Apr. 15, 1978 - Indonesia

Up at sunrise for a wash in the lake.  We weren’t alone and it was quite a toothbrushing, lathering group.  Breakfast of a banana pancake and then a hike along the lake.  Many people were staying in traditional Batak houses consisting of a large room covered with a distinctive roof and standing on poles.

 

Lake Toba traditional houses

The front “triangle” is elaborately carved and painted in black, white and brown.  Those houses were nice but due to the small windows don’t have the view our room has.

In the afternoon we napped and read and drank pineapple coolers at the Carolina Hotel.   They have electricity and a blender, unlike our hotel, and for 30 cents will put a big hunk of pineapple in the blender and pulverize it into thick juice – mmmm. 

In the evening we went to a pig roast.  Some people who came on the bus with us bought a pig (we all chipped in) and then roasted it.  We stuffed ourselves – about 15 of us – and there was enough left over for the hotel owner’s family and friends.  The pig was stuffed with pineapples, bananas, potatoes and onions and roasted on a spit over a charcoal fire.

Apr. 14, 1978 - Indonesia

Took a 12:30 ferry to the island of Samosir in the middle of Lake Toba.  The island is 300 square miles in the center of a caldera.  The sides of the crater are sheer and the island is mountainous in the center – truly beautiful.  The closest village is Tuk Tuk and we found a small “losman” or pension.  For $1.25 we got a room with 2 beds, a desk and a beautiful view of the lake and the crater walls across it.  The shower and bath were the lake and the toilet was an outhouse – but it was idyllic.  What a great place!  Food was well made and cheap.  It was like camping and the Batak people are terribly friendly.  The woman who ran our guest house, Poppy, took an instant liking to Ira and his black beard and couldn’t keep her hands off him.  She was quite a character but in her own words, “all talk, no action.” 

Lake Toba with Ira and Rifka

That night we went to another cultural show at the Carolina Hotel.  More of same except with a talk explaining Batak traditions.  There was a blind mandolin player who gave quite a show – an old man who played solos holding his instrument behind his back to play it while grinning an enormous grin.

Apr. 13, 1978 - Indonesia

Up early the next morning, thanks to Bryan’s new beeper alarm watch he bought in Singapore, to catch our flight to Medan in Sumatra.  In the waiting room we ran into Rifka and Ira Tuch, the Canadian couple we liked at Taman Nagara.  They had been held up in Kuala Lampur and were in transit on our flight to Medan.  We caught up on each other’s activities and the ½ hour flight went quickly despite the fact that we got no breakfast.  In Medan we went straight to the bus station to catch a bus to Parapet on Lake Toba.  Our taxi driver assured us that the mini buses were better and faster so we took his advice and paid our 1000 rupea each ($2.75) and got on the bus.  For ½ hour it was crowded but tight and all right.  Then they told us to get out and combined our bus with some other tourists.  We squeezed in and went off.  Then after about an hour we stopped again and were told to get on another bus.  No one questioned it and our mini drove off.

 Here I am trying to keep an eye on our luggage to be sure it was loaded on our packed bus.

We waited and waited and finally amazing numbers of people were squeezed on.  The bus had no window glass and was really just benches across where they stuffed 6 people.  Foreigners were so much bigger than the Indonesians that 6 foreigners is at least one too many.  We fought and yelled and finally drove off, stopping to take on a large load of wood – and more people!  The "conductor" rode on a ladder outside.  Poor him – it started to rain hard.  We pulled down the canvas over the windows but still got soaked.  The only thing that made me happy was to know that he was wetter.  The avarice is amazing; he would endure  that just to sell another seat.

We finally arrived in beautiful Parapet and it was worth the discomfort.  We discovered that our first mini bus had sold us out and the normal bus ride should be 750 ($1.80) straight through.  We were taken.

Fortunately for our frayed nerves and tired bottoms we found a beautiful lakeside hotel. They only had a family room available which we shared with Ira and Rifka.  The lake is clear and a swim was welcome.  The bathroom didn’t have a shower, but the sluice tub had cool water and buckets to ladle it over you – very nice.

