A Visit to Little Rann of Kutch

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While most of my days this past November were filled with orientation sessions related to social justice, power and privilege, international development, and the like, we were occasionally treated to outside trips and activities that would help to further our understanding of Indian culture and history. The most memorable trip that we took beyond the ashram grounds was to Little Rann of Kutch, an enormous saline desert located in northwestern Gujarat. The desert covers almost 5,000 square kilometers, and transforms into a vast coastal wetland following heavy rains. Believe it or not, the area is most well-known for its “Wild Ass Sanctuary” — which is exactly what we traveled to Little Rann of Kutch to see.

The subspecies of wild ass which resides at the Sanctuary is highly endangered, and exists nowhere else in the world but Little Rann of Kutch. The Sanctuary has been listed by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve, and despite its harsh terrain, is home to a variety of wildlife. In addition to wild asses, the area boasts a smattering of migratory bird populations, as well as the Indian wolf and desert fox. In addition to spotting wild asses and a great many birds, we were fortunate enough to see wild nilgai, or Indian antelope.

It is believed that at one time, the saline deserts of Little Rann of Kutch were shallow sea. Now, this region of Gujarat is considered to be a transitional area between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Salt panning and shrimp farming continue to be main sources of livelihood for local populations residing in the area, though the Indian government has discouraged the continuation of such activities due to risks of environmental degradation.  I’ve certainly never seen any place quite like the Wild Ass Sanctuary, and don’t know that I’ll ever visit anywhere like it again:

Safari Jeeps for Visiting the Sanctuary (The White-colored Ground Is the Salt!)

The Famed Wild Asses

Saline Desert Landscape

Fellows Goofing Off at the Sanctuary

On the same day that we visited the Wild Ass Sanctuary, we took a side trip to the Sun Temple at Modhera, which was constructed in 1026 AD. The temple was built in such a way that during the equinox, the dawn sun shines on Surya, the Hindu sun god:

For anyone visiting Gujarat, I highly recommend a visit to the Kutch region. Very cool indeed!

Namaste from India!

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After various failed attempts at loading my blog, I have finally succeeded! I am currently in rural India, where I am writing to you from a village located in Ahmedabad district, Gujarat. I have been in India for almost seven weeks now, and am just about three weeks into my site placement at a grassroots NGO working on Dalit rights issues. Since I’m here as part of a fellowship organized by American Jewish World Service, I’ve been asked to refrain from naming the NGO I’m working with on my blog. I’m volunteering with an organization that deals with politically sensitive issues, so naming names could bring a threat of endangerment to the organization or its workers (at least that’s what I’ve been told, and it’s best to tread lightly when working in a foreign environment). So for the next 8 months, I’ll just have to refer to the place I’m working as “my NGO” or “the NGO I’m volunteering with.” Thanks for bearing with me!

Since I haven’t updated in a while, I’ve got some major backtracking to do. I’ll start with my first month in India, since that’s the easiest place to begin. I arrived to Ahmedabad in October, following a series of long and tiring flights. I’ve made many a journey across the world, but for some reason, my flight to India was particularly tiring. I’ve attributed this to the fact that I was so anxious about what was to come – would I like living in India for the next ten months? Was I going to get harassed by touts when I stepped off the plane? Were the other fellows going to like me? Was anyone going to be at the airport to meet me? Was my NGO placement going to work out? Since I was awarded the AJWS fellowship in April, a million questions had been swirling around in my head as to how this experience was actually going to turn out. Once I arrived and began to come to grips with the reality that India is finally happening, I felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted off of my shoulders.

And yet, after seven weeks in India, I still find myself missing China (and the US!). I try not to compare India and China too often, because I feel like it will only detract from my experience – sometimes, though, I just can’t help it. China and India have been declared the two next “rising giants” on the world stage, so I feel like it’s natural to weigh them against each other. The cultures are so different, though, that comparing the two can make understanding them that much harder. Judging from previous experience, I’m guessing that this comparison thing will pass as time goes by (I tend to attribute it to culture shock), and then things should get really interesting.

