hanoi

I am living in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where life spills into the streets. women sit huddled together in conversation over bowls of noodles, cooked in a pan at their side. the soft, almost melodic hum of scooters weaves through the crowds of pedestrians and bicyclists. I sit and observe over a cup of coffee, the best coffee I have tasted in months. strong and slightly bitter, mixed to perfection with sweetened milk, which I ingest by the spoonful. I digress, my mind wanders, the common trait of a pensive observer...
some sort of concoction of beans, fruit, ice and condensed milk, delicious!! such tasty street foods!

mekong delta

a day was spent at the Mekong Delta, a scenic river with lush green canals, home to many local farmers. a land of nature and tranquility. from a bus to a motor boat to a rowboat to a taxi to a plane to Hanoi...

ho chi minh city (saigon)

it is here in Vietnam that exhaustion has finally caught up with me. this is a rapidly moving city, everyone seems to be zipping by on a scooter, and to cross the street is quite an interactive experience. perhaps it's the intense heat or over-stimulation of the past four months, or perhaps the desire to simply call a place my home. my mind is filled with so many visions, at once they form a most elaborate composition of people and places...the world has taken residence in my head. these days in Saigon are spent indulging in bowls of Pho, those noodles which I love, and a little bit of shopping (I will save my energy for the tailors in Hanoi). and of course a great deal of culture. a heavy day of history at the War Remnants Museum. what is it that they say, be careful when discussing religion and politics? I would have to agree. tomorrow the Mekong Delta...

the killing fields

the devastation that met so many Cambodians in the years of the Khmer Rouge's rule is unthinkable. a day frought with emotion and much sadness as I visited the Tuol Sleng Museum, once the Tuol Svay Prey High School, turned Security Prison 21, the largest center of detention and torture in the country. the spaces where so many innocent lives were lost, chambers with rusty beds, wooden cells in which there was room only for grief. the survivors of this prison were taken to the killing fields of Cheoung Ek, which became the memorial of these 17,000 men, women and children who were so wrongfully executed. 129 mass graves, sights of a dark and somber past that will remain with me as I journey through history.

thommanon

Thommanon is an intimate temple that exhibits much detail...have I mentioned how many temples I have seen? perhaps enough for a lifetime, though I suspect more await in the days ahead...

ta prohm

this is my favorite of the temples, set in a tangle of trees, creating a mood of romance. rightfully so, the King dedicated Ta Prohm to his mother. the light was perfect as it shone on this temple that was left in it's natural state of collapse, in my view quite a beautiful state. I could have easily spent another week lost amidst the temples that create this ancient Angkor Kingdom, there are so many! each one unique in it's grandeur.

the bayon

at the center of Angkor Thom lies the Bayon, one of the most enigmatic and religious constructions in the world. it is composed of a mass of face-towers which form what appear to be mountain peaks. most of the 37 remaining towers are carved with 4 faces. I was immersed in a world of Angkor eyes peering at me from every angle...wonderfully eerie!

angkor wat

Angkor Wat is the grandest and most sublime of all the Khmer temples. it was built in the 12th century, both as the capital and the State Temple dedicated to Vishnu. this is the first of many temples I explored in this monumental region of Angkor, many of which are composed of the two major features of Khmer architecture: a pyramid and concentric galleries. the visions of this Hindu universe are overwhelming!

siem reap

I have arrived to Siem Reap, a city which feels much like a village, slowly making strides towards modernity. Cambodia is a country that is only now recovering from a devastating past due to the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge. I experienced one of the most intense days of this journey, beginning with a morning spent in a floating village in which the houses, schools and shops all float in the muddy waters of the Tonle Sap river. it was incredible to observe an entire life that is only accessible by boat. children played in buckets or lay in the hammocks, as parents busied themselves with chores. I felt slightly obtrusive looking so closely into the intimate spaces of these local people. yet it was immeasurably fascinating.
following the floating village I sought refuge from the extreme heat and entered the world of the Angkor temples...