We had an enormous Chinese dinner in Parapet that night and then went to see a cultural show at the Parapet Hotel for free.  They sang traditional Batak songs which had a distinct Spanish flavor and danced a slow step traditional Batak dance where the hand movements are stylized and sedate.  Afterward the audience was invited to join in and Rifka and I did.  I was amazed how much I enjoyed it: I miss my dance group in Addis Ababa.  I didn’t want to stop.  The lead singer took an instant liking for Rifka and presented her with flowers and asked her to stay.

Apr. 12, 1978 - Malaysia

We decided to go around the island to Batu Ferringhi (Foreigner’s Mile) where the good beaches are.  After a stately breakfast overlooking the ocean, we caught the bus.  We got off at the Casuarina Hotel where the Wescotts stay and checked out the beach.  The hotel is lovely but the water was very polluted.  Rather than swim we decided to hire rubber air mats from the hotel and float on the water.  We floated and sunned for a while and then caught another bus for a small town further up the road.  It started to rain so after a quick look around we took the bus back to Georgetown.

We got off at the bus depot and, although we were hot and tired, decided to see the sunset from Penang Hill, 3000 feet above the town by cable car.  It was a longer trip than we expected since the climb was steep and it took almost ½ hour to reach the top.  We had to change cars and track half way up because the strain of the climb would be too much for one cable.

The sunset was behind the clouds on the top but the air was cool and there was a lovely tea house and garden up there.   By the time we returned to the E&O we were ready to fall into bed.  But first we had an elegant  dinner in the hotel dining room.  I had chicken breast “Princess” and Bryan had sweet and sour shrimp.

Apr. 11, 1978 - Malaysia

Rushed from the train and caught the ferry for Penang, a 10 minute trip across the harbor.  We decided we needed a treat so we went to the E&O – a real step into the colonial past.  We couldn’t quite bring ourselves to take a 1st class room so we settled for 2nd best (and cheaper) which still included the swimming pool.  We checked out the tourist office and changed money and took a bicycle trishaw to the MAS airline office where we booked a flight to Sumatra for Thursday.  Our trishaw man was friendly and talkative and promised to give us “best rate” if we would let him give us a trishaw tour of Georgetown.  We said ok later and he peddled us back to the E&O.

The pool was great and refreshed us.  After a shower we met “our” trishaw and he took us on a delightful 3 hour tour, including the monkey gardens (botanical gardens) and an elaborate Chinese clan house.

Here I am in said trishaw in front of the Khoo Clan House in Penang.

The high point was a drive through the lighted stalls and stores at dusk in Chinatown.  At one point we said we wanted satay, the grilled chicken pieces on a skewer that you dip in spicy peanut sauce.  He took us to some outdoor stalls and waited while we ordered a plate.

The waiter brought a heaping fresh platter of skewered meat and we groaned and dug in.  That was a lot of meat.  Then as we were almost finished I noticed the man at the next table counting skewers. Woops, you only pay for what you eat and we weren’t expected to finish!  Our total count was embarrassing – at 8 cents a stick we paid a lot.  They must think we foreigners are gluttons and we didn’t even order rice.

Apr. 10, 1978 - Malaysia

Woke up to birds singing and fog covered hills outside our window – not much view but fresh cool air.  After breakfast we strolled around Frasier’s Hill golf course, checked out the ugly Merlin Hotel and went back to our pleasant manor, grateful it fit so well into the surroundings. By then the sun had come out and an incredible bouquet of large butterflies surrounded us.  It was possible to buy those same butterflies mounted on framed boards but we weren’t tempted.

Caught the 1 o’clock “down” bus which took us twisting and turning down the other side of the hill to a small town.  On the way down several women got on and they were dressed similarly in big straw hats and protective coverings on their arms and hands and scarves on their heads.  They carried a tool like a pole with a cone at the end, maybe 4 feet long and a broad shallow wood bowl, maybe 3 feet across.

They were quite cheerful and had been working all day.  One had some ducks.  I wish I’d been able to find out what they were picking/planting.

Our goal today is to catch the night train for Penang from Tanjong Malim.  We caught another bus to TM and arrived in time for a heavy tropical shower.  We almost got into the shelter of the train station in time and found out that the express for Butterworth would not be through until 12 midnight.  It was now 4:30 – what to do?  Nothing.  We strolled about a bit until it got dark and had a Chinese/Malay dinner in a small restaurant near the bus station.  At dark we went back to the train station.  It was very small with a few benches under an open sided shelter.  The neighborhood kids discovered a game called “stare at the waiting tourists” but soon tired of it (not soon enough, however.)  The light was too dim to read so we just sat.  We talked to two people at length.  One was a young man hoping to qualify for a government allotment of land to start a rubber grove.  He was well versed in the crops of Malaysia and explained in good but heavily accented English about the 3 different type of rubber tree root rot.  He was also amazingly well informed on Ethiopian politics.  The station master, and Indian-Malay, was also well informed on that subject. 

