Photo from Carrie Anne & Michael party

Me & Carrie Anne

Me & Pili

Me & Suja Yussof

Chris, Li'er, me & Carrie-Anne

India 2nd time

2nd July 2006

I never thought of coming back to this crazy comical wonderful nation of India when I left on the jet plane on October 2005.

To make a come back for a second place is almost impossible, not because I hate the country mind you, I do love the country and traveling and discovering the country here in facts was the best time I had in my life.

As much as I love the country, but if given time and money, I would rather travel to new places as I wish to make to world my playground. I would love to go to Egypt, Turkey, Dubai, Cuba, and Europe & South America. There are so many places to go and to go back to same place is tantamount to mission impossible, unless I have wife and kids there waiting to be feed and loved, then that would be entirely different story- which apparently not the case here.

Of course I always entertain the thought that it would be so lovely to go back to the place where you once fond for and in love with but seriously never have a power to transform into reality.

Well, chance and fate took me there once and now it took me there again for a second time. And all this took place in less than 9 month after coming back from this crazy nation. The feeling of being in India for second time is indescribable especially when in your mind you know it too well that you wont be able to be back here, at least not that soon.

If last year I was backpacking in India the way of genuine backpacker, with budget guest house, cheap train and buses traveling, meeting and befriended all sort of funny crazy people, this time was exactly the opposite- plane traveling, 4 star hotels, fancy dinner, cabs and meeting serious and dorky people (people in the business sectors).

I must say that this trip was because of my present job but hold no boredom my army, coz I would not bother you a single thing about my job here. Even though I was in suit and tie with in flight traveling and fancy hotels, my soul and heart were the same of the yesteryear when I did my route of western India to Upper northern India.

Honestly prior to landing in Mumbai, I was already looking to breath the air that I was breathing for a year, to be amused by the Indians in the street and to see the rickshaw crooks to try to fool and cheat my money in their illogical way. While all this had been already anticipated, I was also can’t wait to be reunited with some of my friends in my second home in Pune. A friend once say to me that it is always a wonderful experience to go back to the place you fond with, and that is of course to feel spiritually and emotionally the things that we had experience through the time, sweet or sour, it doesn’t matter.

Anyway, before I can share my testimony in India for a second time, I must share with you my first up close and personal experience with Bollywood God-status superstar.

I departed my beloved country to my second home on the 3rd of June and coincidently that was the day he is flying back home.

I was in economy class and for whatever reason I was upgraded to business class. So I was seating on the first row and beside me was unoccupied. While I was fancying the “class” of flying in business class (the services and the gadget installed onto the seat), he walked in and time stood still. Really, it felt that way where people around you just pause for a while and all eyes were on him. And that includes all of the crew members.

His baldy body guard was holding his luggage. My heart beat faster than usual for I can’t grasp the realism of the occasion. I was not his big fan or what and like every ordinary people, I don’t give a shit even if he come and shook my hand but somewhat things are different when someone bigger than life stood in front of you and was about to take the seat beside you. I guess that why my heart were beating unusually.

He is the second God in India after the Big B (Amitabth Bachan). He is none other than the SRK, one of the great Khans. Full name is Shah Rukh Khan.

I am stopping with Alison Klauss’s “When you say nothing at all” playing in the air. I will continue to write when I am free again.

And I am free again (it is now 23rd July). I just got back from Bangkok. But Bangkok piece, I will write once I am done with this. OK, we were in Mumbai for the first 10 days of our trip. We were staying in the backpackers/travelers/foreigners haven. One of the most famous place in Mumbai- the most highlighted place in Gregory Robert’s Shantaram. It is COLABA.

The night of Mumbai the city never sleeps is happening. Everything there seems familiar and it seems like I was there yesterday- the cricket field, the clock tower, Marine Drive (Chowphatty Beach), Indian Gate etc.

On one of the night we were having dinner at Leopold- again, one of the most highlighted hangout place in Shantaram. Somehow all the lives in Shantaram relived in my head once and again, through my imaginative power of sort.

Second city is where I used to belong. It is the Oxford of the East, where lot of young people from all over India, Middle East, Africa, Asia come here for study and eventually work, where Israelis, Germans, Dutch, Italians, Greeks and others in search of better truth of existentiality here for Meditation, where most of the top engineering and IT companies from India and elsewhere is mushrooming here. This place I present to you- is PUNE- where I once live for a year or to be exact, my ex-base.

I just wanna make it short here. Martin, Magda, Sharfi and Trude- thanks for the times together, it’s great to meet again. I enjoyed all the time spent in Mad Grill House & Shisha Café. Smoking Shisha had never been any different-with you guys around.

Pinky, lovely and beautiful Hindi girl- It’s great to see you again. I know it was never expected. I enjoyed the dinner at Shisha Café with you.

The rest of the cities we were in were Nagpur, Chennai, Bangalore, Pondicherry & Delhi. With exception to Delhi, the rest of the cities mentioned above I never been there.

Pondicherry came a surprise to me. It was a one of the state, 4 hours drive away from Chennai. It is a former French colonial. There, still lives some French and they all holds double citizenship. Because of the French influence historically, some older generations Indians actually specks French. And that make French the second language in that city. It is just funny to see Indians speaking French.

I think I wanna stop writing. I just couldn’t do this anymore. I tried my best to write enthusiastically but enthusiasm and inspiration just not here anymore.

I still want to go back to India for my unfinished trip. Places like Kerala in down south, and Leh, Srinagar, Kashmir, Darjeeling in Himachal Pradesh in upper North and maybe Goa (again?). Until I do that, as in pure traveling, only my backpack & my khaki, I will write like how I did on the 12 series of traveling confession in India 2005.

Have a good life and live life interestingly. Goodbye!

Peter

Old Photos Revisited: Meatloaf & Babes (Part 2)

Tribute to some of my greatest moments (not that there was much greatest moment to be cherish anyway...)- Dull life huh??

Photo: Me with my favorite "babe" Nasha Aziz and Faisal- The time working as Mickey's crew @ Disney on Ice tour- 2003

Photo: This is with another babe by the name of Claire in 2002, during one of the ball night. This babe I came to know in theatre production day where she was a main cast and me, was just a one few liner extra plus behind the curtain guy...Am I slapping myself uploading too many "beauty & the beast type of photos"?? Haha!! I just love me...

Photo: This year is I guess the proudest moment for my parent BUT not for me as it was tentamount to me walking away from freedom (people who knew me know how I live my varsity life). Yes the year is 2003 and it was a graduation day. And the babe beside me is the 6th member of pussycat dolls- as in literally "pussycat" doll:) Haha...OK, she is also one of my favourite babe, nevermind the pussycat story...

Photo: Last but not least, this photo is taken in La Bodega ( currently my favourite wednesday's evening place where the best jazz band is playing) in 2001. I think this outing was with two friend of my whom is now slave to P&G- OTC & YikHun

Old Photos Revisited: The Peter then...

22 May 2006

Song: Spirit of Radio- Rush

Well, friends, last weekend, I was just browsing through my old photos and I was thinking maybe I could scan them and upload it on my blog, and without much thinking, here some of my old photos- as you can see, the Peter with hair era:) & some, which belong to Peter just without the hair era and of coz, the botak era... To those who know me 1999 onwards- as the botak guy, baldie, "Costello" etc but those who know me prior to 1998- the bad hair day, the grunge jamming, hard rocking era, here's some photos- thanks for the good and bad time together. Have fun yo!!

Photo: 1997, working at Evergreen Hotel, Italian month buffet. (From L-R): Siva, me, Sufian, Jalil, Rez & Wan

Photo: Posing near the main dishes area

Photo: 1998, @ Penang dam, with Kok Wei- good ol' buddy.

Photo: The "Eat, sleep & shit Guns & Roses era"

Still got more photos. Later...(part 2)

Strawberry field forever

Photo: Dinner @ Strawberry Field (With Barbara, my ex roomie & oh I forgot his name)

The bugger is in the middle

Photo: Me, D'bugger & Shook (The laughter that shook the world)

A tribute to bugger

Photo: Jerry Felix (Drummer, hidden) & The Falcons

Photo: Salvador & Me @ Pelita, Bangsar.

Photo: Ramli Sarip & Lefthanded rock the stage!!

Photo: Ramli Sarip, Me, Man Kidal & Yan

Opening Song:- Goodbye to romance- Ozzy Osborne


11.10 am, 12th Friday May 2006.

And so the story of life continues. Oh wait, let me do that again, and so, the story of this seemingly routine life continues, through the rush hour of everyday, chaotic of big city life, mad crowd of people, same old same old faces, surrounding you with nothing but the same old stuff of world updates. And I wonder where will my life go from here? When will my life take off again? I don’t know man…, while there’s nothing wrong with my life now, but somehow I feel my itchy feet and my cat level of curiosity is calling in within me to go explore, go somewhere out of ordinary. Perhaps it’s just me or the cat in me that playing the role of devil’s advocate to poison once again my school of thought that life is not about evolving in the same old geographical places your eyes see and your skin touches but like I told my recently gone off (to Germany) friend that “it’s whole new world out there” and that it seems so close and yet so far because we just couldn’t move because we are tight here on ground by worldly commitment. And yeah, that’s the whole irony of the whole thing. And it makes you just don’t wanna care anymore sometime.