For the first month of my stay in India, the other fellows and I were living at Kochrab Ashram, located in Paldi district of Ahmedabad city. Kochrab Ashram is the first ashram that Mahatma Gandhi set up after his return to India from South Africa; it is from Kochrab Ashram that he first began to strategize his vision for the Indian independence movement. He later moved from Kochrab Ashram to a larger location, called Sabarmati Ashram, also in Ahmedabad; now, when tourists come to the city, they usually go to the larger Sabarmati Ashram to check out some of Gandhi’s artifacts (including a letter that Gandhi wrote to Hitler). That means that the Kochrab Ashram, while still lovingly tended, remains the more peaceful of the two – a perfect oasis set back from the bustling city roads. Besides the ashram’s residential monkeys and a local political gathering here or there, the only other occasional sites to be seen are now-elderly Gandhians who trickle in from the streets, dressed in handspun khadi, to study on the ashram grounds.

In true Gandhian style, the ashram is simple but adequate. The food we ate was all pure vegetarian, meaning that it did not include meat or eggs. (Note: in India, pure veg includes dairy; there’s little concept of veganism here). We became accustomed to bucket showers and squat toilets, the latter of which I had previously been regularly exposed to in China. Here are some photos of our accommodations:

Bedrooms, Holding Four to Five People per Room

Kitchen, Where We Held Cooking Lessons

Female Lodging Accommodations

Shower (aka Faucet/Bucket)

Bathroom (For Those Who Haven't Seen a Squat Toilet)

Kochrab Ashram Grounds

The "Gandhi Stage," a Meditation/Exercise Stage Where Our Classes Were Often Held

Luckily for me, the place I’m living now is just as peaceful as the ashram (if not more so). After a month of living a pretty basic lifestyle, I don’t know how easy it would be to adjust to the chaos of an Indian city. Of the fellows, I am the only one living and working in a rural area, which in some regards I think is much easier than living in an urban one. I don’t have to negotiate for rickshaws; my meals, while basic and lacking in variety, are healthy and provided for me; there is no pollution or garbage lining the streets; and I don’t have to worry about stepping in cow dung. Honestly, what else could I ask for?

Stay tuned for more updates from my rural Indian adventure!

A Beginner’s Guide to Enjoying Chinese Tea

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Dried Green Tea Leaves

While plenty of people from the West enjoy a cup of tea now and then, it often seems that few stop to contemplate its origins.  Tea, which is indigenous to modern-day China, has been savored for its flavor and utilized as a form of herbal medicine for thousands of years; as such, the human history of preparing and drinking it has a long and treasured tradition in the Middle Kingdom, and forms an integral part of the Chinese cultural fabric.  Chinese tea is usually classified into four distinct categories:

(1) White teas.  White teas (白茶) come from the unopened buds and young leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, which are then steamed.  In China, most white teas are processed in Fujian province, located on the southern coast of the mainland; white teas have only begun to become popular in the West in very recent years, and are still not so easy to come by.  Because white teas are only very lightly processed, they are extremely rich in antioxidants.

(2) Black teas.  Black teas constitute more than 90 percent of all teas sold in the West.  As compared to the white, green and oolong varieties, they are the most highly oxidized of teas, and contain the most caffeine.  Black teas are known in the West as “black” due to the color of the oxidized leaves; in China, black tea is called “red” tea (红茶), in reference to the color of the liquid itself.

Chinese Pu'er Tea (post-fermented)

(3) Green teas.  Green tea (绿茶) remains the most widely consumed variety of tea in China, and was first consumed during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).  Green teas are only lightly oxidized, giving them a lighter flavor than black teas.  Like white teas, green teas are rich in antioxidants (due to a lack of heavy processing); for this reason, they have become increasingly popular in the West.  China currently accounts for 81 percent of the global production of green tea.

(4) Oolong teas.  Oolong teas (乌龙茶) are partially oxidized, meaning that they have a richer flavor than most green teas and a subtler flavor than most black varieties.  The leaves used to produce oolong teas are typically allowed to wither under the sun, and are either rolled or wrapped.  The flavor and aroma of oolong tea varies greatly depending on the processing.  Renowned varieties of oolong tea are currently produced in Fujian province and Taiwan.

Chrysanthemum "Tea"

While white, black and green and oolong teas all come from the same plant, they are processed differently to obtain distinct results.  In addition to these, some experts place other varieties of Chinese tea – most notably yellow (黄茶) and pu’er (普洱茶) teas – into their own categories.  And while flower teas (花茶) have gained popularity, they are not “teas” in the traditional sense, as they are not produced from the Camellia sinensis.

