where they are supposed to go and how they are supposed to go. But the destination is completely new to the organizer themselves. Instead of organizer, I would say volunteers though. Further, there could be twist in the plan, sometimes crazy things happen like finding hard the vehicles to get back to home, getting stuck on the road waiting for others to join, finding the right way to the destination etc. Its crazy trip anyway!

This time (7th time-17 June 2007), the Crazy destination was Ko Si Chang Island before Pattaya beach. A Crazy thing happened before we started our Crazy trip! There were about 33 people who signed up for this trip and only 21 people appeared. So, out of 3 microbuses, one had to be cancelled for which we had to pay 500 Baht as cancellation fee. Crazy though...

I should put another crazy tag to this trip....Crazy drivers. The two drivers had mentioned that the charges for microbus included the cost of gasoline to be spent on the trip! So, we had estimated our individual fare accordingly and was happy with that. But when they came to pick us up at the beach, they said the cost of gasoline was an extra to the reserve fare. So, we had no option but to give them the extra. Thanks to Jonathan who shouldered half of the responsibility! Don't know why... Crazy Jonathan!

I will write about my trip thing later...i should get good sleep otherwise I will get crazy tomorrow! bye!

please do visit again!

Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, the ancient city of Thailand. We were 5 of us (Durga, Chaitya, Sareena and Aashish), hired a taxi for a whole day and went to our 'adventure' of Ayuthhaya. Well I had an imagination what an ancient city would look like, from my own distant past visits to Bhaktapur and Lalitpur cities, it proved to be different. Of course, it was an ancient city but the dwellers were probably migrants. The places were so ancient that it had now the remains with brick structure depicting ancient stupas, prangs and temples. Rest of the places seem to be well developed. Better if I would have said the city had got a facelift with people living there. Probably the land development does not seem that old....or it is maintained properly...i should have asked about it....

I had heard and watched the giant buddha statues in Afghansitan destroyed by Taliban regime but I did not know people in ancient times (probably 3-12th century -Khamer age) too had problem with Buddha Statues. Hardly any Buddha statues in the ancient city had its head. It was said that these Buddha Statues were destroyed during war, and in earthquake. I got a relief when I saw a number of Buddha Heads belonging to different centuries in the National Fine Arts and Museum.

One thing that caught my attention whenever I visited WATs (temple of god Buddha).... The pasting of golden flakes to the buddha statues. It was so soft and fragile that it easily pasted on the statue surface and made it shining, giving it a look of gold color. It was really fun. While Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal, the tradition there worshipping Budhha is entirely different than the tradition here, except lighting the incense sticks. My mind striked hard about the tradition that we had in Nepal and I started to question myself....do ever these people know about it...have ever these followers been to the birth place of Budhha...I should have asked them but uff... i should have learnt Thai!

Fortune Teller with a vessel full of wooden sticks each having a number was something that really concluded whole day adventure. It looks like a game where one has to shake the vessel and a single stick fall, get the number it has and find the slip with that number. The first slip I tried, gave a good fortune but I did not like a statement it had and I felt if I should try one more and check if I would get the same number again. But tried 2 times, got different numbers each time I tried and of course different fortune to know about my future! I thought, what if everytime I tried, it would give different numbers....I would have different fortune?...probably the last fortune would be the one whoever tries....no this was not written there but I made it myself! funny though!