33. The Hills are alive with tea!

Nunu and I arrive late into the evening – after a 28 hour journey – part of which was spent singing to old 90’s hits..boom boom boom – I want a double boom – with two Indian’s and an old French couple – bending our way up the Daarjeling hills at back breaking speed..the old man says,”Can you slow down please.” The Driver, ”No. It is safe to drive this way.” Nunu and I in the back, beaming from ear to ear planning how we just have to move mummy and granny here so that we can come back one day and visit all the time, ”It’s darling!”

Is this India?

Yes but the language is slightly different –there are mostly Tibetans and Nepali people living there – so close to the boarder and all.. Nameste VS Nomoskar, danyevand VS donobad and so forth..

So it is India?

Yes but – it’s freezing – so so cold – I’m talking nunu and I snuggled in blankets in our “mist room” J we really stayed in such a beautiful place- with our hot water bottles, cloves, beanies, scarves, jerseys, two pairs of sox – thick as possible, boots, leggings, more pants and plenty of hot tea to go – ready for our trek through the tea plantations and villages on the mountains! Or.. that beautiful bottle of red we had the first night, listening to Xavier Rudd, playing spite and malice chatting into the wee hours! Or The Hong Tong Thai whiskey we had on the last night – when the toilet seat came off! Lol.. basically it’s bloody cold! ;) Seriously frosty but sweet – sweeeeeeter than the hot chocolate at coffee cafe! hhmmmmmmm

So is it India?

With other food – I won’t forget our boiled egg on toast breaki’s at Padma for a loooong time – best! And naturally Chinese is a big deal there – so don’t get us started on the mo mo’s.  Wrapped up veg in a batter – I can’t tell you how many we ate..who’s counting? ;)

And is it India?

Yes but – 

surely the little village is something  cut out 

of an old Engish story book where the strawberry salemen falls in love with the butchers daughter? Or something to that effect?  It’s simple and all the details matter. From the green shutters to the pot planted flowers and herbs everywhere. The houses painted in different colors, the immaculate dirt roads, tea plantations and villages – all so cheerful and well kept! These have been the first villages I have seen that are so striking, the families smiling - even the dogs are happy and cared for! J

So.. is it India?

Yes but – no one asks you to buy anything. Not a sole. There are of course I few stalls but you can stop if you like and be greeted with a smile but otherwise you mozy along – and get the smile to go.. the people there are so soft – taking it easy, taking it slow..

So.. is it India?

Well, there are no rickshaws or motor rick shaws (as they call them in India – Thailand says tuk tuk) woreva – there are none.. people walk.. and of course there is the toy train – what a fun ride – looking onto the snow peaks – such a post card moment! And every so often a cute mini combi will slowly pass you buy, with a few people coming from work..

And..is it India?

Yes..but they wake up much later there – ten o clock in the morning they gradually turn around the welcome sign except for Sundays - time for some chillin.

And now IS IT INDIA?

Basically yes – but none like I’ve ever seen or imagined it could be. When I’ve thought of India I've imagined the Delhi, Agra, and Varanasi that I’ve seen – I even imagined the crazy things I saw within those places J But never did I ever imagine the darling Daarjeling. It felt like I was in a Chinesey Tibetany India in England. It just goes to show how big this place is – you can go from cities, to deserts, to beaches and mountain ranges- so diverse– much like home in that sense! Ah! So much to see! J It was a wonderful few days – such a relaxed time – a great contrast (and much needed after Varanasi – lol.. but now we’re both ready to jump right back into it – ready for action! J We feel as if we’re comin down the mountain (which we literally are) but – not quite so literally – reentering the country – round two!:) Oh Ms India – she has so many faces, I can’t wait to meet the next one! J Bubuneswar here we come!

“Giving carefull free cz there is freedom round us and we have everything we need cz I will care for you and you will care for me.” - Xavier Rudd :) **bless**

                                           Lots of kisses, loves and Momo's :) hmmmm xxxx

32. Varanasi Shock Therapy!! ;)

Varanasi is an in your face city – that surprises you with every blink – so much information gets thrown at you! You look left and see a small boy throwing rocks at a pigeon, look right and see a little boy having a number two.. turn a corner and see a group of people massaging and fanning a man who has not eaten in five years (he has given himself to god) Watch out! A monkey is trying to steal the charm off your bag! Look behind you, a little girl needs to get past – she’s fetching the morning milk. Move out the way! A cow is stampeding through the alley way – oh not again..You’ve stepped in some shit. What kind, you can never be sure – scrape it off – look up! Dead bodies are being carried through – follow them to the Ghats on the Ganges River and watch the people who are not just bathing, but dancing, rubbing and scrubbing themselves in their holy Ganges water. Turn around and see a dog eating left over body parts that the fire was unable to burn and the black mud has not yet sucked away.

Naked men – covered in white powder walk along the banks, some sit and get stoned, others drink chai tea..bulls sleep, goats roam, women sell beads and children play..a man meditates and another begs for money..Little square cubicles have been built on the banks – for women to change in and chant their prayers – oh Varanasi - there is something beautiful in all your fucked up glory..