Chinese teas are bought loose.  To drink, a small amount is steeped in hot water – whether to strain the tea leaves or not is really a matter of personal preference, and the leaves may be used multiple times before disposal (in fact, the full flavor of the tea typically isn’t achieved with the first cup, so keep that in mind).

You’re now on your way to enjoying your first cup of Chinese tea!  I hope you find the experience as rewarding as I have.

Trans-Pacific Travel: Healthy Ways to Reduce Jet Lag and Raise Your Spirits

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Long-haul flights over the Pacific Ocean may very well be a traveler’s worst nightmare.  Especially if you’re not coming from or headed to a major city, extended air travel presents quite the challenge, as one or more stopovers may be required in order to reach your final destination.  Luckily for avid travel lovers, however, there are several ways that you can improve your chances of ensuring a pleasant flight, as well as safeguard against jet lag.  Having traveled back and forth between the US and mainland China several times, here is my list of do’s and don’ts for trans-Pacific travel:

(1)  Regardless of what others might tell you, do not take a sleeping pill.  Sure, popping pills may make your flight go by faster.  However, they also knock you into a deep, chemically induced sleep that can be dangerous at 36,000 feet.  In the event of an emergency, you may be asleep or too groggy to follow cabin instructions; sleeping aids also increase your likelihood of developing blood clots while mid-air.  As tempting as taking a pill might sound, give it a pass and let your body adjust to the time change naturally.  You’ll be glad you did.

(2)  Drink lots of water.  Airplane cabins are notoriously dry, and many people fail to realize that one of the main causes of jet lag is dehydration.  Skip the beer, wine and coffee in favor of water, and make sure that you ask for more every time you feel thirsty. Ignoring the urge for water will only worsen your jet lag symptoms, resulting in a longer recovery period.  If you’re prone to dry skin, you may also want to consider bringing along some moisturizer and lip balm.  Taking extra care of your body, as well as your mind, will keep your spirits high while traveling long distances.

(3) Move around.  Do some in-flight exercises — even simple ones will suffice.  Stretching your arms and legs, walking up and down the aisles, and standing for a couple of minutes at a time will improve your circulation and reduce your risk of developing blood clots.  They will also boost your overall energy level, and prevent your joints from getting too stiff.  If you’re making a connection and have to switch planes, try to spend part of your layover walking around the airport to make up for all of the time spent sitting down.

(4)  Make yourself comfortable.  If you know that you get cold easily, make sure you bring along a sweatshirt or sweater for the flight.  You may also choose to bring a neck pillow, earplugs, slipper socks or an eye mask to increase your level of comfort and ensure better rest.  You want your flight to be as relaxing as possible, so pack whatever small items you need to catch some solid R&R in your carry-on luggage.

Even with all kinds of careful preparation in place, few people emerge from a trans-Pacific flight without experiencing jet lag.  That said, doing all that you can to ease the symptoms will help you feel better in no time.  Pay extra attention to your body’s signals, get some rest and keep your mood in check — your jet lag will be gone in a flash!

Follow Me to Gujarat, India!

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This fall, I will be traveling to the state of Gujarat, India to volunteer for ten months with a local NGO in the field of Dalit rights and leadership.  Dalits, known by many in the West as “untouchables,” are the pariahs of the traditional Indian caste system.  Though caste as a formal social institution was abolished by the Indian constitution, Dalits continue to face prejudice and violence in the forms of forced labor, rape, and a myriad of other rights violations.  In a bid to address the everyday challenges of Dalits residing outside the Gujarati capital of Ahmedabad, I will be volunteering with a rural-based NGO primarily in the field of Dalit education and leadership.

My volunteer work is being organized by American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice.  AJWS’s main focuses include alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality.

As part of my effort, I am raising $1,800 to support American Jewish World Service’s development work. Feel free visit my personal fundraising page to learn more about ways you can help support global justice in the developing world.

This fall, check back often for updates from my Indian adventure! Follow me as I bid farewell to one Asian giant and embrace another.