Time travel faster than light yes you may say it’s only a saying- but it’s true. Sometime we do the things we do everyday that we don’t know that actually we had miss out quite lot of thing that if you take sometime off your heavy duty schedule to think and ponder, the thing that we miss out intentionally or unintentionally, is the thing that mean a lot to us.

As for me, my writing might seems melancholy or some will go to extra miles to pity me as depressive. Whatever it is I don’t care and couldn’t be bothered. I used to say and still subscribe to this school of though that life is short and yes my friend; it’s our duty to live life to the fullest. Every losing minute will forever behind us and will never get it back. So friend, sometime despite our busy life, all we need to do is to stop and ponder a while and then get back on that train track of life.

Balance is all we need. So every once in a while, we must do things that satisfy us, satisfy our soul, mind and body.

Bonnie, I thought he will never go and there might be a slight possibility that he might chicken out the whole thing of living in Germany- living faraway for the first time, out of time, out of shelve and out of every familiarity. I know he want this very much and he had gone through fire and ice to make damn sure that this must transpired. That’s why I really want him to fuck off from here, for the betterment of his life- life that I hope one day he will never regret, despite the things that he must let go to move on. Man, shit like that is never easy and will never be and bittersweet irony is, like it or not- life goes on and we must choose one path or the other and there is no turning back. Courage and strong determination is all that it takes to walk-away from the thing we don’t to but must to, and come what may- like time and light, life still, goes on. I am not harboring any thought, I just couldn’t agree more that we must realize the dream we hold dearly, whatever that it is even though we have to cycling through the rocky mountain way. At the end of day, it’s just a decision life gotto take and there’s no wrong or right here- It’s just FREE WILL.

And the longer he actually stays to bother me about playing futsal, even though is the call that I am looking forward and anticipate it- the more I think he will have a second thought. And finally this Yes-Land is all but minus one bugger.

To tell you the truth, I was a bit envy that he is living the life I once lived and the whole airport scene, which at the first seems like a fake party and towards the end really seems like funeral for a friend-love lies bleeding kind of thing actually flashing back that exact moment I had when I took off to India. It was exactly the same. Melancholy, the strange-awkward- don’t know what to do what to say kind of attitudes, whether for the sending off people or for the going off bugger- it’s just fucking same. And how could I not felt it- the blues, the joy of the whole exploration I was about to have is the just few hours away and abracadabra, we are looking through a window, laying eyes on everything that is new, amazing…
But that was just one bit, overall, I am happy this bugger went off finally and behold the world, this bugger is gonna take the yes-land to another level like I once did. So long bugger, have fun of your life and whenever you lost in life or in the city or in the pub or party, just take out the magic card I gave you and remember Christopher Columbus once said- “It’s a whole new world out there” and I always wanna add “Go swim and explore” Salute bugger.

Salvador, a Spanish friend I met in India visited me on his Asia backpacking trip. It was good to have someone from the phase of life you cherished most coming back to you. It’s like you get to hold the piece of shattered sweetest dream you once had. I wish I have all the time and luxury to bring him around but as much as my schedule is holding me down, I tried to do best.

We went to Batu Caves. And hello, I know it’s embarrassing, but Batu caves that day was my first time. Seen it in TV, paper, magazines and even some miles away but to be there, no. never. I thought it was only the staircase that is matter but to prove some of you who might share the same view, it is not. So I did and go extra miles to explore the damn stone caves, rather than merely climbing up the staircase like a monkey do there everyday.

Suja Yussof, the cave warden (a friend I came to know from John Burger’s store, also Amir Yussof’s elder brother) Salvador and myself went on to cave the dark caves of Batu Caves. It was a great exploration and caving experience. It was not only a touristy caving where everything is lightens up for you to see and stone and metal is well constructed for you to walk safe so you could protect dust and bones of red muddy cave from gathering on your docker khaki and yuppie t shirt.

We went all out and as Suja would like to put it, we went against Darwin’s theory of evolution. In a sequence, we walk like a Neanderthal man and then bend like a gorilla, craw like a lizard and last- move like a snake on the ground completely- dragging our body through the tiny hole of caves. It was experimental and something different from Gua Tempurung.

Also one of the event I want to highlight in this page is the week before, I met up with Malaysian’s dinosaur of Rock figure, Malaysian’s greatest guitarist (some might wanna dispute this with Hillary), and one of the Malaysian greatest rock band. We were watching Jerry Felix & the Falcons jamming like every Thursday and out of no where the familiar faces walk in the pub, humbly, in their skin leather pant and flowery shirt, long glammy hair. They were all humble people despite that God status as much as Asian/Malaysian Rock music is concerned. The Papa or dinosaur rock I was talking about is Mr. Ramli Sarip, the leader of the 70s band- Sweet Charity. (Think of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones), the great guitar maestro- Man Kidal, guitarist of the band of Lefthanded and also Man Dayak (drummer) and Yan (bassist), also from the same band- Lefthanded. And so, the house took off their hat and invited them to rock the stage. They performed a slow number of Bob’s “Knocking of heaven’s door” & Rod Stewart’s “I don’t want to talk about it” as well as other rocking numbers from Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

And I guess I must call it off. So buggers, this is a call from me and thanks for being one true blog army and stay tune. Till then, stay true to yourself and don’t be hypocrite. We see each other again.

Closing song- StereokuMonomu by OAG

Writing this page by the pool side in my condo, Pantai Hillpark.

Natalia's Traveling Journal across South America!

Hi Blog Army,

My apology for not writing consistently. I guess right now there isn't much traveling from my side so not much story and train of thought to share.

As you can see, this is the first time I am gonna actually do this, to interblog. Here I am going to feature a traveling journal of a friend across South America. Personally when I read it the first time I really like it and honestly I can feel the "everything" about traveling/backpacking in her writing. And I ended up read and reread it for many time to come.

The journal also carry a memory when I was reading Che Guevara's motorcycle diary, at the time of traveling Mumbai-Baroda-Delhi. The book was about the young Che, experiencing and exploring the beauty and sceneric, God Sent landscape of South America continents.

Natalia is a friend I met and hung out with during my earlier time in Pune, India. I think it was in late 2004, early 2005. In fact, we travelled together, also with other crazy friends to Goa, New Year Eve 2004. This cute and sexy Colombian girl is one happening chick that never stop to amaze you. OK, enough said- let's enjoy her traveling journal through South America.

..................................................................................................

The Rada family (my dad, my bro and i), in an unusual behave and anxious craziness decided to travel...like Natibo - Visa Expedition in National Geographic Chanel, but in local version we named it "Natibo - USDcash Expedition in Radational Geographic". Initial plans were Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. But in a real dimension of the trip (time, distances and the way back) we got rid of Brazil and Bolivia. Finally we drove 16000km it self only and enjoy thousands of landscapes, places, food and wonderful moments. As soon as we got back, we found out that South America rules!, the roads in several places suck! food in Peru and Argentina are the best, guys in Argentina are much better than Calvin Klein models, Chile is as expensive as Europe and a very important issue: Definitely, indeed, a world wide knowledge is that u need more than one month to do that trip and as soon as u go back u are totally able to send your cv to a bus transportation company (bolivariano o velotax in Colombia) and no chances of not being hired or being rejected your application.! )

In a final footnote of this abstract it is proper to say that a trip of that kind carries consequences on. Skinniness, over exposure of sun (skin burns) (in the desert), extreme tiredness, sleepless nights and very early start journeys.

Introduction: last 21th of December 2005, we left nice Ibague and drove to the southern roads of Colombia, we crossed Cali, Pasto and Ipiales where finally we got to the first costume and found for very first time foreign floor.

Ecuador is a normal country, with very beautiful landscapes thanks to the Andean mountain, full of volcanoes, snow mountains and a general truth: Banana crops, Ecuador is the banana country! despite they have a very annoying accent (perfect for me and my jokes) i found it very similar to the south of Colombia (Nariño state), so my impression was "they are southern Colombians but with passports", ah but also in a low quality version. So i don't want to sound rude or
unrespectful but i just want u to know that ecuatorians and Peruvians think that Colombians are the south American genius, the big potential country, the Cosmo and first world of third world.


Well, over there i learnt a lot of history in every museum, Architecture is just amazing and the guinea pigs are the main course everywhere, so where ever u go, do what ever they do... so welcome rats to your stomach. We were in Ibarra, Quito, Guayaquil and Huaquillas where the costume is. Huaquillas is the ecuatorian side and Aguas Verdes is the peruvian side... i have never been in a worst place than those in my entirely life and in the entirely world. So it wasn't nice my first step on Peru. At this level i must do a historical aclaration.

Colombia during the earliest 90 was bombed by Peru tv channels, i was a kid at that time so a entire generation including my self, picked up a lot of feelings for Peru, i learnt vocabulary, traditions and words and a ghost that never leaves: Laura in America, a talk show that changed forever our perception of Peru because it showed the worst of that beautiful country, the people poverty and the lowest dimension of a society, so we grew up with a standard conception of what Peru was, but personally i kept thinking that that tv talks how was just a play not the real life. Fast, i found out that it wasn't faked, i faced my self with the country of señorita Laura*(see note below). Then i developed a shame and pity feeling because Peru it's too cool to be true, but its ruin by some jerks and i could understand lots of its problems just seeing the essence of its culture, history and roots, and mainly because i found it as the India of America in many issues. Then my nice feelings were also due to my links and good memories of India, somehow i felt i was in India so was weird and nice too. Of course i laughed a lot remembering my childhood and cuz i couldn't believe that Peru was real just at it is.