This holy place lives and breathes their religion in a way I have not yet seen. They go to their temples every day and spend hours praying and worshiping, their entire lives revolve around it. Not to mention swimming in and drinking the Ganges water.. When we were on the boat for sunrise (and it has to be said that that particular, luminous pink sunrise was – so far – the best I have ever seen! Pure Magic!) Anyway – we asked what the two huge pink wells were for – and the answer was that they pumped sewage from the city into the Ganges. This was said in the most casual manner – not a hint of concern..you could see us westerners thinking, ”What!! That’s terrible! Why?” But he didn’t even shrug it off –to him there was nothing to shrug off at all. It reminded me of a conversation I had with Dada, who runs the Yogi Lodge where we stayed. “It’s not about the religion. It’s about the belief. Think about these people – they bathe in the water and believe it heals them, but the reality is..well..the reality doesn’t matter – it’s all about what you believe.”

And in Varanasi – I have seen this belief he talks about – and it is mind blowing. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Nor have I been in a place that is in constant conversation – this city does not sleep – not for a moment – day and night it is buzzing with chitter – chatter. It’s a busy busy place – filled with heaps of energy – four full days there felt like a week – in a good way through – our days were jam packed and fun filled – lots of time was spent on the Ghats’ – the banks of the Ganges, and plenty getting lost among the alley ways – and of course some shopping – Varanasi has some real finds! And temple scouting galore – one of our days we went to Sarnath – 10km’s south from the centre of Varanasi and got to (among other things) see where Buddah gave his first sermon. We sat there for ages soaking it all it – a peaceful place – and a nice quick get away from the bustling city centre J Varanasi was an intense and mad adventure – We met some very interesting people, both Indian and Western alike. I saw things I never thought I’d see and experienced a whole new world – where anything, at any time could happen – and it was most likely going to shock you.

Travelers’ Tips:

Great place to stay – The old yogi lodge. It’s right in the heart of it – around the corner from the golden temple. Note that there are many places that have in recent years called themselves the Yogi Lodge – in an attempt to get the travelers to stay with them - as the original is so popular- and for very good reason – great food – great cozy place to stay where you meet people from all over - and this is not always so easy in India – and it’s cheapJ A backpackers paradise!

Food: Megu café serves amazing Japanese food – it’s around the corner from the yogi lodge and is a nice break from the constant curries your be wolfing down J The  German Brown Bread Bakery is sensational – colorful cushions on the floor – very chilled – amazing food –live instrumental Hindu music – a rooftop and the food is out of this world! The Blue Lassi is yummy too – and a great place to sit and watch the people pass you by!

Bye bye Varanasi – it’s been hectic getting to know you!

31. The Taj Mahal

It is not easy to put into words the magical Taj Mahal. Even though I’ve just made an attempt J I’ve obviously seen pictures and it never looked real – it had this air about it – that can often be found in a wee big program called photo shop ;) And for this reason I went expecting nothing – you know what they say! Expect nothing, and get everything.

Well – in this case we got everything and beyond. The first group of the day walked in – at sunrise – chatting away.. eager to see what’s behind the great big wall..and then..silence. Not one peep. And then of course came the inevitable whisper,”Wow.” It is impossible to give this place justice with any adjective, mysterious? Mystical?..yes. But so much more than that. magical? Ummm, absolutely but greater than. What’s bigger or better than magic right? Well, the Taj Mahal J

 It looks exactly like the pictures you see of it – the place seems as if it belongs in another world – far far away from any we could possibly fathom – birds fly around the marble walls – parrots to be precise J and some dogs drink her reflections in the lotus pool, women work in the paradise garden and children play in the stars.

It’s a truly special place and the foggy air around it hums with something I’m not even going to try to explain. Go. Just go J Go there – and feel it for yourself. It is truly something. A dream. If I close my eyes now I can go back and my body relaxes, and shifts into a calm space – beyond my quiet room and into the humming silence of the Tag J

We also had a look at the baby Taj – the name speaks for its self – built as a mini version yet she is an individual in her own right – the mosaic floral patterened details inside are magnufique J And of course we had an small Indian boy ask us if we would like to pay him to jump off the side wall into the river - he would probably die – or at the very least break a leg, all but for five rupies..Deciding that we would not like to kill an Indian child on this trip (it is an option for another..haha) we said no and continued onto the Agra fort – which is entirely different – made of red sandstone and the size of a small kingdom along the river front . We had fun – dancing around chatting merrily – in a fort J We are certainly loving IndiaJ As for the accommodation – 

The  flying elephant is a great place to stay – three minutes walk from the Taj, great food – good facilities and all the rest of it. Right near the Tag is a restaurant called “Relax he relax” run by Sunjai.  What a champ! He served delicious food – best I had in Agra, clean toilets, and was a world of information – he even gave us beer on the sly – you can order but it gets covered in paper and poured into a glass, sneaky stylesJ OH! And he offered us some doobie but we declined – I wanted to be alert for our first overnight train ride. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it – and boy am I glad I did say no because.. well.. at one point I said to Sian, ”This is like taking a train in guguletu. If only mum could see us right now she would crap in her pants.” And if she were in India that would certainly not be a problemJ Here in India you will see people spitting, shitting and pissing five meters away from you – cows, people, donkeys, buffalo, horses, goats, dogs.. you name it! Any number – 1 or 2 – it’s welcome J Sian even saw a guy having the second number next to the train track while watching the cricket. Only in India ;)

Anyhoo – it was an experience alright – driving through the city on the tuk tuk’s and rickshaws – we got to see a lot – the crayziness of it all – I honestly felt like I had gone back in time – and who doesn’t like time travelling, right?

