ginger lemon honeymoon: 2015

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Wo chi su- Vegan Traveling in China

Before we arrived in China we heard a lot about the hardships of being a vegan traveling around China and I started researching what to do or what to say in order to get by. After a long search on the web I found that saying "i eat vegetables" is about the best phrase I can use that will hit the spot by trying to explain I'm a vegan. You can say a phrase that means "I don't eat meat" (or without meat-meyo rou) but they may understand that you eat other things like chicken or worse, dog.

Getting a taste of Chinese hospitality in Dali, Yunnan July 13-15 2015

Like most buses to Dali (大理) from Kunming the bus we were on was actually going to Xiàguān (下关,) also known as Dali New City, while where you will probably want to stay and spend most of your time is in Dali Old Town (古城, Gǔchéng). On the bus we met some nice Chinese youngsters from Guizhou province who were also visiting Dali and graciously invited us to share a cab with them to the old town. From that moment on they didn't leave our side, helping us get a room where they stayed (100 RMB), taking us out to dinner and drinks and being perfect hosts. Despite the language barrier (only one of them sort of spoke English) and age difference (they were about 10 years younger than us!) we had a great time with them and it was a nice welcome into China.

Crossing the Border from Laos to China + China Travel Tips, July 12 2015

Luang Namtha, Laos >> Jinghong, China

we booked a bus with an agency in Luang Namtha (100,000 Kip per ticket) scheduled to leave at 7:30 am , and the price was supposed to include pick up to the bus station. When we showed up for pick up we saw the place was closed and no one in sight to help us. After much stress and commotion we were finally able to board another pick-up from another agency for no extra charge, so everything worked out but I would not recommend booking your bus with this agency:

Northern Laos- Jungle Fever in Udomxai and Luang Namtha, 9-11 July 2015

We headed further north to Luang Namtha intending to spend a few days there before crossing the border to China. In order to avoid another long exhausting ride we decided to stopover in Udomxai (sometimes called Maung Xai) for the night and continue to Luang Namtha the next day.

Nong Khiaw- we stayed only one night in this small but lovely village en route to Muang Ngoi. We took a shared pickup truck from Luang Prabang for 40,000 Kip, the ride was very uncomfortable and took 4 hours. We were told there is a bus which would probably be more comfortable but it changes daily.

Heading to Laos we decided to take the famous slow boat across the Mekong River, from Huay Xai in North Thailand to Luand Prabang in Laos. The boat sails for 2 days with an overnight stop in the Lao village of Pakbeng. Your other option is taking a bus which supposedly takes about 14 hours and is very uncomfortable, or of course the quickest and most expensive way of catching a flight from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang (direct flight with Lao airlines is about 110$). Despite the long journey the boat ride turned out to be a great experience and we recommend it if you are not pressed for time.

To get to Pai in Mae Hong song province, whether you choose to travel by motorbike, minivan, or bus, you'll have to endure an adventurous steep and winding ride going through the infamous 762 curves connecting Chiang Mai and Pai. Its about 110 KM and 3.5 hours of twists and turns but once you reach Pai you'll see that it was worth it. In the small town of Pai which has become a must-visit tourist destination in northern Thailand you'll find a relaxed laid-back atmosphere and somewhat hippy vibe, great restaurants including many healthy and vegan options, nightly food markets, poetry nights and jam sessions, detox, yoga and cooking classes but also vibrant bars and parties, surrounded by waterfalls, green fields and beautiful nature all around.

Chilling in Chiang Mai, North Thailand 10-16 June 2015

We started our journey to Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand, in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport where we had just arrived on flight from Mandalay, Myanmar. We took the No.1 bus from the airport to the northern bus terminal (Mo Chit 2, not to be confused with a BTS station with the same name) and boarded a VIP night bus to Chiang Mai (680 Baht).

"The Road to Mandalay", June 7-10 2015

From Hsipaw we took a bus to Mandalay (7,000 kyat) that lasted 8 hours instead of 6 because of a truck blocking the road. A seemingly nice (or so we thought) young taxi driver took us to ET hotel (23$ for AC room including breakfast) and we also decided to book with him a sightseeing tour around the city for the following day. Mandalay has a rich history and an abundance of interesting sights as it was the last royal capital of the Burmese empire before the British invaded in 1885, and the nearby ancient cities of Amarapura and Inwa also served as capitals in earlier times.