Restaurant Review: Spring Moon, The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong

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The Peninsula Hong Kong

The Peninsula Hong Kong, long revered by travel connoisseurs, is a symbol of timeless luxury.  As one of the oldest fashion arcades and the most historical hotel in Hong Kong, it has attracted distinguished visitors from around the world since its opening in 1928.  Not remarkably, it was with the expectation of an exquisite dining experience that my boyfriend and I arrived at Spring Moon, the hotel’s upscale specialty Chinese restaurant.

Though Spring Moon dubs itself as “traditional Shanghainese,” such a classification is misleading at best.  The décor of the restaurant indeed mimics the architectural flair of 1920s Shanghai, but Spring Moon’s menu offers a vast assortment of Cantonese, mainland Chinese and even Singaporean cuisine.  Indeed, Spring Moon is more aptly classified as an eclectic presentation of traditional Chinese cuisines from across Asia.

As nuts are a common starter in China, our waiter first presented us with a small dish of candied cashews.  After sifting through the lengthy menu, we ordered two cups of soup – one of hot and sour with lobster, and the other of sweet corn with crab meat.  Though the sweet corn soup was decidedly Western in flavor (it was impossible to escape the resemblance to corn chowder), the hot and sour soup was distinctly Chinese.  Spicy yet sour and served at just the right temperature, the addition of lobster added a unique twist to an otherwise traditional dish.

Spring Moon, The Peninsula Hong Kong

Following ordinary Chinese custom, my boyfriend and I ordered several main dishes to share.  For our main course, we chose the sautéed lamb fillet with bean curd, crispy chicken coated in almonds with lemon sauce, sautéed spinach with diced garlic, and Singaporean-style fried vermicelli.  The lamb, chicken and spinach dishes were all cooked to perfection, and the lamb and spinach were particularly delectable.  Unfortunately, the Singaporean-style fried vermicelli was a culinary disaster – almost identical in taste and appearance to cheap cafeteria-style noodles available in Singapore’s Chinatown, they were a positive disappointment to an otherwise enjoyable dining experience.

To finish our meal, we ordered the mango pudding, the baked sago pudding with chestnut paste, and two cups of osmanthus tea.  The tea was exquisite and quite similar in to that found in Guilin, a city renowned across the Chinese mainland for its osmanthus tea and pastries (though I must admit, osmanthus tea of the same quality can be found in Guilin for only a small fraction of the price).  The sago pudding, akin to tapioca, was textually distinct and appealing flavor-wise, while the mango pudding was tasty yet predictable.

Though I would recommend Spring Moon to those who truly appreciate and understand Chinese cuisine, Westerners without basic exposure to traditional Chinese food are likely to find the experience pricey and unsatisfying.  For a more affordable sampling of authentic and delicious Chinese food, Hong Kong offers a multitude of great eateries.  Enthusiasts, however, will certainly appreciate the fresh take on fine Chinese dining that Spring Moon provides.

Decisions, Decisions…

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I never know what to do with this blog anymore.  Some days I want to delete it altogether, and other days I promise myself that I’m going to start writing again.  I’ve considered creating an entirely new blog but transferring the website address, but have proven too lazy to figure out how to do so.  At the end of the day, here I am writing a new entry for a blog that’s been dormant for over six months.  And yet, even though I stopped writing quite a while ago, I continue to receive comments and e-mails about past ramblings that I’ve published and forgotten completely about.  So here’s to you, the reader — thanks for staying tuned!

I found out more than a couple of months ago that Beyond Backpacking is no longer blocked in the PRC, though I can’t say I know why that is.  It seems that WordPress is no longer off limits on the Chinese mainland, but I have no idea why the government would have had a change of heart (after all, Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, and now Google+ are all blocked, and Gmail is virtually impossible to use at times).  Anyway, this turn of events bodes well for me, because it means that I can now freely write a blog post, add photos and publish a new entry without being forced to cope with insanely low processing times.  I must say that after two years in China, I am as big of a fan of Internet freedom as ever.

To keep you all in the loop as to what’s been going on in my life lately, I can now say that I have less than a week left until I am moving back to the United States.  Shocking, I know.  After more than two years in China, I am thrilled but slightly apprehensive about what’s in store for me around the bend.  I’ll be in the US for a little over two months, after which I’ll be moving to India for ten months.  Check out my next post for details as to what I’ll be doing in my time on the Indian subcontinent.