Needless to say – the train ride was an experience that left me knowing with all the certainty I have, that this trip is going to help me grow, learn and change for the better in every which way – but I think that goes without saying.

30. I've been slapped with an Indian Stick!

Arriving in India I sort of swanned on in – I was aware of the fact that I didn’t really know what was about to hit me. Although coming from Thailand and Malaysia certain things didn’t seem so foreign – the tuk tuk’s and scrambling, the animals wandering around and the bustling ‘asianess’ that I have become so accustomed to – as well as the Indians - seen em in Malaysia so no big deal..lol..I was left thinking, hmmm ok. Kind of the same, just a different. At the same time I knew that whatever this “Indian thing” was that makes it India – had not hit me yet – I didn’t feel whatever it was..that is until we ended out day today – but I’m getting thereJ

I arrived last night and nunu (my sister) and I nattered away drinking white wino (yes please!) into the wee hours – and woke up early this morning – busy bee’s we were – ready to get our day on – we needed to draw money,eat, get a sim card and a plug for the laptop. And then book some trains and do some shopping. Easy peasy.

Well – to jump a few hours ahead – we had not been successful at the bank – my card did not work – but worked at another – so after a huge wave of relief ate some food – tick! Tummy’s full we thought we’d go for a wander – leaving the hotel for the third time, we landed up at a train station and figured we should try book these train tickets – and got sent with an Indian guy on a tuk tuk to the second train booking centre that day – oh I forgot to mention the first one we went to – probably because it was completely useless – we were told that there were no available trains but that they were available to go for drinks if we wanted to.

So at this place - we sat drinking a cup of very bad chai tea (this should have been a sign) debating over these prices and this very strange man – our yes clicks were just not clicking and after an hour of “yes, no, yes , no.” we left. We actually make a pretty good team since when one of us was saying – ok lets just do this – the other would say no, and then we’d swap roles. The big problem we had was that there are several festivals going on so it’s a really busy time – and people are travelling and so forth, and the offices would all be closed the next day – Sunday – and we had to book through a company of sorts since we’re foreigners and so on and so forth – you can’t just hop on a train here. This all seemed so odd to me and at one point I leaned over to the guy and said.

“Now look. You goda level with me here.”

“I’ve got to what?”

“I’m just being frank.” (Now I really lost him..you can see this confused Indian wondering, “Who the hell is frank? Nd on what level must I stand?”)

Jumping ahead – we had stuck to our guts and walked out of the place – about to head back to the hotel and regroup – againJ But then spotted a coke stand across the street so went to get one and right there yet another Indian man came over – a very sweet man called Anil and told us we were very lucky (if you ever get here – you will be told this by everyone – we even got offered a free tuk tuk ride because it would be lucky for the driver to take us :) but that’s a whole different story.

Amil was unlike the others – I guess  that’s the one thing (so far) that I’m not the greatest fan of here– you have to get in tune with your instincts at a rapid rate because so many of the people are not to be trusted – and we had a few of them today – but Amil was different (my yes click was clicking itself stupid)– and he took us to another gentlemen at a government office – a real one this time – yay! J  Here we met Sameer who was so kind to us,”I’ll take all your stress away.” And he did – and seemed to genuinely care about our trip and wanted to make sure we had a wonderful time. Giving us his business card we read his email,anytimeanywhere1@.... We gave a giggle and he went on to explain, “Any time, anywhere, 1. One’s for fun, two’s for you, three’s for free, four is more, five’s alive, six can fix, Seven’s heaven, eight is great, nine’s fine and ten is one, because 1and 0  is 1 and one is fun.” 

Oddly it seemed to make all the sense in the world to us J and he ended up reworking our trip - hilarious stuff – he drew us a map of our trip – the one we had planned – here it is J

And then drew up his map – below..

Well, we all had a good laugh and told him it was the African way J

We spent a good few hours there reworking the trip – when we left the day had left us too ( But it was time well spent - we are now going to see an extra place  - >>>> and staying at a hotel on the lakeJ and spending more time in Orissa which is a very good thing, and so on and so forth – no need to bore you with details:) 

But it must be said that he put so much work into it for us and  It was not easy to rework everything since we had fixed things – like our flight from Kolkata which meant we had to go our route – and we had certain places we had to be in – for certain things we wanted – and at one point he was thinking extra hard – and said, “Ok. I know. Is that elephant thing really important?” We didn’t have to say anything back, this man knew us all too well by now, just a look sufficed - so he continues,”Ok. Yes..then what if…” and so the process went on and at one point nunu, Amil and I left him to get on with some arrangements and went to sit in the back to get some fresh air – sipping on chai tea and eating bussicuts – well nunu and I did – Amir didnt,”I don’t like busicuts. I havnt eaten any for three years.” Oh he was quite the entertainment – and blithely unaware of it – which ofcoarse only made him more of a joy! He studies >>>>> and lives with his family here in Delhi – he drives them crazy in the mornings as he turns on the tv for some music – he LOVES music and dances (he mimes a move) while he gets ready for his day – this process takes two hours – and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was perhaps still drunk in the mornings when he did this? After all he does drink half a litre of whiskey a day – he likes to do this in the evenings and alone, although he does like to go out on too and thinks is a very good drunk dancer,”When sober not so good. I’m shy to dance then.” He also went on to tell us different bits of his life – here and there.