After a "delightful" 14 hour night bus (15,500 kyat) from Nyaung Shwe (Inle lake), we arrived early morning at the laid-back riverside town of Hsipaw in Shan state, and were picked up from the bus stop by a free service offered by Mr. Charles Hotel. When we arrived at the guesthouse we splurged a bit on a nice room with the hefty price tag of 30$ per night (including breakfast) although they have cheaper options including dorms.

Burmese Cooking in Inle Lake (Nyaung Shwe), Myanmar, June 2-4 2015

In Nyaung Shwe we mainly rested and relaxed after trekking for 3 days and didn't do much aside from sampling delicious food at local stalls and the "night market" (really just a row of a few outdoor restaurants, but the food is cheap and good!). We decide to skip the boat tour on the lake which is popular among tourists thinking our boat ride the day before was enough. We booked a bus to Hsipaw for the following afternoon and decided to sign up for a cooking class together with our new friend Liron with the highly recommended Bamboo Delight Cooking School (20$ per person) run by the lovely Leslie and Sue, who use a percentage of their profits towards various charitable causes in the local community (more info on their facebook page).

From the smoldering hot plains of Bagan, reaching the cool hills of Kalaw (7 hour bus, 11,000 Kyats, booked through Bagan Beauty guesthouse leaving at 8:00 am) was like a breath of fresh air. We settled in Honey Pine Hotel (20,000 Kyats including breakfast, no fan/AC- no need!) and set out to organize a trek to Inle Lake. There are several travel agencies in town offering similar packages but we booked with Sam's Trekking who you can find in Sam's Family Restaurant, who were the most organized and professional and also gave us the cheapest deal. They also seemed the most popular in town so you'll have a better chance of finding people to trek with.

Bagan's Playground of Pagodas, 27-28 May 2015

Welcome to Myanmar's Disneyland of pagodas (credit to our friend Liron for the term), the beautiful and breathtaking Bagan! It was the ancient capital of the Pagan Kingdom where over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were built between the 11th and 13th centuries. With over 2200 surviving temples and pagodas, spread around 42 kilometers of vast plains along the Irrawaddy river, Bagan is still not a UNESCO site but for me, a passionate temple enthusiast, it is without a doubt one of the most unique and beautiful place I have seen.

Temples, Pagodas and One Golden Rock - A visit to Bago, Mt. Kyaiktiyo and Yangon, May 23-26 2015

Myanmar is a profoundly spiritual country where Theravada Buddhism is the main religion (about 80% of the population) and plays a tremendous role in everyday life. Many people in Myanmar also worship the Nats which are believed to be spirits of humans who died violent deaths (there are 37 great Nats). The belief in the Nat is incorporated into Buddhism and the two are often worshiped alongside each other.

"Tha-tha-lo" - Vegan in Myanmar

Myanmar has a rich and unique cuisine which incorporates some Indian, Thai and Chinese influences and varies throughout different regions of the country. It is perhaps less known than its more famous neighboring kitchens but it is just as delicious (in our opinion), and is the proud owner of some truly distinct dishes that you won't find anywhere else.

Minglaba from Myanmar or My Burmese Birthday in Hpa-an, May 21-23 2015

Welcome to Myanmar (Burma), where the men proudly wear longyis (basically long skirts), the women paint their face with thanaka (a golden fragrant paste used as sunblock/cream), and the pagodas are sparkling gold and literally everywhere. It is the land of Buddha, of green tea and tea-leaf salad, of straw hats and umbrellas, and the friendliest people you'll meet. Though tourists have been swarming in since the political situation was somewhat settled around 2010, there are many places that still feel authentic and untouched, compared to other destinations in southeast Asia.

From Bangkok to Hpa-an - Crossing the Southern Thai-Myanmar Border Overland, May 15-20 2015

From the Philippines we returned to our beloved Bangkok for a short 5-day visit filled with food, shopping and some essential errands in preparation for our travels ahead. We decided to upgrade to an AC room this time (the heat and humidity were becoming unbearable) and found the sweetest deal in town in Donna guesthouse (thanks to my little sister who stayed there a year ago) - 380 Baht for a doube room, no windows but still probably the cheapest air-con room in town! It is located very close to Khao San but on a small quiet street (75 Soi Damnern Klang, Rachadamnern Klang Rd., Phra Nakon, Tel: 02-281-9374).

