Dear friends and family,
In October, I visited some bucket-list destinations before returning to India for the second half of my placement.
My first two stops outside of Orissa were Varanasi and Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately, I arrived during monsoon season, so no boats were allowed on the Ganges River. Regardless, I was still able to explore the hidden and winding lanes, wash my hands in the Ganges river, and witness the cremation ceremonies at the Manikarnika Ghat. I became friends with an Indian woman from the train, Nutan, who showed me around. She and her friend encouraged me to try Banarasi Paan, a leaf-wrapped concoction supposed to be good for digestion. I couldn’t stomach the minty mouthful entirely and spat it most of it out - but at least I tried. We watched the Ganga Aarti together and talked about why Varanasi is known as the holiest place in India.
My overnight train then took me to Agra, where I spent a half-day visiting the Taj Mahal. As soon as I arrived, tour guides flocked around, and I was tricked into believing one was a government guide offering free tours (with a “required” 500-rupee tip, mentioned at the end, of course). I had originally wanted to sit for a few hours and draw the Taj Mahal, but the persistent guide made this difficult. The Taj Mahal was beautiful, with intricate carvings of flowers inlaid with precious stones, and I loved learning the story behind its construction. However, the building was much smaller than I had imagined (a recurring theme in my travels). I wish I’d bought a little tricket box from the shops outside but the pressure to buy something by the stonework salesmen was too much - so now all I’ve got are the photos.
En route to Laos, I took a bus to New Delhi, where I dined at a revolving restaurant. When walking back to the train station with a man I had waved to, I experienced some discomfort as he kept trying to hold my hand or touch me. At one point, he even slapped my face playfully, making this the most uncomfortable experience I’ve had in India so far. When we reached the station, he kept walking, and I was relieved our interaction was over. Then two flights and a layover in Bangkok led me to Laos.
I had just two weeks during my placement break, so I packed my itinerary tightly to make the most of it. In Luang Prabang, I stayed at a fantastic hostel called The Jam with a pool and met more French speakers than I had ever before at a hostel. Due to the Chinese National Holiday, I also met and became friends with some Chinese travelers who took me out for hot pot. These friends were helpful as Lao people speak little English but can converse in Mandarin well. On my second day, I joined a van trip to the Kuang Si Falls. Despite the rain, the temperature remained hot, and a group of us climbed to the top of the waterfall, where we enjoyed the pools. Before leaving Laos, I shared a Beerlao with locals at a bar opposite the airport and sang Adele’s “Someone Like You” on karaoke.
My flight to Hanoi was incredibly fast, with only a 15-minute wait from check-in to take-off. The trip from the airport to the city took longer than the flight itself! I stayed at a cute hostel called Little Charm Hanoi, which I’d chosen for its pool and convenient location near the main strip. My first adventure in Vietnam was a full-day trip to Halong Bay. Fabulous! Great food, beautiful scenery, and wonderful company. One of our tour guides, Alan, kept us laughing and on our toes with strict lines like, “if you come back late, the boat will leave you behind”. We spent the day swimming, hiking, kayaking, and trying to converse with a Vietnamese family at our table. Although I was disappointed there was no karaoke, I still rated it 10 out of 10 on the feedback form.
Thanks to the Halong Bay trip, I met some solo travelers to explore Hanoi with the next day. I ventured out with Aida from Germany, shared egg coffee with Diana from Portugal, and went to the train cafes with Rain from China. Ben from England joined after taking a photo for us. The five of us shared Hanoi beers on the second floor of a bar and collected matching bottlecaps after a train ran through the cafes. Gian and Alexis, two Filipino men sitting below us, joined our group, making us seven. We watched an Independence Day parade, saw a Vietnamese water puppet show, and tasted Michelin-starred Pho 10 for dinner. Our group later expanded on Beer Street, where we sang karaoke, danced, and took blurry selfies. Now we have a group chat called “May Power” because I’m apparently good at connecting people.
In Ho Chi Minh, I tried connecting with other travelers but wasn’t as successful. The hostel was farther from the main street, and most travelers were in pairs or too tired to go out. I eventually settled for a rooftop drink overlooking the street with Kristina from Ukraine rather than entering the bars below. I also visited the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta. While both tours were great, I always wish for more free time. I wanted to explore more tunnels and take my time at the shooting range but felt rushed because others were waiting. The Mekong Delta tour was unexpectedly lovely, featuring various Vietnamese foods to try. My favorites were the honey tea with live bees buzzing around the glass and the cobra-soaked liquor.
At the airport, security confiscated my bullet casings from the Cu Chi Tunnels, but I made it to my flight just in time despite arriving two hours early. I landed in Siem Reap, taking a rickshaw to my hostel at sunset. Lub D Cambodia was the nicest hostel I’ve ever stayed in, with clean amenities, a pool, and washing machines. The next morning, I set off early for a sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. We arrived in darkness, and our group of nine watched the sky turn pink before exploring the temple grounds. I quickly realised I’m not really into temples and architecture. By 9 a.m., I was exhausted, and we still had three more temples to go. The jungle temple, with trees growing out of the walls, was by far the coolest- the location also featured in a Lara Croft film.
A bus from Siem Reap took me back to Bangkok, where I booked a hotel and enjoyed some privacy. I met up with girls I’d met on the bus, sharing pandan jam and donuts in Chinatown with Aysha from America and taking a skywalk with Anna from Poland. I took a few solo walks around the city but mostly relaxed at the hotel to save money. Thailand was pricier than I remembered, so in hindsight, I would have liked to have spent more time in the other countries and shortened my stay in Thailand.
Back in India, I spent a week in Andra Pradesh at an NGO called Laya. The team took me on a field visit where I saw how some tribal communities live (mud huts, clay water filters, cement stoves). One worker, who spoke perfect English, insisted I try as much regional Indian food as possible. He helped me buy halwa, a jelly-like sweet made from fermented ghee, and we shared local street vendor samosas too. While in Viskhapatnam, I also visited the cinema, strolled along the vast beach, and took a gondola ride up to Kailasagiri. I watched the sunset from the west end of the park, took photos behind the giant letters on the mountain (much like the Hollywood sign), and tried Amul ice cream on the way back to my guest room.
To wrap up the month, I returned to Gram Vikas. I had one more school to visit in Kalahandi, so I packed up and headed south, stopping in Bhawanipatna for Diwali. Firecrackers started at sunrise on the 31st, and at night fireworks erupted from every household. Lanterns floated into the sky, confetti bombs exploded without warning, and sparklers lined the streets. I expected dancing or singing, but the celebration was all about light, and everyone seemed to have the firebug. November is my last month in India. I’m spending my final weeks at the Kalahandi and Kankia schools and am especially excited to end where I started in Berhampur, painting a large mural of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child just in time for Children’s Day.
This month, I read two books: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (for university) and The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (personal). Both were fantastic and completely different. The first is an autobiography by a former Dutch politician who came from Somalia, discussing the negative aspects of her Muslim upbringing, and the second is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick about a trio investigating a missing girl and a WWII-era women-led spy network. I watched The Wild Robot (spectacular—I almost watched it twice), finished Abbott Elementary (Janine is so relatable), and started Lost (oh my god it’s Merry and Belle!).
And that’s it for October’s update. I’m gearing up for Egypt in a few weeks, printing my Christmas cards, and looking forward to being back in Australia in less than a month.
Much love,
May
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