At one point he asked me, “Do you argue with the Thai women?”

Uumm.. no.

He leans forward. Face serious. He confesses, “I argued with a Japanese woman.”

Pause.

“I slapped her. One hour to explain one word. I was teaching her Hindu and she said she didn’t understand so I slapped her and asked,”Now do you understand.” She didn’t speak to me for two days. But she understood. Feel my hands. They are very hard, and big. Feel them. Feel them.”

Sian hesitantly feels them,”Ya. They are.”

Matter of factly he goes on, “They give a good slap.”

When we left we were so relieved and feeling so safe and as Amil said,”You are now smiling from the heart.”

Finally– after listening to a tuk tuk drivers life story – we arrived at The Relax hotel – and did exactly that – relaxed. And then. We went and did what girls do best. We shopped.

Tomorrow we leave for Agra. Let the journey continue! It feels like we’ve been here for a week. It’s been one day. J

I didn’t know what to expect – but I knew something was going to hit me – and that something sure has! Although I have no idea what it is – I know exactly what it is at the same time – there is no way  to explain it – not to you or to myself – all I do know is that I’ve been slapped with an Indian stick! And I’m loving it!

will post piccies soon!

xoxo

30. “Jou nai.. same FUCK YOU!

Sitting in the back seat watching the trees go by, listening to the Thai jibber jabber.. I hear Pi Oi pipe up,”Jou nai jou nai!?” For all my fellow South Africans – you can imagine my amusement.  This petite and very polite Thai delight was screeching (and for those of you who have been to Thailand – you’ll know the screech I speak of.) “Jou Nai!” and for all intent purposes – all I can hear is, “You fucker! You fucker!”

Giggles galore.

“Megi, areyna?” (What)

“My pen rai.” (No worries) and I continue to watch the trees – smiling from ear to ear.

A few days later we were all sitting around our table finishing up yet another feast – when Pi Ross (The women and men live separately in the village) called out for Pi Kop and she screeched back, ”Jou Nai!?” At this point –I burst out laughing – no more giggles – cackles were in full swing now..and of course every woman around the table was looking at me with sheer bewilderment and confusion.

Please also be aware of the fact that Pi Kop is the head of the matayom department – and practically runs the show around here. She is very conservative – doesn't drink or smoke and expects you to follow by example – she wears all the polite attire – taking it a few steps further than necessary. She is best friends with the boss and marks the teachers every month and so on and so forth. If I had a baht for every time she used the word “Supap” (polite) I would be a very wealthy person – even by American standards – yes, the lady says it a lot.

Ok. Back to the table.

They are all staring at me.  And you can see Pi Kop definitely wants to know what I find so funny.. I hesitate – how can I possibly tell her what I am laughing at here..oh boy.. I try think of something else to say – but alas I have never been good when put on the spot.

“Areyna?” (What)

I asked what it meant. She told me that it meant where. “Aaaaahhh. OK.” And then smiled.

She didn’t break her gaze. “Areyna?” She’s a tough cookie – doesn’t give up.

“Ummmm..OK. In Africa Thai Jou nai mai supap.. mai put jou nai.” Explaining how in South Africa it’s not polite and you mustn’t  say it blah blah..

In any event she is now more curious than ever – staring at me - she is searching for the answer herself – digging deep into my eyes.. she's a determined one and that’s putting it lightly.

I must say I was rather nervous – time seemed to come to a grinding hault – all the women were waiting – looking at Pi Kop – and Pi Kop – fixated on me..

And suddenly as if she had just caught exactly what she wanted, her eyes light up and she shouts with triumph , “Jou Nai same FUCK YOU!”

Well I never. My eyes don’t really widen – but I swear on this day, in that moment – they were so bloody wide they nearly popped out of my head. And if you could have only heard the way she emphasized “FUCK” - you would have been hugely impressed!

She looks at me – waiting to be told what a clever person she is, but I have no words – so I nod.

AhahahahahaHA! She cackles, clearly delighted with her genius,“Jou nai same FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU! FUUUUUUCK YOU!! Jou nai! FUCK YOU!” And so the women join in, and within a matter of seconds – the entire table of sweet, polite village women are shouting “Fuck you!” to each other, to the dogs  and to the gods.

Once they had eventually calmed themselves – and this took much longer than expected, I swiftly changed the subject and so we began to talk about the schools trip to Bangkok. A while later – Pi Ross - the man who was – in my mind – being told he was a fucker earlier, came by.. he walks towards the table – we are nattering about Bangkok and as he is about to put the rambutans on the table Pi Kop looks at him and shouts,”Fuck you!”

Well I never. I honestly don’t know how to put this in words, to give the moment justice. His face was bewildered. He looked as if he might faint. And I nearly fell off my chair.

And as predicted the women follow suit and start saying,”Jou nai same FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!” The poor man left with his tail between his legs and the women on the floor laughing. Although he did not know what on earth it meant – that much was in plain sight – same for the women – although Pi Kop definitely knew what it meant – how I do not know.

Anyhoo.. a few days past and I went to Pi Kop’s place – she lives next to me – and asked her (in Thai) where she gets her huge canisters of water from – ‘where’ being the operative word here.  She looks confused..and now I’m confused because it’s such a simple thing.. so I simplify it even more..”Jou Nai naam.” (Where water)

She stares at me, and slowly a smile comes across her face as if she gets what I want only I know she doesn’t because if she did she wouldn’t find it so amusing – it’s just water after all..