About the Indian point, just imagine and think of how i felt, first thing, they have rickshaws!!! bajaj Brand and they call em bajajs, mototaxis or motocarros, so same noise, same horn, same feeling when u are in India, second, Traffic is just annoying, they don't know how to drive! crazy, unbelievable, third, national sport is to horn, fourth, smells are disgusting sometimes and fifth how pp look like its just to much! (objects or characters described previously are not a product of imagination but any seem item compared to India its just coincidence)

So away from Indian memories, back in Peru, we went to Mancora, which are the best beaches of Peru but what a shame cuz they are horrible, or lets say that im used to go to the Caribbean and comparing both there is a big loser (pacific!), Then we went to Chiclayo, great city with the full report of Mochique culture, a pre Incan civilization, full of archaeologyc treasures. Chimbote is a fisher-town so that was the stinkiest city of Peru, with the prawn's head pp make fish flour and animal food so its just unbelievable the stinkyness and smell of dead fish. but it was not cuz we wanted to be there, was just a obligatory point where u pass through to Lima. Lima is an enormous city, too poor in its major area but its historical centre its just fabulous, magnifique, amazing, they had a lot of money during the "virreinato of Peru" (colonial times) so they have republic architecture, full of cathedrals, convents, museums, balconies and very beautiful and delightful historic area. Miraflores is nice cuz is the financial centre so buildings are amazing and very luxurious!!! Driving south way we went to Nazca, great area of pre-Incan civilization who made figures in the desert sand, perfectly matched with the sun and the moon in order to be used as a calendar, and only can be seen from high distances so i.e by plane, so we hired a plane and they made the flight amazing, we saw a hummingbird, a seagull, a condor, a monkey, a dog, a parrot, a crocodile, a whale, and more geometric figures.

It was one of the most exiting moments of the trip but we went forward cuz we still got a lot of distance to drive.....We arrived to Tacna the border town of Peru with Chile, we crossed the border and immediately u know that u are in a different world, first world, Chile is the wealthiest country in South America and is the 25th economy of the world pole, also taking care that Brazil is one of the tops and the rest, like our are over the 50s positions so no chances to feel a brotherhood besides the fact that they speak Spanish hehehe. Chile has a strong economy based on crops, mineral resources and fishing industry, Chile is a desert... Atacama desert takes forever and it's like the road-runner stage, when u think u will pass an one hour landscape.. damn! copy-paste, the same landscape for hours so it is very dangerous to drive cuz u cant find a gas station in hours and wind strength keeps u focused in the road. We crossed places where never have rained in the hole earth time so just imagine the place. Chile's food is so crappy that we ate mc donals only jejeje, hard to believe but was better and cheaper. Arica, Antofagasta, Vallenar, La Serena, Viña del Mar and Santiago was our Schedule. Viña was too cool but a shame that there are not beaches available for swimming... waves are to dangerous and fucking cold so no a real mood for the beach!! Santiago is very close and we went to the downtown, the zoo because my biologist bro wanted to, and we left to Mendoza Argentina through the Aconcagua border!!!. Santiago is a nice city, very cosmopolitan, i cant deny it, very good approach to first world, no poor pp, no dirtiness, good subway, good roads, good infrastructure, good services, expensive hotels, expensive and horrible food, ugly girls and flirting guys**.

Finally we left to Argentina, Andeans at that level are quite different of them that we saw in Ecuador or Peru, dryness makes them light brown but still a very beautiful chain. Mendoza is the first city u find in Argentina, it is a great city with a lot off things to do and mainly to buy!!! Wines there are just amazing!! Very well done and cheap!!! Argentina was kind of surprise for me cuz was very cheap and life it's very nice, for example u can have the best meat ever in the hole world, juicy, tender and with a perfect taste plus salad, fries, beer and wine, all in a meal for 3 pp and for just 20 usd!!! Yep believe it or not that's the price that u pay for a very good meal in Argentina. Also besides food and guys, I found out that pp are really kind.. I think they are one of the kindest pp of south America, even when pp used to think that Argentineans were different and not helpful at all, but I think they are amazing pp.

So in Buenos Aires we went to very beautiful places like the pink palace, the recoleta cemetery, el barrio de la Boca and Caminito. El barrio de la Boca is the place where during the 19 th and 20th century, Tango was created and a tango culture was found. Caminito was the exact place where u can have a beer and watch a tango spectacle and all tourist life is developed, also u can find there Boca stadium! Yep, one of the thousand monuments of soccer in Argentina, where Maradona played and more famous Argentinean soccer players.


Buenos Aires was great but we didn't spend much time there so I really want to go back one of this coming days. Finally and finishing our journey in the south, we went by ferry to Uruguay!! Through the River Plate channel, it is the widest river of the world! so it takes 3hrs to cross it, but in the slow ship! We spent a day in Colonia del Sacramento, it is a beautiful and historical city, full of museums and very small, I was wondering how could it be possible cuz it was too small and so many museums, also the spotlights are great and sometimes u can see lights from Buenos Aires. Then we were done, it was 14 th of January so we had only 10 days to go back in a marathon session!!.

So me and my bro decided to step on the gas!! And drive as fast as possible. i was pulled over in Chile because excess of speed mm yes I shouldn't say it, im not proud of it just it happened and my brother too in Ecuador (I was not the only one), but in Ecuador we got rid of the ticket giving to the officer some money but in Chile I had to apologize and tell them that was the very first time, that I was not watching my speed level and I wont do it again. Hehe. Well after a crazy and exhausting marathon we arrived to Arequipa!!!! We left our car there and we took a bus to Cuzco!!!, hehehe dear friends if we hadn't gone to Machu Picchu we had wasted so much effort. It's like go to India and don't go to the Taj Mahal!!

So we went to Cuzco by bus, mm kind of disappointing when u know and have to pay the price to go to Machu Picchu!! Its about 150 usd!! For just one day and not first class service!!, for that price sometimes u think u will have a great service but…mmm….ok I must say that finally it worth it when u realized and don't have to pay anything else.. it worth!!! I started to like llamas and vicunas, they run free there and it is an amazing place with a mystic and a respect feeling. Indeed u must go to Cuzco, around it and Machu Picchu of course, that last visit was the top, the great end of our trip!!


Finally, i don't want to write any more! So I just have left that South America it's awesome! Amazing! It was a great and crazy trip but it worth every km u drive, every place u stay, every food u taste, everything u learn!!

When I got back I was too tired that I said that I would never do that trip again but now if somebody wants me to be a personal guide, im available!! Im a human version of lonely planet south America!!

Thanks for the sponsors of this trip (dad), the car (my dad's), the money (dad's and bro's) and the keenness needed!! (that was my asset)
Please attach comments and reactions!!! Can I apply for any redaction skill Prize? (Pulitzer / Nobel / Asturias xxx?)

Bye I hope u like my tale!!
Nata, experimented driver and skinny underweight Colombian friend!

*by the way she was found guilty and was in jail because she was involved with corrupted transactions of thousands of dollars during Montesino's scandal and several links with Fujimory and its corrupted government

** gender specifications: Colombians and Argentineans both genders are beautiful, super pretty pp, pp in Peru are a shame, not possible to find a nail of a miss universe in Peru, its enough to say that im tall in Peru..., girls in Chile are ugly, guys are flirting all the time but are a defected version of Argentinean guys, ohh Ecuador are a very cheap imitation of Colombians but a better edition of Peruvians but still not good casting and finally Argentineans... heaven....Greek Goddess....Batistuta is the ugliest!!!! i didn't know where to see and who to flirt....the policeman, the postman, the seller, the driver, the supermarket attendant, the waiter, the guy who ask u for money cuz he doesn't have any to eat!!! ohhhhh Argentina.....a fantasy for girls plan or ladies night!!!!! im considering seriously go to Argentina again but without bodyguards (dad and bro)

The Blog is back- Cold day in the sun

12 March 2006 (2 days to my birthday)

Song: Leaving New York by R.E.M and rest of their songs from the album “Around the sun”

Place: In my bedroom

It has been a while since the last time I did this, updating my blog or writing something meaningful that chronicle my life. The last time I did this was some three months ago when I first came back from India and my 40 days traveling there were still fresh in my mind. Well, obviously, time flies by and it does really fast, faster than the light some might say.

The reasons why I haven’t been writing for so long now is I guess it’s just too hard for me bridge the life I had in India and the one I am living now in Malaysia. The gap is just too wide to bridge and plus, lots of thing had happen and I didn’t have time to piece it all together. To say I don’t have time is lame so I better word it the way that I had been tied down and had been bitten by harsh realities.

After all these months and excusing myself from writing and ignoring my inspiration and train of thought, here I am now- breaking the ice and kick starting an effort to bride this torn life transition.

Song: The Outsiders by R.E.M & Q-Tip, my favorite one in the album.

It’s funny sometime I think that the time I am having and the life I was living had actually come to an end. I thought it was never meant to end the truth is it had come to an end. And so the end is the beginning- The end of something is the beginning of another. Life is like that, it keep on moving and never a time it pause, not even when we blink for a second.

