Talk about pushing your limits...the very first day in this country we went on a hike that required me to face my acrophobia demons. My trusty companion, MS2, stayed by my side and blocked the most paralizing views. Yesterday I had to face my gephyropobia demons. (Yep, strangely enough I have more than one annoying phobia.) If you had seen the suspension bridge -- high across the river, swaying in the breeze -- you might well have been sympathetic. Had I known about the bridge ahead of time I probably would have elected to forgo the hike altogether. But there I was, deep into the hike with the mother of all footbridges in front of me.
MS2 did exactly as I asked. She got right in front of me and baby-stepped across the bridge. We were about halfway across when one of our Bhutanese guides came running down the bridge to rescue MS2 (she was the one in front, after all) and also get us moving a little faster. Poor MS2 just couldn't take it. As the guide grabbed her bike and tried to take her hand she shouted, "NO! I'm not the one with the problem!" I, of course, did not say a word. Heh heh heh.
MS1
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monklets
So this trip is rated a 2, but it sure did not feel like it yesterday. We went on a fairly strenuous hike to visit the Monklets, and not only was it straight up, it was rocky and hot. But before we got there we were stopping for tea and cookies and then onwards.
I did not use the bathroom while eating our tea and cookies because they said that there would be a bathroom 15 minutes into the hike and it was nice, and then there would be bathrooms at the Monklets place and that would be nice as well.
15 minutes into the hike they said okay girls go behind that bush and guys over there. Huh????
Where the hell was the bathrooms? I do not do squat and pee. No no no. So I decided that I could wait until I got to the Monklets place.
It is a good think that I held it because I got hot and sweaty and by the time I got to the top of the mountain it had all been reabsorbed.
The Monklets were these adorable orphan boys who ranged from I think they said 5 or 7 to 18. Cute sweet outgoing.
But after having lunch and tea it was time to go to the bathroom. I was okay with it until I walked into the bathroom. I just could not do it. I could not use it. I could not even take my whole body in. I held it all the way back to the hotel. Yessiree I did.
I did not use the bathroom while eating our tea and cookies because they said that there would be a bathroom 15 minutes into the hike and it was nice, and then there would be bathrooms at the Monklets place and that would be nice as well.
15 minutes into the hike they said okay girls go behind that bush and guys over there. Huh????
Where the hell was the bathrooms? I do not do squat and pee. No no no. So I decided that I could wait until I got to the Monklets place.
It is a good think that I held it because I got hot and sweaty and by the time I got to the top of the mountain it had all been reabsorbed.
The Monklets were these adorable orphan boys who ranged from I think they said 5 or 7 to 18. Cute sweet outgoing.
But after having lunch and tea it was time to go to the bathroom. I was okay with it until I walked into the bathroom. I just could not do it. I could not use it. I could not even take my whole body in. I held it all the way back to the hotel. Yessiree I did.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Bagdogra & Yaks Revisited
Today was an amazing day! A little bit of deja vu and a lot of new and wonderful. First the deja vu.
As MS2 mentioned, we had an unscheduled stop in Bagdogra, India on our way into Paro, Bhutan. The last time I was in Bagdogra I was with Durf and about 10 other adventurers along with our fearless leader, Pandey. We were being held hostage by machine gun wielding border (?) guards who wanted Pandey to cough up some baksheesh before they would let us leave. Pandey, to our dismay was standing on principal and refusing to pay. We kept saying, "Pandey ji, it is only 300 rupees. A pittance." And he kept say, "No, it's just not right." That was then, this is now. Plenty of machine guns still in view, but no baksheesh required.
As for yaks, the last time I saw one, it was an attack yak that was threatening our very lives. (Remember, Durf?) Today I again saw a yak...in the form of bacon. And I ate it. Pay back!
MS1
As MS2 mentioned, we had an unscheduled stop in Bagdogra, India on our way into Paro, Bhutan. The last time I was in Bagdogra I was with Durf and about 10 other adventurers along with our fearless leader, Pandey. We were being held hostage by machine gun wielding border (?) guards who wanted Pandey to cough up some baksheesh before they would let us leave. Pandey, to our dismay was standing on principal and refusing to pay. We kept saying, "Pandey ji, it is only 300 rupees. A pittance." And he kept say, "No, it's just not right." That was then, this is now. Plenty of machine guns still in view, but no baksheesh required.
As for yaks, the last time I saw one, it was an attack yak that was threatening our very lives. (Remember, Durf?) Today I again saw a yak...in the form of bacon. And I ate it. Pay back!
MS1
Bangkok to Paro all in a days journey
Well the trip for SF to Bangkok was long and well very very tiring. We stayed at the Novetel and found to our dismay that we had no internet services, so we decided to go back to the airport and see if we could get wifi there.
Well let me back up a minute. MS1 checked out our hotel and on line they said it was a five minute walk from the airport and easy to get to. So when we came out we went up to a guard and asked how to get to get to the hotel. He said go to door 4 and we could take a shuttle. When we got to the front of the airport we asked a tour guide how we could walk to the hotel and he said no we couldn't walk we had to take the shuttle. Okay two people telling us we had to take the shuttle we just thought the internet was wrong. So we get in the shuttle and it drives us across the street. Yes we were driven across the street.