At 11:15 the 3rd class train went through but we decided to gamble and wait for the 2nd class train to see if we could get a sleeper.  Of course, that train was late and at 1am we staggered aboard to find all the sleeping berths full.  So we sat up until we arrived at Butterworth at 6am the next morning.  The joys of travel.

Apr. 9, 1978 - Malaysia

Tried to get an early start out of Taman Nagara Park but by the time everyone was breakfasted, packed and bills paid it was 10am.  The boat took 3 hours downstream and we only had to get out and walk once.  It went quickly because we had friends to talk to – the same group that came into camp with us.  Since there were 10 of us we had a long wait for rides once we reached "civilization."  A few people walked into town and we managed to get two taxis for the ½ hour bumpy ride to town.  The taxi left us at the taxi stand and we said good bye to the others.  We got a bite for lunch and then took a taxi to another town on a bigger road heading for Penang Island in the north. 

When we arrived at the train we found it was not all that big so immediately jumped on a bus for Raub, which looked bigger on the map.  The bus went through twisting mountain roads lined with thick vegetation.  It was very hot.

Raub was much bigger and even had cold cokes.  After one of those we inquired about buses to a town with a train station about 2 hours off.  We were informed by an extremely helpful and talkative taxi driver that no more taxis were leaving today (it was 4:30) and no more buses, but he would be glad to take us to Frasier’s Hill in his taxi where we would pass a much cooler night and enjoy the view from 5000 feet.  That sounded reasonable so we paid his high rate and decided to enjoy the trip.  We climbed and twisted for ½ hour until we came to the gate for the last 1000 feet.  The road, known as The Gap,  is so narrow that it is one way and changes direction each hour.  At seven we started climbing, past rushing waterfalls and the biggest tree ferns I’ve ever seen.  We arrived just as it was dark and went to an old lodge built in 1926 as a rest home for the Malay survivors of World War I.  It is now a hotel run by a Chinese family.

Our room was enormous with French windows overlooking a garden.  We had a Chinese meal big enough for 4 people (we still don’t know how to order Chinese food) and went to bed after a relaxing bath.

Apr. 7-8, 1978 - Malaysia

Took a hot, sweaty hike this morning and refreshed ourselves with a swim in the river.  Learned about tropical rain forests from a nature trail guide.  In the evening we went to a “hide” to look for wildlife but this park is not for wildlife viewing because it has so many tourists to scare away the animals.  Saw a wild pig family: mommy, daddy and babies.  The tame deer near the camp, however, were more interesting to watch than sitting still at a hide.  Some of the people spent the night in a hide but saw nothing.  The jungle sounds are fascinating, though.  There are supposed to be tiger and elephant here but the jungle is too thick to see much.

The Park Ranger had arranged a boat trip for us today.  (We called him the Park Arranger.)  We weren’t too excited because of our sweaty experience yesterday but we decided to go with a Canadian couple.  I’m awfully glad we did.  The river was low so a few times we had to push the small motor boat but mostly we cruised upstream.  After 1½ hours we got out and hiked 10 minutes to a series of rapids and pools.  Spent several hours there swimming, snorkeling and sunning.

This is Bryan demonstrating his vine swinging technique.

On the way back to camp we drifted without using the motor which enabled us to hear the bird calls and river rapids. Extremely pleasant.  Butterflies abound and flitted about us, landing on our clothes.  They particularly liked my tennis shoes.

The jungle is fascinating to drift through. Trees sprout ferns – they are called epiphytes – and take root high on the trunks of trees.  They take their nourishment from the decaying leaves that fall around their roots in their “host" tree – not from the tree itself.  Orchids are epiphytic and they are impressive in the high trees.

We got back around 3pm, slightly sunburned and tired but a shower revived us.  Sat on the porch and watched a monitor lizard about 1½ feet long browse around our porch.  It was very busy poking its little arms in the roots of trees looking for dinner.