“FUCK WATER!”

“Kor tot Ka Pi Kop?” (Excuse me Pi Kop)

She is very pleased with herself, “FUCK WATER!”

“Mai mai mai Pi Kop.” (no no no)

I explain how I really do want to know where she gets her water, and once again remind her that she musnt go around saying Fuck this and Fuck that – it’ll catch on and the last thing we need is an entire village of people saying,”Sawadee Ka..FUCK YOU!”

She explains how they don’t know what it means – only she does but won’t tell me how – but agrees – she will stop.

As I get to the door I thank her,”Kap kun ka Pi Kop.”

“My Pen Rai Megi.” (No problem)

And she calls for me as I’m leaving,”Megi?”

“Chai?” (Yes)

“FUCK YOU!” and so begins the cackle..

I get back to my cottage – slump down on  my couch, breathe out a huge sigh and all I can think is..

“Fuck.”

29. Malaysian Persuasian :)

Thursday morning, I sit waiting for my students.. a teacher comes in, “Megan Laap.” (Laap is sleep in Thai) “Mai laap, I have classes.” (Mai being No.) “Mai. Laap till Thursday.” I have heard this before – it means there is no school or at least no school for me, yay! “Sleep till next Thursday? I think not. But leave Thailand and head for Malaysia..yes!”

So I did – and what a time of it I had! I stayed at the Red heritage hostel – there are two which can be very confusing – but the one I stayed in felt like pure luxury – no bum spray / mud showers / no bugs and scary spiders / no screaming children / no one shouting 'farang' at my face every two minutes / and the most comfortable bed known to man kind / tea and coffee on tap / fresh and free drinking water / sights to see a plenty and tons of English speaking people to entertain me!

The six days there were some of the best I've had in a long while – and my days have been pretty great of late – but these were some chocolate tumbles indeedio – bar the fact that my bank card wouldn't work and I spent my first few hours racing around Penang trying to get that sorted and eventually having to hassle my mummy to send me some moola through Western Union. Note to all out there – make sure your card has a chip n pin – otherwise many places won't accept it. I'll have to order a new one before I go to India..

Neverhoo.. :) All turned out well – I shopped and shopped – getting some fab scarves and things for some friendlies and I got some coconut candy for my Grampy and his sweet tooth! I got to see a lot which was great – temples galore – the floating temple and Kek lok see are magnificent! The snake temple made me sad – apparently the temple was bulit on the snakes land and they fled once it was being done and one it was finished came back to claim their property.. I have my doubts – why would snakes just want to sit on a bamboo stick and have people stare at them (by the masses) all day long. I don't know snakes very well, so perhaps it is exactly what they want - but I doubt it.

I went on a scooter day mission with a bunch of people which was so much fun and such a great way to see Penang – buzzing around – the views we're epic! Mountains rolling on forever, overgrown forests and waterfalls – beaches and temples (Buddist and Hindu) yummy local food and great company on the go! At first I was really nervous on the bike – after crashing one I now know that they can crash – before I was blissfully oblivious – and now that I know – well.. lets just say it's not the most pleasant reality check.

I got to hang out with Janet Jackson for most of my time there – and believe me she is much more normal than her name suggests.. an everyday 'las' :) I hope to see her again – somewhere along the road.. Then there was Karla – and wowiza.. I wanted to cry when I said goodbye to her.. she is a fantastic human, with a wonderful laugh to match! Would you believe she loves dogs just as much as I do? Incredible – were talking future business plans.. hmmm..

We went to the chocolate boutique, I mistakenly told the girls it was called “The chocolate factory” and on the day we were off to go someone said, “Oh, you mean the chocolate boutique?” “Yup..” Then Karla interjected, “It's not a chocolate factory?” “No, but same same..” “No darling, not same same.. had I arrived at a boutique expecting people in uniforms all making chocolate by the mass.. I would have been rather disappointed..” (all said with laughs of coarse.. I hadn’t even thought of it..chocolate factory just comes off my tongue better I guess :) Needless to say It was delicious – that being every single piece! Or in Karla's words,”Gorgeous.” The one time she said,”Hmm.. That's tasty.” I knew she didn't like it.. and later when we passed that section without the chocolate connoisseur she said,”I've never been a fan of fruit in chocolate.” In the two days we had spent together – I seemed to know her well already :)

Oh the food in Penang is senfuckingsational! I ate Indian food on a constant basis – bar two Thai dishes – I stuck to my spicey delights and was in seventh heaven – my god am I going to enjoy India! We went to The Red Garden a few times which is such fun – live music, plenty of people, and all types of food to choose from! Little India also boasts some yumminess, although I preper the one in Kuala Lampur. We had some food filled days and were terribly pleased with the street cake! Adding to our delight we found a very cheap place to get booze, and sat with plenty of people at the hostel drinking into the wee hours – such fun – a nurse, a fire fighter, a dental assistant, a teacher, a tour guide, a psychologist.. the list goes on..