We did find an underground tunnel that wasn't even a five minute walk. And we found these really cool magic escalators. But we did not find wifi. No wifi no bloggee.
So we were up early in the morning to catch a flight on the only airlines that flies into Bhutan. I was a little nervous that I was flying with an airline that only had two planes, but to my relief I found out that they had just leased a third plane and were in negotiations for a fourth. So they were in the big times. It was suppose to be a nonstop flight to Paro, but as our leaders told us as they are the only game in town they can make whatever changes they want so we had a tiny stop in India, so we got in late which kind of messed up our leaders schedule.
We were rushed through lunch so we could get our hike in before dinner and before it got dark. They said that we were only going to do half of it because of the timing, I thought oh it won't be so hard, but it was and now I am tired and stinky, but I am not going to worry about it because I am in a land were deodorant has yet to be discovered.
MS2
Well let me back up a minute. MS1 checked out our hotel and on line they said it was a five minute walk from the airport and easy to get to. So when we came out we went up to a guard and asked how to get to get to the hotel. He said go to door 4 and we could take a shuttle. When we got to the front of the airport we asked a tour guide how we could walk to the hotel and he said no we couldn't walk we had to take the shuttle. Okay two people telling us we had to take the shuttle we just thought the internet was wrong. So we get in the shuttle and it drives us across the street. Yes we were driven across the street.
We did find an underground tunnel that wasn't even a five minute walk. And we found these really cool magic escalators. But we did not find wifi. No wifi no bloggee.
So we were up early in the morning to catch a flight on the only airlines that flies into Bhutan. I was a little nervous that I was flying with an airline that only had two planes, but to my relief I found out that they had just leased a third plane and were in negotiations for a fourth. So they were in the big times. It was suppose to be a nonstop flight to Paro, but as our leaders told us as they are the only game in town they can make whatever changes they want so we had a tiny stop in India, so we got in late which kind of messed up our leaders schedule.
We were rushed through lunch so we could get our hike in before dinner and before it got dark. They said that we were only going to do half of it because of the timing, I thought oh it won't be so hard, but it was and now I am tired and stinky, but I am not going to worry about it because I am in a land were deodorant has yet to be discovered.
MS2
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Huh?
We're in Bangkok but we have no idea what time it is or what day it is. I'm just doing a quick blog so that I can see what I sound like when my body is screaming for melatonin.
The best part of being in Bangkok is watching MS2 have her first experience navigating foreign waters as an adult. Today I got to watch her change money so that she could buy a soda. It was so stressful for her that she tried to put the soda back on the shelf. I wouldn't let her and a tussle ensued. We were deported.
Just kidding. But only that last part was false.
See I told you I need melatonin.
MS1
The best part of being in Bangkok is watching MS2 have her first experience navigating foreign waters as an adult. Today I got to watch her change money so that she could buy a soda. It was so stressful for her that she tried to put the soda back on the shelf. I wouldn't let her and a tussle ensued. We were deported.
Just kidding. But only that last part was false.
See I told you I need melatonin.
MS1
Thursday, October 25, 2012
And so it begins...
ACK! We haven't even left the country yet and TSA has already cut the lock off my suitcase!
MS1
MS1
First to blog
I am not competitive or anything, but I really wanted to do the first blog of the trip. I never get to go first, so I am kind of sneaking it in.
We are leaving in seven hours and I just finished packing. Who knows what I forgot, but my suitcase now weighs 41 pounds. We are only allowed 44 pounds, and I don't think it is going to get any lighter on the trip. But I keep worrying that I am forgetting something and I won't be able to get it once we leave. Toilet paper comes to mind. I seem to remember our parents shipping cases of toilet paper to India. Maybe TH can send me some and have it there waiting when I show up.
I am thinking that we should enact a general rule that all bathrooms have to be uniform and western. Oh and clean. If you can't keep the bathroom clean (like putting paper on the seat and sitting on the paper and not peeing on the seat) than you can't use the bathroom.
I am also thinking that maybe I will leave a trail of clothes behind. Since I only have 44 pounds if I buy something on the trip I have to leave something behind. Since we are only doing the biking for the first week of the trip and I probably have 20 pounds of biking clothes I am thinking about leaving one piece in every place we stay and it will kind of be like leaving a little of me behind. In a 1,000 years some archaeologists will unearth my bike shorts with all my sweaty DNA on it and say hey did you know that their were Haplogroup: K1in Bhutan. Wow who would of thought.
Oops here comes the other MS so I better sign off before she sees me doing this.
MS2
We are leaving in seven hours and I just finished packing. Who knows what I forgot, but my suitcase now weighs 41 pounds. We are only allowed 44 pounds, and I don't think it is going to get any lighter on the trip. But I keep worrying that I am forgetting something and I won't be able to get it once we leave. Toilet paper comes to mind. I seem to remember our parents shipping cases of toilet paper to India. Maybe TH can send me some and have it there waiting when I show up.