50 Shades of Blue- Island Hopping in Palawan, Philippines- April 26 - May 13 2015

From the beautiful green hills and cool mountain air of north Philippines we sharply transitioned into the scorching sun and deep blue waters of the island of Palawan, voted best island in the world by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2014. We boarded an Air Asia flight (75$ per person return flight) in Manila landing in Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan and stayed the night in the friendly Dallas inn (600PHP tiny room). We had dinner at the recommended vegetarian Ima's restaurant but we found the food only average and a bit overpriced.

50 Shades of Green in North Luzon, the Philippines, April 17-25 2015

While planning our month-long trip in the Philippines we decided to limit, the number of our destinations so we can really enjoy the places we visit and not spend our time running around, and also save some money by avoiding too many domestic flights. This proved a difficult task considering the 7000 (!) islands that comprise the Philippines. We eventually decided to first head up north to witness the famous rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995.

The Hardships of a Vegan Traveling in the Meat-lovers' Paradise of the Philippines

OK, so to be a vegan in the Philippines is not an easy thing to do but the good news is- it's not impossible! The local diet is definitely meat-based and I'm talking breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even just being a vegeterian is hard- for example there are many pizza chains in the big cities but it's hard to find a pizza without ham, chicken or pork on it! In local eateries and street stalls it is very rare to find vegetarian or vegan options among the heaps of pork, chicken, fish balls, hamburgers etc but the the restaurants that cater to tourists will usually have a few veggie (easily-turned vegan) options. After a month-long trip in the Philippines I have some helpful advice and useful tips for the vegan traveler:

After saying our goodbyes to India we hopped on a flight to Bangkok, Thailand (Indigo Air 74$ per person) and headed to the over-touristic Khaosan area to stay our two transit nights until our flight to the Philippines. We settled in K.C guesthouse (450 Baht per night with attach bathroom) on a quiet street near Khao San Road.

Oh Calcutta! or "Jews for Jesus" March 26- April 12 2015

After a hot 17-hour drive across NH2 in Ronen's non-AC yet funky van we arrived in Kolkata or Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal and the third most populated metropolitan in India, around 10 pm only to find out that all the budget guesthouses on Sudder Street, the backpacker area, seem to be full and the only one that had vacant rooms for us was Paragon, rightfully described by Lonely Planet as "deeply depressing" and shamelessly charging 450 Rs for a tiny, dirty (there were actual stains on the bed sheets!), rather jail-like room.

Babas and Boats in Holy Varanasi - March 21-26 2015

In Varanasi formerly known as Benares we met our good friend from home Ronen who also happens to be a talented photographer (he photographed our wedding!) currently on a photographic journey in India, driving across the nation in his own funky van! Do yourself a favor and check out his truly wonderful photos here.

Sexy Temple Heaven in Khajuraho - March 18-25 2015

Khajuraho is home to a famous group of impressive temples which are one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, their fame mostly due to the erotic carvings featured on some of them, and they are often referred to as the "Kamasutra temples". Due to their remote location in the state of Madhya Pradesh, these unique temples survived the many Muslim dynasties that ruled in the area and desecrated many Jain and Hindu temples over the years.

The Two Laid-Back Towns of Pushkar and Bundi - March 10-17 2015

We started our journey to Bundi with a local bus (190 Rs, 4 hours ) from Udaipur bus station that dropped us off at Beejoliya junction where we hitchhiked on the back of a pickup truck (0 Rs 10 Min) to Beejoliya bus station and from there took another local bus (38 Rs, 2 hours) to Bundi. In hindsight we realize it was probably a better idea to take a train from Udaipur like people suggested to us (but it arrives late at night so we decided to go for the bus option, oops).

Udaipur and Around by Photos- March 4-9 2015

Stayed at: Udaipur- the lovely Hotel Hanuman Ghat @ 500 Rs, nice rooftop restaurant as well- yummy mix veg, Kumbhalgarh- Lucky Guesthouse, tent @ 400 Rs.

Ate at: Black Pepper great eggplant curry (offers good value cooking classes), Queen Cafe delicious mango curry (the charming owner Meenu also does cooking classes and culture tours that are highly recommended @1200 Rs each, we passed).

Did yoga with: Prakash, near foot bridge, 2 daily classes on donation basis.