One fine day I was strolling back from some shopping (it had to be done) and stumbled into my darling nunu buggie and Ty! Wow. Such a surprise! We ended up having a lovely time together – I went with them to the chocolate boutique (again, and why not? Turned out it paid off as the manager gave me a box of chocolates – with a rose pic on top – I think he fancies me :) lol.. or my “bedroom eyes” as he called them.. eww. Not that I complained – I now have a delicious box of choccies :) Special mention has to be given to Tati (Tatiana) the most fabulous woman I have met in a veeeeery long time – she is from Porto Rico, and she is a super eccentric ball of fun – and always has her fan on hand, and gorgeous accent to go with it! She is draped in colour and her laugh cannot possibly be explained, but by golly – if I could have filmed her for a character reference – I would! She actually made me think I should get a video camera and film characters from around the world.. idea perhaps? Hmmm.. Anyway, I have her email and will be emailing her pronto!

My last night – was spent with Tati, Nu and Ty (and some other Philllipino's and such..) We were up into the wee wee hours and well, I missed my bus back to Thailand in the morning (my life wouldn't have it any other way:) – but got away with it – oh!! Such great luck – perhaps it was from the temple where you throw a coin into the moving bowls and see what you get, if you get any.. and I got “Good Luck” It seems to be a running theme this year :)

But how could I forget to mention Ms Coo!!?? She works at the Love Lane Inn.. and (let's just say she gets injections for her blood pressure and for very good reason) the woman is mental – everyone in George Town knows who she is, as she has screamed and yelled at almost anybody, for anything she could find.. but I managed to befriend this interesting person (eventually and with a lot of effort) and so when I missed that bus instead of her killing me and feeding me to whoever she worships in the dark hours of the night – she forgave me and didn't make me pay all over again. Seems even Satan has a heart :P

Back in Thailand – i got lost on the back of a bike - comin into my village - but all worked out well and after two or so hours had passed the whole community was involved and a few (yes a few) teachers arrived to pick me up and were fussing over me as if they were rescuing me from a terrible something or the other - it was very sweet and heart warming to realize just how much they all care about me. I ofcoarse was perfectly fine, making more local friends and playing with a baby kitten.. I couldnt have been more oblivious to the commotion going on route to fetch me.

Anyhoo feel refreshed and ready to start my exams..(Listening, speaking, writing and reading.)I have to do two weeks of examinations with all my students – they are going to hate me.. :( and by the end of this gruelling process I might just hate them too. No, never :)

Time to relax and take it eeeeeeeasy.. take it slow..
Love to all! xoxo

28. Here, there and everywhere..

Where do I begin.. I haven’t written in so long its hard to sum it all up..

Living in this village definitely has it's pro's and cons.. the pros being that I have truly immersed myself into the Thai culture – living here – with my new found Thai family is something that I really do enjoy – I feel that I have a home away from home – Pi Kop ( Pi means sister in Thai) is my mother here – and she loves it when I tell her that – so much so that she has now decided I shall never leave to my “old mother” as she refers to my real one at home:) Age is a funny thing here in Thailand – they are happy to ask anyone “How old are you?” and then precede to say,”So old!!” They mean nothing by it, they have no idea that in the Western world if you asked a fifty year old woman, who you don't know, how old she is – literally right off the bat, “What is your name?” “Lucy” How old are you? “ “Ummm..fifty..” “O!! You old!!” would be considered rather rude..

Anyhoo.. Pi Oi is my cool aunti who takes me shopping and takes me out for spy wine coolers, tries to get me to dress more “sexy” and wants to go out for a ladies night as soon as possible:) Pi pap is my brother (she is actually a woman but our playful and naughty, arm wrestling, poking and prodding 'competitioning' relationship has me thinking she's my little brother.) Pi Ya is another aunti – not as close as Pi Oi but close non the less – she likes to braid my hair into a French plat but refuses to teach me how as then she wont be able to do it any more:) and brings me bags of fruit every Monday and she always tells Pi Pap to stop pestering me (pi pap really is a naughty lil shit) Pi Wad is my older sister – more controlled and very reserved – she tries to teach me the culture as best she can – yet she contradicts herself at every point. We've already argued about this, as sisters do – at the dinner table.. the whole family got involved and at one point I sat back and giggled.. I really do have a REAL Thai family. I am leaving out a few more relatives – there are about 20 of us.. but the point is there..

So a few weeks back I had a sensational week – I went with Pi Oi and Pi Rat (a very sweet lady – she is really timid and hardly talks to many people but her and I have become rather close – she even got me a care package after my motor bike accident – filled with all sorts of delicious (and some rather strange) goodies..:) Anyhoo.. we went out for dinner and did some shopping and had some Spy wine coolers - the closest thing I get to the real deal here:( and I got to drive!:) Driving a car in Thailand – oh how I missed it! It was such fun! And in true South African style, I drove a bakki.. but of coarse:P

For new years I had a few days off and my school gave me another one so I could have the full holiday with some friends – which was so cool of them! It's times like those that I wonder how I am ever going to bring myself to leave this school..but then there are other times when I am so desperate for a proper shower and to not get mud washed all over me, so desperate to go home and not have to spend the following hour killing scorpions, bees, snakes and spiders – and to be able to have proper internet so that I could at least watch some western programmes.. ah! To communicate.. sometimes I wonder.. perhaps I should finish my year here and then instead of going to teach in another Asian country (was thinking of Korea as I would make good money and I could travel for two months to South America – they would pay for my flights – both to and from home, and one return in my big holiday – anywhere I would choose..Argentina would be the place indeed:) But although these are all big pros.. Spain is where my heart has always longed to go.. I love the language – and would love to be able to be fluent in it – and I love the culture and wouldn't mind adopting it as my own – the food is something I could actually live on – and the place is cooler and I would definitely find a delicious man there and have some hot and special romance of sorts:) These things certainly cannot be found here in Thailand and I doubt Korea would be any different..