I am thinking that we should enact a general rule that all bathrooms have to be uniform and western. Oh and clean. If you can't keep the bathroom clean (like putting paper on the seat and sitting on the paper and not peeing on the seat) than you can't use the bathroom.
I am also thinking that maybe I will leave a trail of clothes behind. Since I only have 44 pounds if I buy something on the trip I have to leave something behind. Since we are only doing the biking for the first week of the trip and I probably have 20 pounds of biking clothes I am thinking about leaving one piece in every place we stay and it will kind of be like leaving a little of me behind. In a 1,000 years some archaeologists will unearth my bike shorts with all my sweaty DNA on it and say hey did you know that their were Haplogroup: K1in Bhutan. Wow who would of thought.
Oops here comes the other MS so I better sign off before she sees me doing this.
MS2
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Telluride: Day 4 Movies
Movie #11: The Hunt
An incredible, powerful, devastating film. It's about a man accused of sexual misconduct with a child. Mads Mikkelsen is incredible. This might be the best film of the festival.
Movie #12: The Attack
This story about an Israeli-Arab whose wife (unbeknownst to him) is a terrorist, was a film festival favorite. It was a good film, but not among our favorites.
MS1
An incredible, powerful, devastating film. It's about a man accused of sexual misconduct with a child. Mads Mikkelsen is incredible. This might be the best film of the festival.
Movie #12: The Attack
This story about an Israeli-Arab whose wife (unbeknownst to him) is a terrorist, was a film festival favorite. It was a good film, but not among our favorites.
MS1
Telluride: Day 3 Movies
Movie #6: Ginger & Rosa
A Sally Potter film. I loved Orlando, so that was reason enough for me to see this latest film. Not much was given away in the program description, so Tanya and I overheard some angst among potential viewers that the film might be "girl on girl stuff." And of course they didn't want to see anything like that. The story centers on two best friends of high school age who (it becomes evident) have very different approaches to the world. Eventually, they clash. There is indeed some uncomfortable situations, but that's all I'm going to say.
It's well-acted but familiar territory. Not among our top films of the festival.
Movie #7: No
This film is about the 1988 campaign to remove Pinochet from power by defeating him at the polls. Because I didn't know anything about this effort, the film was factually interesting to me, but I did not find it a compelling film in any other respect.
Movie #8: Wadjda
We both loved this film about a young Saudi girl who wants a bicycle, knowing full well that bicycles are for boys, not girls. The girl is an astonishing actress.
Trivia tidbits: This is the filmmakers first feature film. It is the first film shot entirely on location in Saudi Arabia. And the first film by a Saudi female.
Movie #9: Rust & Bone
This film is not for everyone, in spite of the fact that it stars Marion Cotillard and yummy Matthias Schoenaerts. I kept flashing on the movie Boxing Helena although the movies have little in common but a certain amount of weirdness. This is a romance between an unlikely couple: a man who fights (as in Fight Club) for a living, and a woman who trains sharks.
I loved it. Others did too. But plenty did not like it at all. Monitus es.
Movie #10: Hyde Park On Hudson
Although some people at the festival were dying to see Ben Affleck trot down the aisle, I went to Hyde Park to see Laura Linney at the podium. Bill Murray was the cherry on top. The movie is about Roosevelt's romantic relationship with one of his cousins. Neither of us liked this movie. Yuck.
MS1
A Sally Potter film. I loved Orlando, so that was reason enough for me to see this latest film. Not much was given away in the program description, so Tanya and I overheard some angst among potential viewers that the film might be "girl on girl stuff." And of course they didn't want to see anything like that. The story centers on two best friends of high school age who (it becomes evident) have very different approaches to the world. Eventually, they clash. There is indeed some uncomfortable situations, but that's all I'm going to say.
It's well-acted but familiar territory. Not among our top films of the festival.
Movie #7: No
This film is about the 1988 campaign to remove Pinochet from power by defeating him at the polls. Because I didn't know anything about this effort, the film was factually interesting to me, but I did not find it a compelling film in any other respect.
Movie #8: Wadjda
We both loved this film about a young Saudi girl who wants a bicycle, knowing full well that bicycles are for boys, not girls. The girl is an astonishing actress.
Trivia tidbits: This is the filmmakers first feature film. It is the first film shot entirely on location in Saudi Arabia. And the first film by a Saudi female.
Movie #9: Rust & Bone
This film is not for everyone, in spite of the fact that it stars Marion Cotillard and yummy Matthias Schoenaerts. I kept flashing on the movie Boxing Helena although the movies have little in common but a certain amount of weirdness. This is a romance between an unlikely couple: a man who fights (as in Fight Club) for a living, and a woman who trains sharks.
I loved it. Others did too. But plenty did not like it at all. Monitus es.
Movie #10: Hyde Park On Hudson
Although some people at the festival were dying to see Ben Affleck trot down the aisle, I went to Hyde Park to see Laura Linney at the podium. Bill Murray was the cherry on top. The movie is about Roosevelt's romantic relationship with one of his cousins. Neither of us liked this movie. Yuck.
MS1
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