Apr. 6, 1978 - Malaysia

Spent a fitful night on the train to Jerantut.  It is not a main run and there were no first class sleepers so we went 2nd class.  Ventilation was a problem and so was light since they kept the car lights on all night.  Also berths go along the train parallel to the direction of the train, while first class sleepers are across the train, i.e. perpendicular to the train direction.  For some reason the latter motion is more conducive to sleep.  We both noticed the difference.

Arrived at Jerantut at 7:50 am only ½ hour late.  Took a taxi on a dirt road to Kula Tembling Jetty – another ½ hour away.  From there we met up with the boat for Taman Negara National Park.  The boat took us and 6 other people 3 ½ hours upstream to the park headquarters. 

Here we are passing a similar boat to ours.

There are no roads here, only rivers for highways.  Very remote.  We saw jungle thick to the river’s edge with vines hanging to the water.  Found our cabin comfortable with mosquito nets and ceiling fans.  A park Ranger helped us plan our schedule for our stay the next two days.  Slept well with no mosquitoes.

Apr. 1-5, 1978 - Singapore

After a nice breakfast we took a taxi to the Kuala Lumpur airport and caught a crowded flight to Singapore.  This is the first weekend of the Malay school holidays and therefore everyone is traveling.  Arrived in Singapore in time to get to the tourist office.  Hotels were hard to find but we finally got an overpriced room at the Queens Hotel ($55 Singapore).  It does have a pool so that will be welcome.

Singapore is a shopping city but that is what we expected – so we shopped.  Spent the rest of the day getting familiar with the map and pricing things.

Not much is open today (Sunday) – a disaster in a shopping city.  We walked a lot and took a cable car ride to an island in the south of Singapore – Sentosa.  Singapore is busy developing its tourist potential.  This island had a golf course, swimming lagoon and museum among other attractions.  Swam in the pool in the afternoon.

Today, Monday, is our first shopping day in Singapore.  We bought a watch and camera zoom lens after much bargaining.  We discovered that our American Express card wasn’t such a good deal because the shops all wanted to at the 6% AE service charge to our price.  We ended up paying with traveler’s checks.  Ordered Bryan a suit, bought film and drank lots of liquids.  For dinner we discovered the “stalls,” a parking lot that at night turns into a food stall restaurant – incredible clean looking food.  We particularly liked satay – charcoal cooked chicken pieces on a skewer, dipped in peanut sauce.  Also chicken rice, duck rice, luscious fruits and fried bananas.  We didn’t hesitate to eat anything that took our fancy.  Did I mention Singapore is incredibly clean?  Why go to a fancy Chinese or Indian restaurant when you can get good authentic food out under the stars.  Had a Singapore Sling at the observation bar (42nd floor) of the Mandarin Hotel at night.

 Bryan woke up shopped out today (Tuesday). We went to pick up his new suit and arranged its mailing home.  My one purchase was a cotton dress made by a Singapore designer.  His shop had several styles I liked but I settled for one.  Women dress well here as in Bangkok.  However, here you see more of the “Susie Wong” type slit skirts and dresses.  Perhaps that is also a function of the modern fashion of tight straight skirts and tall skinny heels.  They also wear rolled up straight leg jeans and high thin heels.

Went to a batik demonstration put on by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board for $2 SGD.  I bought a white scarf and batiked my own design.  I chose to use stamps but tried to hand print my name – my writing came out all bloby and I burned my hand with the wax but I learned for next time.

Went to a film in the heat of the day and took a harbor tour on the Fair Wind – a Chinese junk for tourists.  It rained steadily so they couldn’t put up the sails but we got a good view of the harbor and Singapore skyline.

 I wonder what this scene looks like now, 32 years later?

Took the sleeper train at 10PM back to Malaysia.

Mar. 31, 1978 - Malaysia

We had planned to take a night train to Singapore tonight but all were booked.  We were able to get a plane tomorrow, however, so that gave us an extra night in Kuala Lumpur.  Bryan took his physical for the FAO – passed it well and they will mail papers to Rome.  He also wrote a letter to Rome saying he would let them know later about their job offer.

That night Ward took us to the Coliseum - a bar, hotel and steak house from the days of Somerset Maugham. It hasn’t changed much except for a few air conditioners to supplement the ceiling fans.  Good group standing around the bar and super hot “sizzler” steak, their specialty.  The waiter was a friendly guy who explained how old everything was – “See these napkins?  40 years old!”  He was proud of it and admittedly, it did have charm.  No trip to KL would be complete without a steak at the Coliseum.