Bikaner's Rats, Jodhpur's Fort and Abu's Mountain- Feb 24-March 03 2015

After a nice ride on the local RTDC bus from Nawalgarh we arrived to Bikaner and stayed at Shanti guesthouse (600 Rs) run by the honest and knowledgeable Guri and his lovely wife. On the really small roof top of the guest house we met Nicole and Renee from Germany and enjoyed spending the evenings there drinking beer and exchanging travel stories. We checked out the town's Junagarh Fort which was alright but nothing special, you get a free guided tour included in the price of the ticket. We later explored the old city and visited the Jain temple Seth Bhandasar that is the only Jain temple that has colorful paintings on the walls inside. From there we continued back to our guesthouse through the lovely bazaars of Bikaner that are dotted with nice Havelis along the way.

We took a train (40Rs 40 Min) to the infamous Karni Mata temple a.k.a Rat Temple (30 Rs for camera). The temple is not coverd with rats like we imagined but there are quite a lot of them hanging around (approximately 20,000 rats a.k.a kabba). The rats in the temple are kind of cute since they are well taken care of and clean and are fed a lot of sweets and milk from the temple workers and visitors so they don't really care about the people surrounding them. From the temple we went back to Bikaner by local bus (50 Rs, 50 min).

The next day we continued to Jodhpur a.k.a the Blue city, by train ( 180 Rs sleeper class 6 Hours) and settled in the cute Jodhpur Heritge Haveli guesthouse (400 Rs Attached bathroom and good wifi) that is in the clock tower backpacker area. We set out to climb to the marvelous Jaswant Thada (50 Rs. per person)sometimes referred to as a "mini Taj-Mahal) which is close to the city's famous and impressive Mehrangarh Fort (400 Rs per person and includes a audio guide) where you can get a good view of the old blue city. We went down from the fort through the blue city and had nice lunch in Dev's Castle View guesthouse. Next we continued to Umaid Bhawan Palace (25 Rs entry fee, auto rickshaw from old city is 150 Rs) that looks beautiful from afar but is not that amazing inside, since you can see only a small part of it that is a not really interesting museum because most of the palace has been turned into a luxury hotel of the Taj group and another part of it is the residency of the remaining Jodhpur royal family.

Next day we went on an organized tour "Bishnu Village safari" that we booked through our guesthouse (700Rs per person Including lunch). We were picked up by a small jeep and were joined by our new great friend Matt from Germany/South Africa/Canada who writes one of the best travel blogs together with his wife (Konni). Both are excellent photographers and have been travelling the globe for about 15 years and you can read about their fascinating adventures here. Matt is also one of the reasons that inspired and pushed us to publish this blog (Thanks Matt!).

Going back to the tour: we started with the monument dedicated to the 363 Bishoni villagers who sacrificed their lives to protect the sacred Khejri trees from been cut down. From there we continued to a lake maintained by the local forest department that serves the local wildlife and the migrating birds of the area. we visited the small village of Ratanda where we had a somewhat touristy but interesting demonstration of a traditional opium ceremony by a friendly local family who welcomed us into their simple mud home. Next we convinced our driver (200 Rs extra) to take us to one of India's weirdest temples Om Baba a.k.a Bullet Baba, that is an open temple next to the highway dedicated to a local member of the royal family that died here in an accident crushing his royal Enfield bike into a tree, and supposedly after police took his bike to the local police station the bike "miraculously" found its way back to the crush site (twice). We concluded our tour with a home cooked lunch in the home of a family of weavers who also own a homestay in the village of Salawas and enjoyed really nice and unique Rajasthani food including millet chapatis and cabbage curry.

After "enjoying" the heat of Rajasthan we travelled up to the cool Mount Abu, the only hill station in the state, (bus 310 Rs to Abu Road and from there another 1-hour bus up the mountain to the town 30Rs) where we ate really good street food and had nice coffee at cafe Shikibo, pampered ourselves in a nice hotel (Hotel Ganesh 1000 Rs) and went on a day trek (trekking and hiking Mount Abu- 660Rs per person) where we met Daniel (Australia) and Georgina (Spain) that were a wonderful couple to hang out with and go see the sunset from the edge of the lake. We visited a few temples including a Shiva temple, a Hanuman temple with a really big statue of him and of course the Jain Delwara temple that has some of the best marble carvings I've seen (unfortunately no photos allowed inside).

Mount Abu also gave us an interesting glimpse to the philosophy of Brahma Kumaris at their universal peace hall. We received a free tour in the complex from a French "brother" who gave us a simple introduction to their teachings without being preachy.

After four days in the mountains we said goodbye and moved on the the White city of Udaipur.