It had been four months now and sometime subconsciously, my mind is still finding it hard that my life is here and is gradually bitten by the harsh realities here. And I think it is hard also to come to know that life is about us facing the eventual reality that if everybody given a choice they would likely to runaway- the commitments. I always love the carefree and commitment-less kind of life, doing what I wanna do, treating the world like a playground and wonderland. So the thought of I living life somewhere out of familiarity, subconsciously is still there. It became blurry at the beginning point of commitment. One by one is ushering in and they, the devil’s tools are gonna sucking me dry.

So I am working now, and in about three day time, it will mark the three months I am with this company. Working is the first chapter of life with commitment. Then there is car and credit card. And that’s it- my arms and legs and neck is tied to the ground of bitter reality. I can now foregoing about the plan of my backpacking, at least for the near future.

If you ask Ceasar, he would surely describe my phase of life now is tantamount to rebuilding an empire. I was working hard and sacrificing my life after graduating for about two years, living life not programmed by society and was without the devil’s tools like credit cards and proper jobs, sustaining life with menial jobs and surrounded by surrounding of high life and egoistic materialistic and future oriented society. That was never easy and I went through it and the reward was the best time of my life- India!

And now, even though I am still all for it, living life in another place, I just couldn’t do it anymore. To do it again is like rebuilding an empire. And I am rebuilding an empire now. Life is short and we gotto live it. Dream may go away but it never shatters. Hence when the empire is rebuild, dream will be back in one piece and I will be leaving on a jet plane. Only time will tell.

This is the fact life for people like us who weren’t born into a wealthy family, feed by silver spoon. I always like to say that there isn’t any money falling down from trees above or coming out of the closet. So for people like me, if I ever want to live my dream life, discovering and experiencing the unknown, the only way to do it is to investing my time and working my ass out and pray-pray, with a little help- I will be there.

I was listening to some of my old CDs and there was this song and particularly its lyric really caught me again. And this is how it goes, an excerpt- “It’s the price we gotto pay, and all the games we gotto play, it makes me wonder if it’s worth to carry on, Cause it´s a game we gotta lose Though it´s a life we gotta choose And the price is our own life until it´s done ” *

This excerpt is in me now for more than one reason, about life and also about a very interesting person I befriended with.

This is just an attempt to come back to my blog and to bridge my life then in India and my life now in Malaysia. And I think this is a good start though it may sound like cold day in a sun. So, this blog had been rejuvenated and with that I invite you people keep coming back. This is to all the beautiful people of all colors, places and gender, whom I met, befriended and in love with, this is for you.

Signing Off,

Peter

· The excerpt of the song if “The Price by Twisted Sister”

* I am also begun to write poem and song again. Please visit www.summerjazz69.blogspot.com

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

Part 12 (Ending, very bad ending, boring one)

Goa, 1st day

It was a Palorem beach and it was my second time. The first time was exactly 6 month ago. My objective and mission was clear, to have a good life and on that day of my arrival, I started my good life.

The palm trees, the golden sand on the beach, the coco huts, the volatile level waves, the swaying of trees, the beach dogs and everything made me felt like I was there yesterday. After a round of searching for good hut, I settle in on a hut, lay on the front of the beach. A hut that enable me to view the beach and the morning sun and straight up to heaven with a block of any matter. First sign on good life.

Second sign of good life was when I invited myself a good Goan lunch at Kates café. My lunch was prawn curry rice and a cold beer. I was reading the fascinating book and story was about the struggle surviving cancer by Louis Armstrong. It was a very inspirational and emotional book.

Another famous thing in Goa was the full body massage. That’s what I did after lunch. It was a full body massage. Yes it was only my first half day and I was already having the dream life of any man working on the street or in the office, people who have money and cars but didn’t have sufficient time to live youthful life. I was the opposite.

Song: Your winter by Sister Hazel & Yesterday’s gone by Lenny Kravitz

And without I realize it my first day was gone. I was alone and I had a good life. I only spent 30 minutes on the beach.

My all time top 5 Actors

1. Al Pacino
2. Denzel Washington
3. Johnny Depp
4. Leonardo DeCaprio
5. Kevin Spacey


Goa, 2nd day

So the morning has broken. I woke up like usual with the sun still a little shy away from the sky, blues sky, colored by the whitening clouds. I went to the nearest café or hut by the beach to feed myself a health breakfast and had myself a serenity of the morning Goa.

In the café I met a very strong and healthy old man from Israel. We had a very interesting conversation. At one point of our conversation, he was recalled of his bitter youth of the then shaky and war thorn between Israel and Egypt, back in 1973. While his friends attending Woodstock and foreign universities, he was in a tank or sometime on feet fighting with the Egyptians army. It was a tragic memory or sometime a poignant one especially when he think of how his close friends killed in the battlefields. He almost came to tears but somehow he managed to hold back.

Then came along one beautiful girl. She was alone and was wearing sunshade. She walked in the café and seating by herself, watching and enjoying the serenity of the beach and sky. The Israelis left me to rejoin with his fellow friends and so I was alone. I told myself it’s time to hook up with the beautiful girl and so I brave myself to talk to her. I took a last sip of black tea and walked to her table and without even a slight of hesitation I said hi and asked her if I may join her. And not much of her surprise, she said yes and there it goes, I had her acquaintance until the last day of her in Goa.

Her name is Arielle. She is from Vancouver, Canada but working in Cannes, Australia. She was traveling alone. I invited her to a dinner with me which of course she could never deny since I was quite charming at it.

I read Lance Armstrong’s autobiography few more chapters and later in the evening I joined some local kids and some travelers to play beach soccer.

We had a dinner at Sameer café, serving one of the finest steaks, seafood and western varieties in Palorem. I ordered myself chicken steak sizzle and she ordered fish steak. It was a candlelight dinner by the beach. It was a memorable and somewhat romantic night. We shared lot in common especially in music, books and movies. Talking about movies, she was once actively act as an extra in various Hollywood movies. Among them with Ben Affleck in Paycheck, Luke Perry in some TV series and Courtney Love.

Her all time top 5 actors/actress

1. Al Pacino
2. Edward Norton
3. Meg Ryan
4. Renee Zelwegar
5. Nicholas Cage

3rd Day, Goa.

Arielle and I met up in the morning for breakfast. It was also good to have someone around to acquaintance with especially in Goa but without any string attached. We just meet up whenever we both want and have a nice time together engaged in a very interesting conversation. And when either of us want to do something alone, we just split and met up again at promised time.

So after a very delicious breakfast, I rented a bike and so together with her, we cruise the village and outskirt of Goa. It was really nice. We went to a 5 star hotel and suntanned on the beach. The beach was empty and it was only the two of us and the ocean and its lovely waves. It was as only the two of us in the universe. Occasionally we batched in the deep ocean and splashing crazily at each other. I was done with Lance Armstrong and started to read “The Kingfisher” which was also a motion picture starring Robbie William and Jeff Bridges.

We separated for a while for the whole afternoon and we met up again for dinner. This time we went to Marita café. It was a nice little café which allowed you to play your own choice of Cds.

It was also a few tables, lighted with a candle and facing the ocean. Instead of both of us seating facing each other, we were seating side by side facing the ocean, occasionally producing the little waves that hitting the shore and hence producing the Mexican waves. I ordered a prawn curry rice and Goan fry chilly chicken while she was ordering veg. Pakoda and fish steak sizzle.

I then started to play my own set of CD. To accompany the most romantic dinner, I first put Nina Simone’s hits and classical jazz.

The night was long and beautiful. She left the day after that. In Goa I also met up with a very interesting person, a Gary chap from England. He stayed in the hut next to me. We hung out quite a lot especially the time when me and Arielle separated to do our own thing. Most time, we were just seating and hanging out in his hut, smoking hash non stop, listening to good music and had lot of coffee. It was so funny that we were smoking hash for a continuous 6 hours, non stop, one after another. Interesting conversation hold us up together. A lot of thing I did learned from this Gary guy. Like always be nice and to people and be humble, don’t show off.

Gary came from a broken family. And through his youth, he had been to many countries, some with hard life like Greece, South Africa, Germany and etc. He speak Spanish, German and Hindi. He has a knack for language. He used to play in a same team with Ryan Giggs during his prime for Manchester United under 16.

The 4 days in Goa sign off this tiring journal and also my story through my experimental traveling through North of India, Pune and Goa. Honestly I am very tired and bored and who the hell is reading this crap anyway?? With that I say goodbye. (to myself)

Peter Ooi.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

Part 11

The infamous Golden Temple

Song: Don’t go away by Oasis

The journey to Amritsar after a week in paradise (McLeod) is like Beetleby & Loki, the angels in Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” that being cast away from heaven to earth for all life and eternity. The road gradually returning to normal and typical Indian road. Pollution and traffic jam were back in operation. The journey took me about 6 hours.

I arrived in Pathankot at 7.30 pm and the sky was already dark. There was no bus to Amritsar until tomorrow morning. And the earliest train was schedule to arrive 6 hours after that. I had no choice but to hung out with my friend, the 15 kilo bag pack, on the floor by the entrance of the railway station. I was already drain out and tired.

Song: Mellon Collie & the infinite sadness by Smashing Pumpkins

I brought the cheapest ticket or the lowest class. I didn’t know it was suppose to be first come first basis. And when the train arrived, I didn’t manage to find myself a seat so I ended up on the smelly dirty floor by the side of the door and the miserable toilet was like less than 10 meter away. I took out a paper and spread it on the floor, hugging my bag pack and fall asleep. I was awaken by a train manager and he was kind enough to alert me of possible thievery if I would to sleep openly like thin with my bag pack. I think it must had been his first time to see a foreign traveler sleeping on the train floor. Because of his generosity, I was being offer a sleeper class until I reached Amritsar.