the grand palace

Bangkok is strewn with photos of the much revered king. his former residence is spectacular. the Grand Palace is enormous and greatly detailed, and filled with temples comtaining the sacred Buddha, as is the nearby Wat Pho, the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok, dating from the 16th century. there I encountered the grand reclining Buddha, measuring 46m long and 15m high, as he has passed into final nirvana.

bangkok

I arrived to a wet Bangkok. it was the start of their New Year. all through the city, locals and foreigners alike were drenching one another with buckets of water, as signifies good luck. complete chaos on the streets! I managed to stay dry by seeking refuge behind the sealed windows and locked doors of taxis, until one night after many hours of carousing, fortune struck and I joined the wet festivities. my dear friends Anika and Chuck were in town and together we indulged in several nights of meals that last for hours as in Thai tradition, followed by one drink that mysteriously turns into three...
Azfar from Taiwan joined us, and from high atop the roof of the Vertigo bar we looked into the deepening hues of a setting sun above a city that was far from sleep.

goa!

we are living in a treehouse on Morjim beach, in the north of Goa. I fall asleep to the sounds of a lulling sea and wake to the melodic cacophany of birds. we have found paradise, secluded from the many tourists and merchants of Calangute and Baga beaches. several days spent in serenity, where once again I recall how beautiful and simple life can be. on the 13th the journey continues to Bangkok...

shiv niwas palace

I am quite certain that I was an Indian princess in a past life. when we arrived to the Shiv Niwas Palace in Udaipur, I felt at home. this was to be our residence for the next 3 days, what was once home to the royal family, and is now the guest quarters for soulful travelers seeking stately refuge. it was within these walls that I felt the side of an India that tells of its riches and history.
the Lake Palace is a spectacular sight, only reachable by boat but admirable from any distance. this tranquilty defines Udaipur.

the jain temple

the Ranakpur Jain Temple is one of the most magestic visions of craftsmanship and beauty. a little background, the Jains are a sect of Hindus known for their asceticism and nonviolence. this is the largest Jain Temple in India, built under the reign of monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. composed of four subsidiary shrines, 24 pillared halls and a total of 1444 columns, each from one piece of marble, of which no two are alike. all are decorated with most elaborate sculptures and filigrees, including the domes. the beauty of these artistic works is unimaginable!

the blue city

the color of Jodhpur is mesmerizing. a blue that lights up your soul at the sight of this vast urban sea. it is said that this shade of blue is meant to repel mosquitos. perhaps this is why so the air seemed so calm. Mehrangarth Fort lay atop this palatial city, looming dark and massive against a city of color.
it is the markets of India that appeal to me the most. to observe the people as they pass by on rickshaws, bicycles and motorbikes, mingling with the cows and other livestock. I am attempting to blend into a world that I am only beginning to understand. I wish for a moment to look through the eyes of a small child, eyes that reflect sincerity.

camel safari

an adventure beckoned. a solemn morning visit to the cenotaphs of Badabagh, the royal burial grounds, an elegant compostion of Mughal and Hindu architecture. my next stop was the old capital city of Ludhrva followed by Kuldhra, a ghost village, deserted and deconstructed due to tariffs imposed on the villagers. following a picnic of roti and dahl, the subsistence food of India, namely, flat bread eaten with an assortment of 60 types of lentils in varying sauces, we arrived in the small desert village of Khuri. there I met my camel and the adventure began! this agreeable creature and I quickly developed a rapport as we spent the next several hours trotting in the grand style of a camel, into a space of perfect serenity. the only voice heard was my own, as I delved into the life of my camel driver, a young animated Indian who spoke cordial English, Spanish and French yet could not read or write in any language, including his own. I am fascinated with the lives of the desert people, who rely to such a large extent on the tourism industry. as does so much of India. there in the desert, amidst moments of my own quietude, I could feel timelessness.