I plan to do some major updates to the site in the coming weeks, as well as write plenty of new blog entries that I hope you all will find entertaining.  Thanks for visiting, and don’t forget to come back in a couple of days!  Until then, enjoy this classic cartoon:

Somehow, Confucius Jokes Never Get Old

Hello Blogging World!

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After more than three months of silence, I have emerged once more to offer up a post! Mostly a result of personal frustrations in dealing with the Chinese Internet, I decided (somewhat randomly) one day to abandon Beyond Backpacking — nonetheless, a few months later, here I am!  I’ve found that my desire to write about my travel experiences tends to ebb and flow, depending largely on where I am, whether I’ve been doing anything interesting, and most importantly, how painfully slow my Internet connection is.  It may not sound that difficult, but blogging from the Chinese mainland is not an easy task to manage!

Wordpress: Blocked in China

As you may or may not know (depending on whether you’re interested in the state of current affairs in the PRC), many forms of social media are blocked in China.  Most of the mainstream Internet shut-downs occurred as a direct result of the summer 2009 riots in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, after which the CCP decided that social networking sites were a risk to national security.  Since then, not only have Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube been blocked, but all WordPress blogs and the websites of many human rights organizations have been banned (or, as the Chinese government says, “harmonized”) as well.  That means that if I want to post to my blog while living in China, I have to use a VPN client server to bypass the formidable Great Firewall of China.

So if I take a little blogging hiatus every now and then, don’t fret — it’s just because I’m fed up with the Chinese system of Internet controls.  I’ll be back sooner or later!

Photos: Bangkok, Thailand

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After concluding my whirlwind tour of Vietnam this past summer, I traveled next to the backpackers’ mecca that is Thailand.  The following are a couple of my favorite shots from Bangkok:

Thailand's Largest Reclining Buddha, Bangkok

Wat Pho is the oldest temple in Bangkok, and also the biggest.  It dates back to the 16th century and houses the country’s largest reclining Buddha, as well as the grandest collection of Buddha statues in all of Thailand.  Plated in gold and adorned at the eyes and feet by mother-of-pearl, this statue weighs in at over 15 meters tall and 46 meters long.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok

Wat Phra Kaew, known also as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is housed in the same complex as the Thai Grand Palace.  At a staggering 350 baht, the admissions fee is quite expensive in comparison with the general cost of backpacking in Bangkok; for US $12, though, it would be an enormous mistake to skip out on the breathtaking architecture that awaits within the temple’s main gates.  Wat Phra Kaew is considered to be the most sacred Buddhist temple in all of Thailand.

Lily Pads, Bangkok

Thailand is home to over 12,000 species of plants, as well as nearly 1,000 species of birds, 400 species of mammals, and 2,800 species of fish.  While not one of the world’s megadiverse countries, its biodiversity is nonetheless astounding.

For humorous anecdotes on traveling in Thailand and life in Bangkok, check out this blog, which I stumbled upon yesterday and have been obsessing over since.

Experiencing Chinese Village Life in Ma’an

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During the annual Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, friends and family gather to celebrate the fall harvest and anticipate the arrival of the autumn equinox, when the moon is typically at its fullest and brightest.  This year, a few friends and I gathered in the Dong minority village of Ma’an to eat moon cakes and experience the true meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival alongside the local population.  From enjoying Dong song and dance to sampling minority specialty dishes, we were certainly fortunate to take part in such a unique cultural opportunity.

In addition to celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, we had the privilege of lodging in a traditional Dong long house, typically constructed from timber by local Dong villagers and often requiring months – or even years – of labor.  Though the weather was less-than-ideal, we enjoyed a clear panoramic view of Ma’an from a nearby mountaintop and spent a few late nights chatting over steaming cups of tea.

The village of Ma’an is home to the Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge, a wooden bridge that took local Dong residents over 12 years to build.  Completed at the turn of the last century, it stands as a symbol of the distinctiveness of Chinese minority architecture.

Conveniently, Ma’an is located only a few hours by bus from Guilin, and makes for an easy overnight trip outside the city:

Ma'an Village, Guangxi Province

Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge, Ma'an Village

Dong Long House, Ma'an Village

Seeing that I will no longer be residing in the Middle Kingdom when the next Mid-Autumn Festival rolls around, I felt very much at peace knowing that my second and last Mid-Autumn Festival celebration was spent in the company of Chinese locals.  Who knows what next autumn will bring?