Song: How you remind me by Nickelback

I arrived at Amritsar dead early in the morning. I was tired from the train ride and lack of sleep. And my bag pack was killing me with its weight. I went straight to the golden temple. Amritsar didn’t really impress me. In facts I hate it so much I wish the day would be over soon. The only consolation on Amritsar which is also one of the best thing was the golden temple.

Golden temple is the most important sacred shrine for the Sikhs, who travel from all parts of the world to enjoy the blissful environments and offer their thanks by giving prayers.

I went to one of the lodging and took a nap on its bench. It was a brief nap but it sure felt like I had been sleeping forever. At around I visited the golden temple. The temple open 24 hours and we the visitors and the pilgrimages had to cover our head with scarf and wash our feet clean before enter to the holy place. Inside, it was huge. I was overwhelmed at its majestic view and awesome architecture. It was the same amazement I had when I first saw the Taj Mahal last year. The time was around 5.30 in the morning and trust me, it was the most suitable time to visit the temple. The sun was barely seen but its light was slightly felt by the sky. So I walked in peace around the temple until I reached the golden temple, which located and floating in the middle of the lake.

I was done with Amritsar once I done with the golden temple. It was around 8 in the morning. I knew that my time is up and something deep inside me had call for me to return to Pune. So immediately I responded to that gut, that voice, the same voice that made me traveling in the beginning. But it was not until 9.30 pm can I board the train to Bombay, which is another 12 hours. Honestly, this was the city made in hell, with all due respect to the beautiful and majestic golden temple. I couldn’t even stand more than an hour, let alone 12 hours. The weather was hot and humid, the place was dusty and chaotic and somehow I felt like the people here were less friendly and more fiercely. I had no choice but to find something to kill time. So after couldn’t figure out what better thing to do, I went to a free guest house, established by the golden temple committee, to take a nap and a round of shower.

In the evening, I went to the border of Pakistan-India to witness the border closing ceremony, which celebrated everyday. It was a fully emotional and charge up performance and march by military of both side. What enlighten me was the powerful march of Indian military. Both seating place was separated by a gate that mark the separation of boundary. The crowds were cheering and shouting in common spirit. The ceremony witnessed a patriotic march by the armies and positive powerful response from both crowds. It also witnessed the lowering of both nation’s flag and the opening of border gate. The whole ceremony took about an hour.

I boarded the train from Amritsar to Bombay at around 9.30 pm. By then, approximately 25 days was already passed since the day I left Pune. I was still in the same trouser, the khakis, the only different was it was much dirtier, brownish and more ripped, on the knee part and on my back as well. My goatie beard was already long and unorganized. My hair looks like circus crown. The shirt I was wearing that day was already stinking and couldn’t get more worst. And so there it goes, 36 hours train ride, through many different places, day and night, rain and shine, all the way to Bombay.

The only highlight I want to put it here was when it was unexpectedly spot check by the local police on us the passengers. Of all my train experience in India I never had such experience and never knew such thing practice. Of course if I wasn’t guilty of any sort, then I shouldn’t be afraid. The problem was I had few grams of hash and another few grams of Marijuana left in my bag and if I were caught, I will either sent to jail and being work over or ripped off financially which either case wouldn’t do me any good. And to make matter worse, they started with my compartment.

The passengers are not suppose to keep illegal substance in the train mainly alcoholic drink but if they got you with drugs, matter could get even worse.

At that time I was seating with few senior citizens on their compartment, which opposite mine and my bag pack was on my compartment. After searching the locals, they were staring at my bag and I was already freaking out as my heartbeat pounding so hard I could hear them cry like a lion. Time stood still as I turn pale and scared of many ugly possibilities. And one of the officer point his baton to my bag pack and asked one of the Indian with his body sign saying, who’s bag?

And all hell broke loose when they pointed it at me. I don’t know why but they just gave me a cursory look and they passed me. No question asked. Probably I was a foreigner and these scumbag police couldn’t speak English and they wouldn’t want to trouble themselves struggling with me over Alien’s language. But still, it scare the hell out of me. I immediately took it and flush it down the toilet.

I felt like I had been gone for many days. The feeling of being back to my base was really something. I felt the connection and sentimental again. The house was messy and there was some new faces but nevertheless, I was home. I clean myself up, shave my head and my bearded goatie and dress myself in completely clean pair of new attires.

I spent a few days in Pune before I embarked on my last stop of 40 days traveling; Goa. And again I embarked on my last destination without anyone tag along with me and I was fine. I will go anyway with or without anybody.




Part 11

Song: Surrounded by Dream Theatre

Somehow I was reluctant to leave Pune after I connected with her for few memorable and eventful days but at the same time I was also determine as hell to finish what I had started, the traveling. Plus, I had quite some money left and thus the objective of my last destination was to spent it all there and to have a good life.

I met a guy who was in India for business in the bus. While we were having dinner, we were joint by a very attractive girl, who also happen to be traveling alone. She looks like a hair stylist or something. Her name was Luca and she was from Holland. We found something in common and the common thing was smoking weed.

She invited me to her compartment and together we darkened ourselves and open up the windows and smoke the night away. It was a weed from Morocco.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

Part 10

Photo: From my guest house rooftop, McLeod Ganj.

4th day at McLeod Ganj. The best day

The 4th day was the best day in McLeod and most probably most magical and most coincidental. It was my 3rd day I didn’t go for shower- the nitrogen coldness of water.

The sun was shining graciously for the first time and it was good, really good. The is a good quote I would like to include it here, from Khaled Hoseini’s “The Kite Runner” , a novel about life of two best friend, each separated by the different class of society but bonded like a blood brother and shaken by the unforgetful incident and eventual Russia invasion in the 1970s Afghanistan. It was a story about friendship, separation, lost time and redemption. This one of the novel that has every guts to pull every emotional string in your heart to sing and sway to the beat of the world. Anyway, the quote goes: “ Better to be hurt by truth than to be comforted by lies”.

It was a beautiful day. So I took a lazy jazzy walk towards the direction of Bhagsu. Walking to Bhagsu felt like walking on the edge of paradise. The street was narrow and are without any sort of fence. The beauty of the nature, mountain, colored by grayish of tiny rocks and greenish grass and bluest of the sky- You wish the time would pause for you to close your eyes, breath in really hard and exhale to the nature in peace.

Thirty minutes after walking without realizing it, I reached a point where the was a waterfall. The water was flowing from the upper of the mountain, running down splashing on the rocks to the bottom of the river. The sun was as high as before and were still shiny. Locals were doing laundry on the waterfall, animals like sheep, goats, donkeys and cows were busying eating grass.

I bum into Elisabeth (Kee’s friend) while on the way back to central McLeod. After a meaningful conversation and a string of walking around enjoying the landscape of beautiful McLeod, we split and that was the last time I saw her. Then I decided to walk like a stray dog, without direction to kill any possible or eventual boredom of being alone. I ate a variety of street’s junk foods.

There was this stall that was selling something that look like baby sausages, black in color. It smells good. I was tempted so I approached the old lady who sells the black sausages. I asked what’s the food like a foreigner but apparently she didn’t speak English. So I just asked if it was a chicken sausage and shot her the look, the please-nod-yes-if-you-think-it’s- chicken sausage look. And she nodded so I brought a small plate. It taste funny but eatable but I was already begin to suspect it was something fishy. I finally decided to asked one stranger standing at the entrance of Peace café and to my amazement he told me it was a blood clog mix and fried with doll. The blood was from the goat. Not that I wanted to puke, but I decided it was too much a piece to chewed. And for two hours of so after that I just enjoying McLeod walking alone, contemplating a lot about nothing.

I decided to rest for a little while by stopping at one of the sidewalk café. The café was playing Elton John’s “Candle in the wind” and “Sacrifice” . I ordered myself a Japanese green tea and lay my back on the wall of the café, looking out to the view of the mountains.

My all time Top 5 singers/Band:

1. Eric Clapton
2. Elton John
3. The Beatles
4. Guns n’ Roses
5. Nirvana

As I was seating sipping my green tea, enjoying myself view of the beautiful and gorgeous landscape. There came along the most beautiful brunette girl I ever seen. She walking alone, smiling at something I don’t know, looking around her surrounding. I can’t express this but the feeling of mine laying my eyes on her that day as far as I can remember, was serene, happy and very smiley even though she was just one of the many stranger in McLeod. Not only she was smiling happily but she was walking with little hopping like a child going to the garden or like Alice going to wonderland. She was dressing an outfit so simple, a jeans and a baby T with cardinal. I kept looking at her, non stop as she was the girl of my lifetime. The more I look at her the more it ring a bell in my head that I somehow knew her.

As she walking by, the familiarity was starting to develop a picture so clear in perfection in my head. I still couldn’t figure out who was she? Was she someone I fall in love in my past life?

And out of the blue and suddenly, …abracadabra, I remember her. I remember the girl and thanks God it was not someone I knew from past life. Yes. It was still the most beautiful real life brunette I ever met in my life; Kathrin from Germany. One of the two babe I met in Udaipur. Just when I thought I was all by myself for the rest of my stay, I saw someone I never thought of seeing again. So I walked to the edge and shouted out her name so loud, at the top of my lungs and in big surprise I couldn’t feel nor gasp. I was actually hoping it was her. And when she turn around and responded to my calling, her blue eyes caught mine and she was uttering my name is slight hesitation.