Anyway – time will tell..

For now I am living the village life and constantly looking at the positive aspects of it – and have found that my patience has grown immensely – although I do fear that if I'm patient for so long one day ill just snap and say,”Fuck it. Never fucking mind.” It can be incredibly frustrating not being able to communicate properly – especially for a person like me who loves to natter away for hours on end and now it takes me two hours to get a few short sentences across between us.. although I am teaching them a lot so they are getting better.. and my Thai has gotten rather good so I tend to use that much more than English here..and I always have my weekends when I can get away and go somewhere where I see English people, jump for joy,”Oh! Oh! Oh! Lets talk, talk, talk..” :)

Since living here in Bang kahn – I have gone to Krabi twice, Koh Phangan twice, and Koh Tao once – and been into Thung Song for a festive time with some English teachers too – so it's actually rather good – I get the best of both worlds I guess..

Krabi is one of my favourite places in Thailand – I adore Krabi town – I could easily live in a place like that once I wanted to settle down one day – with a couple of kids and a couple of dogs..couple of cats and maybe a husband to put in the mix:) My friend Dylan lives there so it's always a huge bonus that I get to go and spend time with him! And Krabi is just.. Krabi!:)

Although there is always so much to explore and see in Thailand – I’ve travelled around a lot – in the beginning I got to mission around for a few months and saw some amazing places and after my course I did that again with some friends and now I hop around on the weekends – but there is still so much more to discover here.. when I went to Had Yuan I found a place that was ever better, and then go to Koh Tao and you like it even more, and so it goes on.. I cant wait to find more and more wondrous places in this country.. after all, I do have the time..:)

For New Years.. I missioned off to Surat Thani to catch the ferry to Koh Phangan, and as luck would have it – I missed the boat.. but.. right next to me was a man called Williz from USA/France who had missed the boat too.. so we booked our tickets on the night boat (takes just under six hours to Koh Phangan) and had a few hours to spare – so we sat by the peer and drank beers – chatted about the universe (just my kind of convo) and then went for a walk – stumbled across a temple – and I got blessed by a monk..lol.. and then went to eat and have some more beer – looking at the lights I realized I had never seen Surat Thani as any more than a gross pit stop – bleak and dirty.. yet I had seen one of the most beautiful temples I had seen in a while, was looking at twinkling lights over a river – listening to long tail boats wizz by.. it was rather beautiful..Anyway – the night boat is fantastic – you get your own bed and meet people from all over the world – with us we had a bunch of boisterous Israeli’s and so I practised my Hebrew and laughed while taking sips of the poisonous arak (an Israeli drink) I concocted a story that Williz and I were divorced and he had brought me the papers to sign.. The one Israeli dude was coming on a bit strong and so I wanted to let him know I wasn't available and this seemed to be the funniest option – and oh how it was indeed – and I did so well – my skills are improving:) Needless to say Williz and I did end up having a lil kiss or two that night – it's been a looooong time, so I'm certainly not complaining:) That boat journey was so spontaneous and really made me miss my initial adventures here in Thailand – where I just picked a place and went – met random people, and everything was just in the moment..

We arrived in Koh Phangan at five thirty in the morning and I said goodbye to one of the most interesting people..he is collecting art and such.. way to much information to explain right now but yeah.. one of the most interesting people I have met in a very long time – and not so bad on the eyes if I do say so myself;) Once in Had Rin I saw the after effects of the full moon party and woah! Was that a sight to behold! People honestly die there – it's not a nice sight to see in the morning I must say.. not very inviting.. So..I went to Had Yuan (it's off Koh Phangan – you get there by long tail boat.) and it's incredible.. I walked straight into the peace and love bar – and was offered coffee and breakfast and a joint on the side plate – sensational service indeed:)

I sat there for ages – chatting to the people – a couple of rasta Thais and their foreign girlfriends.. one of the girls – from Spain – has been living there with her Thai man – for eight months and looks exactly like my sister – so weird.. cant wait to show the both of them pictures of each other.

A few hours later – Tabitha came to collect me – not having slept yet:) She is actually the daughter of my dad's best friend (Both our dad's were in the Bang Bang Club together– and both died – two months or so apart.) Tabitha and I met once in Cape Town and now that we're both here decided to meet up for New Years. Anyway – we had a very relaxed day – to start – just set up our tent – Cole (Tabi's boyfriend has a seriously committed relationship going with this tent of his..haha..:) then we had a nap - I hadn’t really slept either;) Then I went off with Cole and Tabi's two mates, Reese and Tabo – to drink some shroomies at Eden – a magical place – chilled house music fills the space – as people dance and sway – giggle and chat – staring out into endless paradise.. magic. That evening we all went out for dinner and after a few drinks called it a night – five of us snuggled in the tent – and in Cole's words,”This tent is incredible. Look. Five of us in here. Wow.” :) That night there was a storm – it actually woke Tabi up and said she wondered if we'd be OK. I of coarse slept through.. and Cole of coarse was terribly chuffed that his tent had kept us so safe :)

The following day we went off to Koh Tao – and had a blast – I met a whole bunch of their mates who also teach English in Nakhon and are so lovely.. one gal called Suzanne is from Alabama and she is delightful – I hope to see her again soon! We missioned to a party called The Experience – four days of madness..and it was everything it had promised to be!

