Elenaus India ॐ: March 2016

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Switzerland broke my heart

(How do you start blogging about a place that seems absolutely perfect to the eyes of the rest of the world, but it happens to be a place that broke your heart into a million pieces? How many places, other than India, can do that in one's lifetime?)

Switzerland broke my heart because traveling to a place expecting to love it -- its majestic Alps, its landscapes, and its people -- does not mean actually falling in love with it.

Switzerland broke my heart because it showed me a completely different way of living, impeccably clean spaces, perfectly organized schedules, and hermetically reserved people, and I am not that.

Switzerland broke my heart because of its calm and peace, it's organization, and it's synchronization, and I'm not that.

Switzerland broke my heart because of the tears it caused me, the loneliness it brought about, and the realization of several truths it created.

Switzerland broke my heart because a dog will never become a cat, and a cat will never become a dog.

Switzerland broke my heart because of its deep sea blue eyes, its snow-white soft skin, it's grass-soft golden hair, it's bear-like toe grip, and it's sugar-like sweet voice...

And even though Switzerland broke my heart, all I can feel today is immense gratitude precisely for having broken my heart, for having shaken me, for having awaken me, for having scolded me, for having moved me, for having allowed me to love!!

Because it was Switzerland that allowed me so see what I had to see, that made me miss what I had to miss, and that forced me to start the new life that I had to live.

Kathmandu!

As the sweetest angel predicted once, I would go to Kathmandu, and I would love it!

I loved its streets, its doors, and its little stores, but most of all, its kind people...

I loved every single breakfast there, since they served me something I love: fried eggs and potatoes! also, it was in Kathmandu that I got used to honey lemon tea every morning, which has kept colds away :)

Bogota, Cartagena, Rome, Stocholm, Kathmandu...they all have something in common: the most beautiful and interesting area is the historical center.

It's not just about visiting thee temples... it's about learning to see the beauty of its dusty streets, it's peole, it's old buildings...

It's about discovering those places that you feel comfortable at, like the Garden of Dreams, in the middle of the city:

...and rejoicing in the compaly of the sweetest creatures...

Like Anup, my good friend there, who so kindly showed me around, shared meals with me, and even took me at 9:30 p.m. to see some temples, while freezing!!!

Kathmandu is a place one always will feel one misses somehow...

...like those places where your lover went before you, and you never met...

Mount Everest

How can you get to see the tallest mountain on earth?

Easy! you fly!

And if you're lucky, you get to meet the pilot, and get a pic in the cabin!

Flying over Mount Everest ws amazing! not only because of my own desire to see the Himalayan range from above, but mostly because it was my best friend, one of my soul mates, who had always died to go, so I went, and he saw it all through my eyes...

- What more can I say?

Bangkok,Thailand

Thailand is amazing. Wherever you go, you'll find somehting you like to see, to eat, or to listen to. I would say it's a trip to your senses, something that Latin people like me appreciate a lot.

The first thing to beware of, though, is the drivers, since they have many tricks to scam you, probably worse than those I met in India.

They'll take you anywhere, and pretend their vehicle fails, so you 'wait for them' at some shop (which happens to be a cousin's shop, where you MUST stay for at least 10 minutes, whether you buy or not, or else they'll get into trouble).

The second thing to beware of is the food! there are SO many choices for everyone! you may gain a few pounds, since many things are fried, but really worth it, whether ver or non-veg.

The third (and last) thing to beware of is...shopping! if you're in Bangkok on a weekend, you'll be tempted to go to the biggest open air market: the fantastic Chatuchak weekend market!!! they sell literally everything! jut remember this: if it's clothes you're buying, the male and female sizes don't get to "L" or "XL"... everything is XS - M !! I don't understand how they manage to stay thin with all that delicious food!

I stayed at a great hostel in the middle of the historical area in Bangkok, which made it easy for me to walk everywhere, not without enjoying a local drink, of course...

...or looking at the beauty of the impeccable streets...

Staying there allowed me to see most of the temples I wanted to see...

...the To Wat Po, and its Buddhas, whose hands remind people to stop fighting...

...and the magnificent Reclining Buddha!

It was incredible! everything is so embellished! so shiny! so .. much!

And as people say, you can't go to Thailand without paying a short visit to the Floating Market, right?

Somehow, I didn't feel like buying aaaanything... it looked much more calm than once you are there, and the sellers insist on selling, and the tourists insist on taking pictures, so I went, I did my tour, and I left.

Back to Bangkok, and as the clock was ticking, I had to say goodbye to such amazing, diverse city, one where Western people feel free, and where Bhuddists feel connected to their temples, not to mention some of the best sunsets of my life...

Pokhara and Chitwan - Nepal

From Kathmandu I took a bus to Pokhara, to see the lakes. I was super lucky to have a good seat companion, an Australian girl who, to me, looked like Nicole Kidman --she even told me many people had told her about her resemblance with the actress! Well, after a long trip, we made it to Pokhara, and naturally, she wanted beer, so I kiiind of had to join her :) For no particular reason, I wanted to see all Pokhara, so I chose three different hotels to see every corner... the first one was very close to the bus terminal, close to the famous Pokhara lakes I wanted to see so much...

The second hotel was at the farthest end, where the lakes 'start', and my hotel happened to be the coldest place at night. The funny thing was when you wanted to use the restroom at night, because that meant going downstairs, jumping a fence with a lock in it, and literally freezing your butt! (no, no pic of this, hehehehe).

The thirsd hotel was right in the middle of the town, so great for walking to the lakes...

And yes, I know I should have been outside aaaall the time, but somehow, after the hardest part of my volunteering in India, when I got to Pokhara, what my body needed then was to rest and to liiiie down and reaaad...so that's what I did when the days were too cold: I would 'watch' some old movies on TV, order some cheese pizza, drink some juice, and lie down to read and read for hours. It was heaven! Here's a nice story: at the first hotel I ran into Javier Moro's book: Pasión India, one of the books one could 'borrow'....but I was SO into this book, that I could not put it down until I finished it... in Chitwan! where I respectfully returned it ... just at a different hotel, but to my defense, I stress that I did return it, to the same kind of place, in the same country :)

The wait had been worth it: seeing the magnificent Pokhara lake, day after day, made my week!

From Pokhara, I had the chance to either go back to Kathmandu, or make a stop at Chitwan...

Chitwan was very pretty! lots of land decorated by yellow floweres, little huts made of hay, and beautiful children wearing their traditional clothes, which protected from the cold at night. Smiley kids! I stayed at the Butterfly Hotel, very nice place!

Of course, once in Chitwan, there was no time to waste, so I did what one was expected to do: look for elephants! not that I like-like riding animals, but once in Rome.... I met a girl who spoke Spanish because of her mom, who was from Panama, so all we did was laugh from the beginning until the end, because th guides kept telling us we would see all kinds of wild animals and it wasn't until the jungle became veeeery quiet that we heard a rhyno, and we actually got scared! again, only to burst in laughter like little kids again! One thing is sure, though: that was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen on top of an elephant!

Chitwan ...that one unforgettable experience...