I invited her to the sidewalk café and we had a drink for a while before I walked with her, cruising the long walk that lead to the Dalai Lama temple. Our view were passing through the view and landscape of paradise.


Strange it may seems, and it really seems like it had been a years since the last time I saw her but the fact was I had seen her only last 2 weeks or so in Udaipur. If I am John Mayer, the guy who sing “Your body in wonderland” and I have the right to cast the girl for my MTV, she will definitely in my MTV.

Kathrin just arrived from Delhi that day when I met her. Her friend, Maria, suppose to arrive day after. We walk in circumference direction in the Dalai Lama temple. As we were walking, we also spinning the “mani prayer wheels” along the way. This wheel is the symbol of Tibet. The wheel is filled with thousands of Avalakit eshwara mantras “Om mani padme thum”. he believer believe that by turning this wheel once one earn merit equal to the recitation of the mantras filled inside the wheels. The wheels has to be turned in clockwise direction and it may find you peace and happiness.

In the temple, Kathrin & I befriended a Tibetan student aspire to become a monk and a 18 years old Swiss girl. It happen that the Swiss girl was staying in the same guest house and if that is not coincidental enough, her room was just two step away from my room. The monk soon-to-be, Jam Yang and the Swiss girl, Florine, Kathrin and I spent the rest of the evening watching the sunset from the Dalai Lama balcony, on top of the mountain.

Then I left them and meeting up with Jorgen & Hannah in Sunrise café which is a small hut café, lighted by neon light, and self proclaim serving the best and cheapest tea in Asia. It was very hippie look-alike shop. In the shop, we met with a white guy, a hippie look-alike. He was kind of eavesdropping at our conversation and occasionally showing some facial interest to join our conversation. His name is Luke and he is 23 years old chap from Melbourne- Australia. He is a self employed and part time poet. He is in India for about 6 month already, with hope to cure his writer’s block. It was a very interesting and full of intellectual, dogmatic conversation, from social economic to politic and illegal war, anti establishment, religion and freedom of traveling.

That night was the last night for Jorgen & Hannah. We celebrated by smoking up with fresh air at my balcony. When the sun shine early morning- they were gone, to Manali.

5th day, McLeod Ganj

After having 2 plates of omelets, hot tea and butter toast bread for breakfast at Sunrise café, I took a walk towards the same way that lead to the Dalai Lama temple. It is the same way where you will walk over and over again, because it was blessed with serendipity view and atmosphere.

At moonspeak café, I saw Maria, friend of Kathrin whom I also met in Udaipur. It was exactly the same place where I saw Kathrin. Together we were walking to the direction of Dalai Lama temple, to the temple, passing through many shops and temples. We were suppose to walk in circumference but somehow we didn’t knew so we ended up walking the other wise. For couple of hours, we just exploring the place and eventually we were back in my guest house. We hung out for a while at my rooftop, and she left after a coke.

6pm, I met up with Maria, Kathrin and Kyle, the American Chinese traveler whom also I familiar with (also in Udaipur) but never talk before. Kyle turn to be a very interesting and friendly guy, just like most traveler.
As the night usher in, we went to Om café, a café that offer us a wide and spacious place that overlooking one of the most greatest view in India. It was so great that the tables was fully occupied. But we were lucky to bum into this lone traveler from Israel who happen to seat alone. Shai was his name. Another interesting guy who traveled to China, Tibet, Mongolia before India. Like many Israelis, Shai started traveling after the compulsory military service. While we were waiting for our foods to be served, out of the blue we were surrounded by the gathering fog. It was crazy like we were stuck in the cloud #9, with nice restaurant in it. We couldn’t see anything further than 5 meter. This place is so beautiful that I began to rethink of my departure date. I was thinking of leaving tomorrow but somehow I was reluctant to go. I just met with the girls and Kyle and we had so much to share in common and interesting topic to talk about and moreover, McLeod is so freaking gorgeous, blissful that I wish I can stuck there forever.

We took a walk after dinner and when we finally reached central McLeod, I decided to break it out to say goodbye to them and the place. And it goes, “ OK guys, it is nice to meet you all here and I guess it is time now for me to say goodbye” and Kathrin with her melancholy face look at me and say: “ Oh no…but you can’t do this Peter, this is so beautiful, you cannot leave…you still have to show me the place”. At that moment I feel like I didn’t really want to leave.

The reason I wanted to leave was because I was there for 5 days already and I think I should have move on if I want to go to more places. Then I realize why the hell should I move since I had abandoned the plan to go to Leh, Srinagar with Hannes? Plus I had too many days remaining in hand and I could easily stay for more. I was ahead of my planned schedule.

Then I wasn’t sure anymore if I stayed more days because of McLeod Ganj or Maria, Kathrin and Kyle. I guess it was both, the place and the people.

As we were walking passing through many cafes and restaurant and Cinema 1, Kyle pull out the schedule of the monthly screening movie for Kathrin and she was like: “Oh no…this crazy hippie movie…, I had watched movie when I was like 14 and it was a crazy movie”

I was curious and I asked, what movie was that? And to my big surprise, she replied Oliver Stone’s Doors. There it was, then and there I decided to stay another day for the movie. It was a movie starring Val Kilmer. It is a movie that I was searching for a very long time already, from Malaysia to Thailand to India. It was a movie I wanted to watch so damn long ago but wasn’t available.

6th day, McLeod Ganj

On the 6th day God made….ah, let’s do it again. On the 6th day, I didn’t much thing but the same old routine.
We met again for dinner at the same restaurant. We went to a fusion performance somewhere down the hillside. They charged Rs. 50 per entrance. Maria and I decided not to go in because we were already late for an hour plus, it was nothing special to us because we had seen better one. So we walked to one of the small shop that serve Chai.

When we finally met again, we went to the direction of Bhagsu. And we stop midway where a little out of the way, there was a place where no one knew. We just lay our back and enjoying the full moon view, listening the night splash of waterfall and talking the night away. It was a silent night, so silent that maybe you could listen to the ant whisper. One dog was with us all the way until we were there, staring at the moonlight. We name him Buddy.

So I kiss the girl on the cheek as a mark of farewell as well a bear hug for Kyle. I left the day after that, after watching Doors and brief drink at Moonspeak café with Kathrin, Maria & Kyle.

7th day, McLeod Ganj

Song: Hurricane by Bob Dylan

When it is the time to go, you will just know it. It is really hard to say goodbye, to Kathrin and to McLeod. I really love the thing that I was doing then. I was quite bluesy as my traveling is approaching to an end. I still couldn’t figure out why I left. I had many days in hand but something is calling me home. I guess at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter and it is better to leave it there to be a mystery, I mean, on my the fuck I left.
When you are traveling, things are very much different.

From the thing you see to the think you touch to the think you feel and from the people you meet to the places you been, it is all fucking different. I couldn’t explain here the big differences but to put in a nutshell, I think we became more sensitive towards everything surrounding us when we were traveling. The sound of nature became purer, the grass suddenly became greener and trust me when I say this, somehow you will grow fond and sentimental with the places especially a place like McLeod Ganj. Everything was like in a movie. When I took that local cheap government bus to Pathankot, I was all by myself, seating by the window and there I was feeling like a bad ending of a romantic movie.

 

The Donkey was having lunch, on the way to Bhagsu, McLeod

 

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

Part 9

Photo: Mani prayer wheels

15. 09.2005

There was lots of Hebrew speaking travelers in the same bus with me. Of course these people are without doubt, are from Israel. There were also lot of pretty good looking girls were traveling with them, or at least they seems to stick together. While the guys, most of them have an attitude of ignorance hippie, the girls on the other hand, were pretty looking, almost all of the. Wait. Did I say pretty looking already?? Anyway, yeah, that was it.

I was seating alone by the window and my brother was on the other side. So when I saw raining of pretty chicks on my bus, I was rather hoping that one of them were end up seating up beside me. I mean c’mon…there were about 8 of them and I was thinking how low can be the probability of me hitting one of them. Anyway, my luck was way down low. Not only did I end up with one of the pretty looking chick, but a fat Indian guy.

If there is not enough, he was so big and wide that he took most of the space. And his had a mobile phone that is ringing most of the time, and most of the time it was with that annoying and irritating ring tones. God bless. Tell that to a person who not only didn’t get any of that pretty looking Hebrew speaking girl but a fat sweaty Indian guy with annoying ring tones, and he would show you a middle finger and “da’ motherfucker look”
Shanti Shanti… (Hindi word for calm down or cool down)

I couldn’t remember most of the night. I slept peacefully. And when I woke up 5.00 in the morning, we were already in McLeod Ganj. The weather was very chilly and cool. This place is the most anticipated one and the most highlighted one ever since I started my traveling. Lot has been said about this place, that one should not miss this place if one were to travel the North or as a matter of fact, India. So this place was the only one with high expectation and through out my unplanned 7 days stay here, I must confess that it hasn’t let me down even a bit. That’s why McLeod is place top in my all time top 5 places to visit in India.

My all time top 5 places to visit in India.