Tabo and I had a really great time together – party animals alike and all – and set off for the experience on the first night.. it would be impossible to sit here and describe the events chronologically and this blog post is already an essay and a half.. :)

So lets just say that I met the most wonderful people from all over the world – I have some contact details and intend to keep that contact going! One particular cat – Hendrick from Germany – was a sure favourite – funny and sweet, crazy and chatty – we had one hell of a ride together – two motorbike accidents (but were ok) The first one was pretty funny actually – I decided I could definitely ride the bike (I've never tried before) – up the steepest hill you could ever imagine.. and in my state.. lets just say I was on another planet where fairies and goblins come out to play in magical swirls of moving shapes and sparkling sizes..:P In any event, we are fine – and I'm now at home – healing so beautifully – I am rather surprised – all sobered up before my boat left I began to worry about what might happen – would my feet fall off? Or my left leg? The sparkles had left and reality wasn’t so pretty.. but as it turns out my body is the same machine it was in South Africa – it heals incredibly fast and just gets on with it – inside and out. People fret about infections in Thailand because of the dirty environment I guess but - (I don’t want to jinx it since I'm still recovering..but I'm doing just fine.) Nicol was there with Tyler – Nicol is my bestie and so I naturally had a lovely time with her on the first night – I don’t remember much but many sources confirmed my happiness the following day..:) “Hello! Meggie, how are you!? Had such fun with you last night!” “Hello meggie – wow you were on top form yesterday!” “Hello Meggie – you like the mud ey?” “Hello Meggie! Can I see the pics you took of us last night?”

That's when I realized Tabo had my camera – needless to say he disappeared – but thankfully the camera is safe and sound – but he took sooo many pics on his adventure that the battery ran out – I must say I was a tad bleak that I couldn’t take pics for the rest of the time there – as so many adventures happened – but no worries – at least the camera was safe and that certainly wouldn't have been the case had I had it.. My camera nearly wound up in Taiwan! Luckily I stopped that and it was given to Tabi and she now has it in Nakhon – so unfortunately I wont be able to post any pics or even see them for myself – for about a month now:( But it'll be a laugh when I do:)

Needless to say I missed the ferry home and had to take the night boat that evening – but I wasn't exactly complaining since it meant I got to spend another lovely day in Koh Tao – lazing around on a hammock with my new German friendlies, eating lunch and recovering nicely from the extreme adventures we had had together.. and since I was on the night boat at last minute I couldn't get a bed but had to sleep outside, on the front of the boat – but as the Thais' so often say, “Mai pen Rai.” (No worries.) I met another Spainiard chap who proceeded to tell me all sorts of stories about his home, the beautiful Barcelona.. and it dawned on me.. I've just got to get into that place – The Universe keeps putting people in my path to tell me so:)

Needless to say I arrived safely in Thung Song and spent a night at Pelin's..watching “Friends” and “The actors studio” eating our faveorite side street fried chicken and drinking Chang.. :)

I had my Friday back at school and spent the weekend relaxing at home – cleaning my cottage and nesting – preparing for my first full week ahead in ages. Although I was sitting outside on the Friday evening and was told by one of the teachers that I should not sit there alone. “But I always do.” “In the week all teachers are here with you. Weekends everyone go away.” “And..” “So you must go inside and not be outside in night time.” (Six pm is hardly what I call night time) In any event she continued to tell me (in broken English and very strange mime..that there is a gang of young men that walk around and inject women in the village, and then.. well.. I don't need to continue the sentence for you to understand what they do with them.. She then told me that they know that I am here as I am the only farang in the village and they would love to have me..my God. Naturally I was shocked and rather upset.. I have always felt so safe here – so isolated and crime was the last of my worries – and I love being outside in the evenings..and it's the only place I can get proper (ish) internet..and the evenings are the only times that I can do that in peace without thirty kids hanging over my shoulder laughing and chatting about what I am doing – asking questions and shouting out,”Hello!!” - as that is really the only thing they know. It can be frustrating to say the least so that news was a bit of a blow. I am now in my home, locked up and safe – teachers have returned this evening – it is a Sunday, so all is well..In any event, I usually leave after school on a Friday and return on a Sunday evening for school the following day, so it's hardly something to be concerned with.

I should be getting to bed.. I have to be up bright and early and ready to take on the little ones – I have Kinder-garden tomorrow and boy do they have a lot of energy! My first full week ahead and I have Dylan's birthday this weekend – so I'm off to Krabi again – smiles for miles :) Next week I have to get to Malaysia for my Visa – and I want to get my camera from Tabitha so I have to get to Nakhon – and why not? Apparently amazing temples and such and of coarse wondrous company to go with it:) and I need to sort out my other visa's..for India and Indonesia..and now that I think of it I still have to do my other TEFL course before I leave in March..oh wow – there seems like there is so much to do and so little time – it's 2013..!! How did that happen? I remember moving in here two months ago and the end of the year seemed so far away.. and now my birthday in Feb is around the corner and before I know it March will be here and I will be on a camel with my sister in India.. sheesh..deep breath..one week at a time..:)

Lots of love and light! I'll post piccies as soon as I can get to Nakhon and get my camera from Tabitha!

Xoxo

Mushi (I found out from Hendrick that this means Vagina in German.) nice.