Nancy’s Big Adventure

Not everyone faces the same challenges returning home from a trip because not everyone has had the same experiences …  Thank you to everyone who followed the blog as I rambled along.  While people will be interested in what I did, nobody will be quite as interested as  me – despite my  amazing  storytelling skills … 😉

You can view a photo album of my trip by clicking on the following link:  http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=5lv98fj.70yxvesv&x=0&y=x2kd86 .

Here’s a quick summary:

NEPAL

Kathmandu  It is difficult to describe Kathmandu – it is a crazy place.  You can see people bathing, collecting water, eating, cuddling children, talking and having a smoke with a friend, selling stuff, making stuff.   You always have a multitude of little interactions, be it smiles, looks, or joking comments every time you go out.  The people are so friendly.  Children run down the alleys and scream and run around and up and down the stairs.  As many people as possible are always squashed into all forms of transportation.  Everyone uses their horn on the roads all the time.  Cows walk down the road in the middle of traffic and dogs sleep oblivious to the noise around them.  There are no big supermarkets or department stores – there are hundreds of stalls, offering everything you could possibly need.  Everything in life is happening right in front of you – everything is out in the open and up close and it is all mish-mashed together.  It truly is a crazy place – and I miss it!

Dhulikhel  I spent two days in the village of Dhulikhel and had an opportunity to live with a family, work in the rice field, ride on the top of a bus, and see the Nepali countryside.  More that 20 Himilayan peaks can be seen from the many vantage points in Dhulikhel, a panorama of the Himalaya in all their glory – absolutely breathtaking!

Ganganagar  My teaching assignment was in Ganganagar, a small rural village, part of the Chitwan district in central Nepal.  The area is famous for its temple sitamai and Chitwan National Park adjoining the Rapti river.  While in Ganganagar, I lived with a loving host family, taught a few hours a day, and enjoyed plenty of free time to explore the jungle and the villages in the area.  Ganganagar is a very poor community but there is a great deal of optimism and hope.  I invite anyone with an interest in Nepal (or any other country) to visit the following site: http://www.idealist.org/  – it is amazing the contributions even one person can make.

Pokhara  When you visit Nepal, you must go to Pokhara.  A lakeside location and proximity to the mountains means Pokhara is an ideal place for recovering from (or gearing up for) a trek.  The center of attention is Pokhara is Phewa Lake, the second largest lake in the Kingdom.  Clearly the most stunning of Pokhara sights is the Annapurna Range.

Nagarkot is a magnificent place to visit early in the morning to watch the first rays of sun rising across the wide Himalayan range.  I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

I have so many wonderful memories from my two weeks in Nepal.  I always felt valued, respected, and welcome.  Nepal is definitely not for everyone – but once you have been there, you will never forget it.

THAILAND

Bangkok  Bangkok was my “home base” in Asia, so I was there off and on several times, exporing the city for a total of about 7 days.  So many visitors pass straight through Bangkok, convinced that it offers nothing but pollution and noise.  Take my advice – give it a couple days and you will fall in love with the place.

Chiang Mai  Chiang Mai is among my favorite places.  The pace is relaxed, the people are friendly, the scenery is incredible, the history is fascinating.  Chiang Mai is a really wonderful mix of Thai and Western influences.

Thailand means “Land of the Free” because it has never been colonized by the West and is also called “Land of Smiles”  because of the warmth of the people.  Thailand offers everything:  fascinating culture, some of the finest beaches in the world, excellent cuisine, great shopping, real value for money, an established infrastructure, and a population that loves you for loving its wonderful Kingdom.

SINGAPORE

Singapore is a unique island city/country – it may be small, but it has a lot to offer. Singapore is clean, with an ultra modern infrastructure and a major airport. With all its shopping malls, fast-food outlets, imported fashion, and steel skyscrapers, Singapore could look like any other contemporary city you’ve ever visited — but to peel through the layers is to understand that life here is far more complex. While the outer layers are startlingly Western, just underneath lies a curious area where East blends with West in language, cuisine, attitude, and style.  China Town, Arab Street, Little India….. a few to name of little communities which are located in Singapore.

MALAYSIA   If you can’t say anything nice, it is best to say nothing at all ….

CHINA

How can I describe China who has never been there?  When I left for Asia, I knew nothing about China – well, except the geograhic location.  From the moment I landed in Shanghai, I was completely immersed in a culture that is much much different than the Western world.  WOW!

Hangzhou   Hanghzou is recognized as one of the most beautiful cities in China.  I spent a week teaching English with the Babel Summer English Camp program on the campus of Zhe Jiang University Hangzhou campus. The campus is really beautiful and my students were wonderful (of course).

LinHai  My second teaching assignment was in LinHai, a staff member at the Linhai Foreign Language School & Babel Summer English Camp (quite a mouthful).  In Linhai, there was no such thing as privacy – we did everything TOGETHER 24/7 for two weeks! I was lucky to have a wonderful roommate and work with excellent fellow teachers – and, of course, the best group of students!!

Qingdao  Qingdao is a lovely coastal city and a popular holiday destination, for good reason – I spent two peaceful days there, “recovering” from camp.

Beijing  It is impossible to summarize my days in Beijing in just a paragraph … read the rest of the blog  🙂

Shanghai  The last few days of my trip were spent in Shanghai.  In short, I loved it.  If you want to know more … well, read the most recent entries in the blog.

China is a land of contradictions.  It is a rural country with mega-cities.  And each of these cities is as modern as any western city with computers, construction, banking, internet, gas, machinery, energy use, pollution, etc …  There are fast-paced cities filled with people who are not doing anything.  There are sparkling new attractions amidst piles of rubble.  There is a general disregard for the environment but a recycling frenzy.  There is a “controlled” westernization – communism overrun by consumerism.  The Chinese are masters of a complex language but novices of English.  The people are very proper but spit everywhere and refuse to stand in a queue.

China does not exactly cater to independent travelers and it can be frustrating.  But for every obstacle there is a reward.  The people are on the whole extremely friendly, the sights are incredible, the food fantastic.  Overall, it was a great experience to actually see a country changing and growing by leaps and bounds almost daily.  It was definitely challenging some days, but I would not have had it any other way.

My “Big Adventure” has come to an end, but I look forward to the next one.

Be seeing you – 南希  (Nancy)

    the bag and the boots have returned

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