1. McLeod Ganj
2. Goa
3. Hampi
4. Manali
5. Udaipur

You will know why McLeod is number one as I write on. With little help from a friend, Mr. Lonely Planet, we found a budget guest house at central McLeod- Kelsang guest house. My brother and I met a very friendly old Tibetan couple who probably about to warm up for morning walk. They were kind enough to walk with us until the view to Kelsang was visible enough. McLeod Ganj or upper Dharamshala, is the home to many Tibetan people who live in exile. It is a home to His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.

When People Republic of China (PRC) under Chairman Mao invaded Tibet in 1959, lot of monasteries and temples were destroyed and lot of civilians were killed. This was part of Mao’s Cultural Revolution and one of the reasoning given was Tibet was once part of Mogul empire therefore legitimately belong and part of China.
In order to avoid more casualties and to continue defending hopeless resistance, the 14th Dalai Lama decided to leave Tibet and ever since then, together with some of Tibetans, had live in exile in Dharamshala, India.

There, His Holiness established Tibetan Government in Exile and had been vocal in Free Tibet campaign.
Immediately after checking in, we didn’t waste much time, so we jump to the comfortable bed to catch a nap that seem forever and endless. But we were awaken by the sun that shone happily in McLeod. After a shower (the cold shower was extremely cold that it burn like a nitrogen), we went to Kelsang rooftop restaurant for our first breakfast. The view was majestic, awesome, overwhelmingly beautiful. Probably the most beautiful view from the top I ever seen ever since I started my traveling in India. Geographically we were already high above the sea level. Below us was some mountains, hills and houses was built on the body and shoulder of it. And it was colorful. The colorful houses was being surrounded by the mighty and chilly pine trees, and above them was covering by the fog. The air we breathed was chill, cold and few proud eagles were spreading their wings flying in complete freedom. What else could I say apart from feeling like I was in paradise.

I sat down and allowing myself drown by the beauty of the view lay in front of me. That morning in that rooftop, I ordered my first Tibetan food, fried momo. The waiter that were serving us, whom later became our friend, was Suni, a Nepalese guy. We had all the time in the world and we knew that we had nothing to rush, so we enjoyed there for a longer time, having meaningful and educational conversation with Suni. He was telling us about some important historical sting of events that happen in Nepal, Pakistan, India, China and Tibet. He was indeed the guy who know what he was talking about.

The weather was mellow but thanks God it didn’t rain. It was just cold and the inconsistent fog were gathering, at time it was too thick that we couldn’t see more than 10 meter in front of us. As I wandering the bazaar, looking for shirts and other souvenirs to shop, as usual I ended up in a bookshop and I brought Khaled Hosaini’s “The kite runner”, a book I remember my friend sabi was reading. Prior to that, I had spent quite some money on shirts, belt and some incense.

I don’t know what with McLeod, but since my arrival here, I felt that I am at peace with myself. Something so powerful inside was making me feel like I am at the safest place in the world. The Tibetan people, the monasteries, the temple and greatest view of the mountain, the green are all part of the things that make me feel at peace. It was really nice and blissful.

As I was walking I saw someone walking towards me and in that split seconds, while every cells in my brain trying hard to ring a bell, I somehow knew that I had seen and to the extent knew the person walking towards me. It took me less than 3 seconds to recognize them. It was Martin and Ina. Wow, again, India prove to me that it is indeed a very small country or may be the world is really our playground. The last time I seen them was when I was hallucinated, intoxicated and completely in the state of delirium during my supposed last day in Udaipur. Then, it was not a proper farewell. For a while, we both seems to be lost in conservation despite the facts that we were close during all those month in Pune. It seems like I just met a stranger. Our conversation were jerky, sporadic and at time, lost.

Anyway, after the usual generic question of “What’s up?”, “How’s traveling?”, “Where you been?” etc, our conversation kind of blended well to the good old times. It was already their second day in McLeod and they will be leaving for Goa in two days time. So we went to Peace café, for a couple of drink. We brought some fresh friend/steam momo from the street, back to their rooftop to catch up some lost moment in between our traveling. Their view was as majestic as ours. And just before we could plan our plan, the rains come down on us like cat and dog. We were stuck in the room for about three hours and the rain was still on. So martin decided to run down soaking wet to get a bottle of Old Monk Rum, soft drinks, momo (again) and junk foods.

And there it goes, we were stuck for another 2 hours before the clock point to 8.00 pm.
So I went back to my guest house to check out what’s up with my brother. He was stuck too, but in our room. Our neighbor was a 20 year old girl, lone traveler, from Montreal, Canada. She was a nice and social able girl. In my opinion she looks like the 16 years old Diana DeGarmo. Anyway, we were caught in a conversations concerning many topics.


Day 2, McLeod Ganj.

At around 8.30 am, I woke up to the second sunshine in McLeod. I don’t know why but whenever I was traveling, I always wake up too early, sometime even before the sun came out from the hiding. I guess in all my unconsciousness, I wanted to see as much as possible by prolonging the time hence I wanted to breath the morning air as well as to feel it on my flesh. I had a vegetable noodle and milk coffee for a breakfast. There was a bunch of Korean travelers, sat opposite my table. The rooftop restaurant of Kalsang guest house had a very natural and beautiful setting. The one we hung out the day before was under the sky, open air area. Second day, I had my breakfast on the inside. I exchanged books with the guest house, two to two, my Gregory Roberts’s Shantaram to Leo Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God & Peace essays and Neale Walsch’s Tomorrow God to Douglas Adam’s Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy.

Song: Ruby Tuesday by Rolling Stone

I met up with Martin and Ina and together we took a walk by cruising down the slightly wet road to visit the one and only St. John church. It was a approximately 1 km walk. We passed many beauty scenaric views, like the misty mountains, foggy hills, pine trees on the shoulder of the almighty hills, authentic Tibetans monasteries, temple and houses. We also befriended with a dog. This dog, we name him Momo, after the Tibetan dumpling, were following us as in he was our guide.

The inside of the church was unbelievable. The church was already shut down, left only the memory of yesterday. The front yard was completely green, green grass and the green, green trees. There was some cemeteries in the surrounding of the church. So, after we took a few photos, we walk back to the centre McLeod.

Then I met up with my brother to the Tibetan music. The museum was very near to the Dalai Lama temple. The museum chronicle the history of Tibet and how they fled from the cruel invasion of People Republic of China. It also chronicle the life of great Mahatma Gandhi.

While we were in the bookstore, we bum into Kee and his new found French friend, Elisabeth. Soon after, we also bum into Jorgen & Hannah, the German couple we met in Jaisalmer desert during our Camel safari trip.
The road that lead down to the Dalai Lama temple was wonderful. It was filled with sidewalk cafes, confectioner and bakery shops, bookstores, souvenir shops and most of all, the 3 km walk to the Dalai Lama temple was blessed with what I would like to call the walk of life- because it was with the most beautiful mountainous view I ever seen. The objects at bottom of the foothill is like a tiny dust I look through the lens of microscope. The wind was slow, nice, easy and steady. The fog were gathering and moving in lump and the weather was chill. The walk of life is like taking a seemingly endless lazy walk on the garden of paradise, if there is ever a paradise.

Travelers were chilling in their own and respective coffee shops and engaged in their interesting conversation.

In the evening, my brother, Martin, Ina & I went to one of the most interesting place in McLeod. Not widely aware of such place by many people, we learn it through Veronica, the girl from Montreal.
It was like an institution that provide educational opportunity to the young Tibetans refugees. This institution providing some kind of political asylum and protection. The young bunch here are the young bunch that has escaping from Tibet. These people are not allowed to go back to Tibet for to do so, mean they might be facing some cruel punishment or sort of harassment from the government of China. In order to create an awareness of the state of affair of Tibetans to the world, and also to develop their English speaking skill, they organize a daily hourly session for their students to meet with us foreigners who would like to know more about the struggle, pass and present state of Tibetans.

Here’s some fact I acquired from the Lamu, a 25 years old student during our one to one meeting session. Most Tibetans people that are present still there in Tibet are not being allowed to speak and write in their own Tibetan language. The official language is Mandarin and they had the condone them as a official language. In school, they were made to learn and study in mandarin. Most historical and cultural study about Tibet were being banned. This lead to the consequences of the children of Tibetans and young generation being ignorance of their belief, cultural and historical study. They don’t even speak Tibetan.

Those who attempt to escape from Tibet for political reason or trying to seek political asylum in India or any neighboring countries, face harsh punishment.

As of today, they were 85000 Tibetans in India, 14000 in Nepal, 1600 in Bhutan, 7000 in USA/Canada, 750 in Europe/Scandinavian, 1000 in Taiwan, 220 in Australia/NZ.

After the conversational session with the Tibetan students, we went to Jimmy’s Italian kitchen. There was a kind of get-together with group of Irish travelers and a British couple for Martin & Ina. They met in Amritsar. We were invited to join them in the most trendy pub in central McLeod, McLo. This is a pub personally endorsed by Hollywood actor/James Bond Pierce Brosnan.

The pub were playing some of Queen’s greatest hits. We met up with 3 Irish travelers; Ross, Jimmy & Kurt. With lot of beers, good music, great atmosphere, we chatted away the night. I couldn’t remember how long we were chatting until I realized that behind our table there was group of travelers as well. I accidentally turn around and saw an Asian girl whom wearing sweater with AIESEC logo on it. Beside her was another Asian guy. They turn our to be trainees from Delhi, specifically a place name Gurgaon, where I was partying last year.

And yes the world was indeed our playground. These two Asians (Taiwanese), through AIESEC network, knew my friends back home. And I also know some of their trainee friends in Delhi. The Taiwanese girl name was Hermosa, strange name but what the hell. She stayed with Amelia, my friend from back home when she were in Malaysia last year. And there it goes, strangers met and strangers talk away the night like a buddy.
At this time around, I was already drowned quite some amount of beers and I went up to the rooftop. There I bum into Hannes again, for second time. First was in Jaisalmer. He was with group of Israelis travelers and they were planning to smoke some pot. I joint them much later in their room.

3rd day, McLeod Ganj. Goodbye & Hello.

Time moves on so was life. That was it, without even realize it, we were already in the third day. Tomorrow I am planning to leave McLeod even though it was the most beautiful place I ever seen in India. My morning had broken by the shiny morning sun, blazingly shining down its burning light, signaling to the eagles to fly higher and freer. After breakfast, I sent Martin & Ina to bus station for they are leaving for their last traveling stop- Goa.

Then it is my brother’s turn to leave. Third day in McLeod was his last day of his three weeks in India. There he left. Suddenly I felt a pang of loneliness is surrounding me and for the first time since I started traveling- I was actually alone, as in alone- without anyone I really know to meet or travel with. It might sound as a bad thing but I view it and take it as a good thing. I mean I always admire lone traveling and now I have the opportunity to do so. I have all the time of the time in the world to do whatever hell that is appropriate (or inappropriate), who the hell care anyway…

The pang of loneliness was a while only for I couldn’t remember how it felt because soon after my brother left, I took my first afternoon nap ever since I started traveling. And when I open my eyes again, I knew one thing, that I was alone and I didn’t have any idea what to do next. Gradually, I also come to term that I don’t have to leave the beautiful McLeod day after, that I can leave the place whenever I damn please. And I also realize one of the most important in life, that I was really starving and my stomach were drumming. So I need food.
I brought myself to the central McLeod, about less than 5 minutes walk from my guest house. There I met Jorgen & Hannah, having their dinner at Hot Spot restaurant. I joined them for dinner and they invited me to their romantic rooftop for a round of joint.

I pursued my lonely night by treating myself a movie at movie den, opposite Hot Spot. It was like a small room, fully equipped with sound system and giant flat screen. They were showing 7 years in Tibet starring Brad Pitt. Strange though, when I watched it for the first time sometime ago, I fall asleep and I think it was kind of boring. But the second time was real. I was watching the movie surrounded by the real people, real monasteries, real atmosphere and for that the movie almost made me wept. It is like the closest you to the place, the more pain you will experience, and the more related you will felt.

The majestic view at Looseling guest house (where Jorgen & Hannah stayed) that night was more beautiful than beautiful, sexier than sexiness and more romantic that Romeo hiding under Juliet’s balcony.
We smoke two joint, with some acid jazz played on CD player. We bade farewell to the night at around 2 am. I walked back in complete stone to my guest house.

 

Evening View of McLeod's Sky

 

View of McLeod Ganj

 

Me & Maria @ The Dalai Lama Temple

 

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

Part 8


Breakfast: Spanish Omelet, Milk Coffee & Chicken Veg Soup


12.09.2005

Manali literally means the 'Home of Manu'. Manu is the mythological character who is supposed to have survived when the world was drowned in Flood. He then came to Manali and recreated human life. Thus, the area of Manali is sacred and Hindus treat the temples over here as pilgrimage. With altitude of 1950m and 3000m above sea level, Manali is a cold place with sun rarely find its place to shine on Manali. Manali offers the best of northwestern Himalayan beauty, second only to Kashmir valley. The twin towns of Kullu and Manali, approximately 40 km apart lie on the Beas river valley. The Beas river if snow fed by scores of tributaries originating in the glacial peaks surrounding the valley. The highest peaks average 6000 to 6500 m above sea level.

Again, we were promised a semi deluxe bus but turn out to semi crappy bus. It was raining cat and dog that night. The road there were bad and full with pot holes. Plus, the bus driver was a psycho driver with an attitude. He stopped whenever he like and he was pressing the honk more than he hit the brake paddle. Lucky for me, it was not a full bus and the back seat (number of 5 seats) were empty. And needless to say, I conquered the 5 seats as my bed. As the night usher in and we grew much more comfortable in the bus, we started slowly to doze off.

We reached the foothill of Kullu valley at 6.30 in the morning. The bus journey up to Manali was awesome. It was the first and finest of its kind. I never see such magical view in my life. We passed through fruit market where lots of apples were being sold. We also passing through apple plantation, steady rocky mountains stood before my eyes, covered mostly by the fogs. It was cold at the foothill, some 15 degree or something. The road was very tiny- just fit for one vehicle and it was zigzagging all the way. The line of mountain view was beautified by its water fall.

We arrived at the top at around 11.30 am, Central Manali. The reception was crazy and heart pounding. We were awaited by group of opportunist and when they seen us arriving, they were chasing us and jumping and shouting and hitting hard on our bus. At first glance, it looks like a riot or something. I wasn’t afraid but I knew some people in the bus were freaking out. It remind me of Beatles’s riot situation in Japan or the one that happen with Guns n’ Roses during tour. Anyway, it was a false alarm. They were just sticking their ads on our bus and were chasing us to sell us all sort of services. It was still raining and the weather was increasingly cold and chill. The wind didn’t help much either, contribute even more the cold climate. We were breathing fog and bathing in rain water. We took a van to Vaishit village, somewhere around old Manali. With Lonely planet, the bible for travelers, we checked in Both guest house immediately. The guest house was run by an old Tibetan man. What visible from our roof top was the fast flowing Manali river, mountain side, rocky hills and snows covering the peak of every mountains.

If in any part of India, the local will invite you with a cup or glass of Masala tea, then the tradition in Manali is also the same, but the only different was they welcome you with their local specialties; the hash. Manali is one of the largest state in India that produce a quality hash. This probably because of its natural endowment and relatively cold climate.

Still exhausting from the long bus ride from Delhi, we decided to take a rest at Blue heaven café, located alongside the small Vaishit road leading up to the hot spring. We ordered a Israeli foods, Chinese foods and Lassi. The owner offered us a joint, the standard warm welcoming from the Manalian. It was my first drug experience after the Bhang story in Udaipur. It was real good. In Vaishit, Manali, we found a Shisha look alike café and we chilled there with its Nepalese owner and all his band of Nepalese band of young bunch. It was a nice place and we hung out there very often till the last day in Manali. It has a pool table, large room furnished with flat screen TV, layback interior, mattress on the floor and most importantly- we can play our own choice of music. I treated myself a very exquisite dinner, with my own CD played on the air- Buena Vista Social Club. I ordered a Chicken sizzler chips and 2 glass of black tea. After the dinner, the boss and the cook joint us at our dining table, and they started to roll a joint, a fat one, and we started to smoke away the best thing on earth. After dinner, we also shooting pools at Basho for a few game.

Second day also raining but not heavy. It was very down and depressed kind of weather. People don’t talk to people that much. We were all busying shivering and breathing in and out the cold air and gathering fog. We went to Basho for our breakfast. The side that we didn’t went yesterday night was actually a wide balcony, offering us one of the most beautiful landscape towards the peak of mountains, covered with snows and shaded by the fog, wet by the rainy water. Also visible in our eyes was the Manali river, flowing healthily and splashing hard on the rocks. I ordered a black tea and a butter toast omelets. The weather didn’t improve much. In facts it got worse, getting even much colder. So I went to the Hot Spring to bath the hot water. The shower looks like a small pool with a boiling hot water. It looks like one of the emperor’s wife garden in the ancient kingdom of China we used to watch on TV. Lots of locals especially kids were bathing in the hot spring. The moment I dip myself onto the water, I felt a severe burn on my flesh and skin. It was really hot. But after a while, the cold temperature adjusted my hotness of the spring.

We went to Old Manali where most of the happening places were located there. It was a Manalsu café. I can’t believe my eyes and ear for, for a while I thought I was In Europe. The café was very English-ish. The pub were playing a radio station from America (satelite radio). Few tables was occupied, by mostly foreigners and their local friends. The café was fully cover with glass. This café was built above the Manali river and hence the view surrounding us was the life of Manali river. The radio station was playing song from John Mayer and Sinead O’ Connor before I requested to play my own CD, comprising the compilation of Billy Joel’s Piano man, Pink Floyd’s money, CCR’s Bad moon rising, Train’s Drop of Jupiter, Sting’s message in the bottle and lot more. Then I played on REM greatest hits, songs like Imitation of life, Everybody hurts, Man on the moon, Happy shiny people and so on. Other guest were whistling and singing around and the boss was happy with my CD.

My all time top 5 REM song:

1. Man on the moon
2. Electrolite
3. Everybody hurts
4. The great beyond
5. At the end of the world

We ordered Chicken fried rice, Garlic cheese Naan, cold beers and we hung out for about 4 hours. We couldn’t go anywhere because the rain was again, cat and dog. It was a weather that one will prefer to stay put and enjoying good music and good smoking. In the evening we did nothing much but loafing at Basho, smoking joint, drinking, eating chips and shooting lot of pools. The highlight of that night was when I narrowly and competitively beat the local champion on the table. It was awesome.

Last day at Manali was full of sunshine. It is like a festival and celebration for the people for to see a sunshine is almost impossible in Manali. We hung out at Basho for breakfast and smoke our last joint before we bade farewell to Manali and hello to McLeod Ganj.