Mar. 29-30, 1978 - Malayia

Marjatta took us to a batik factory – a very interesting cottage industry.  They were washing batik in a stream after putting the waxed cloth in boiling water.  We saw them doing hand painting as well as the stamps.  I wanted to buy a hand painted batik but it was $90 Malaysian (ca $40 US).  I also wanted to buy a wooden batik wax stamp but they weren’t selling them there.

We took or passports in to get our Indonesian visa and then read and relaxed in the afternoon.  Ward and Marjatta had a dinner party outside that night.  We were invited but chose instead to relax and read.

Relaxed the next morning as well and did a bit of shopping. We decided to see the movie Julia in the afternoon.  Bryan made an appointment for his FAO physical tomorrow and we made reservations for the Malaysian national park, Taman Nagara.

Mar. 27-28, 1978 - Malaysia

We got a lift into Kuantan where we bought a ticket for Kuala Lumpur on the express bus.  We had been told the buses were better than taxis because they were air conditioned.  When the bus arrived it was an old clunker and it started to rain.  Ugh – what a long ride.  The windows had to be closed because of the rain and that turned the bus into a stuffy sweat box. – and the driver drove too fast. Forget the air conditioning. If it hadn’t been raining I would have jumped out and hitchhiked just to get off that bus.

Arrived in KL safely somehow and took a taxi to the Westcott's home. (Ward is a childhood friend of Bryan's in KL working for Citibank.)  Marjatta, his wife, welcomed us and we met Carl (age 10) and Nicole (age 7).  Ward came later and we had a pleasant dinner.  (They had been expecting us as we called from Kuantan last night.)  The Wescotts are a busy family but we caught them at their one night home.  Ward took us on a city tour while Marjatta drove Carl to a school play rehearsal. Nichole gave us her bedroom.

The next day Ward kindly let us use his car – a Hubmer – boxy like a tank.  We immediately got lost but did accomplish getting extension pages for our passports and a swim and lunch at the golf club with Marjatta and the kids.  Read and relaxed in the afternoon while Marjatta ran around preparing for a dinner party they were putting on for Citibank that night .  I borrowed something from her to wear and Bryan wore one of Ward’s batik shirts.

The food was delicious including Shrimp Armand and delectable Coconut Squares, which incorporate lots of butter, sugar and coconut baked in a crust with applesauce. (I copied down those recipes.)

Mar. 25-26, 1978 - Malaysia

Yesterday I got a bit too much sunburn so we decided to move on.  We took a bus into Jerteh – about 20 minutes – and then changed money.  After that we stood in the sun waiting for an air conditioned express bus to Kuantan down the coast.  No bus but finally a car stopped and offered us a ride.  The driver was a police officer from Kota Baru going to Kuala Lumpur for a training course.  He drove us safely and quickly down a beautiful coastal road.  We stopped and got a lunch and took it for a picnic under trees like this.

After 4 hours we arrived in Kuantan where our driver let us off on the road for the Hotel Merlin – a deluxe class hotel we had decided to treat ourselves to.  That night we had lobster and relaxed near the pool

The next morning we slept late, swam in the ocean and the pool and had a lovely buffet lunch: Malay food, curries and beautiful fruit.  Swam more, napped and read.  The weather is still hot but not as challenging as Bangkok.

Mar. 24, 1978 - Malaysia

Took a morning taxi from Kota Baru to Jerteh, where our friend Mike Frank worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  He told us that when we got to Jerteh, just take a taxi to “the rest house.”  We weren’t very certain that these directions would be explicit enough but, sure enough, our taxi driver from KB asked us in Jerteh if we were going to the rest house and we said, “Yes!.”  He drove us to the door of a lovely hotel on the beach with a view of the ocean from our room.  These are government run hotels and quite cheap.  We ate rice and vegetables and other Malay-type food.

That night there was to be a total eclipse of the moon so we took our blanket onto the sand.  The moon was perfectly round and bright so we went for a moonlight dip.  About 10pm the first “bite” was taken out and by 11pm the moon had disappeared and been replaced by a dull brown circle.  It was very dark and there was drumming which we were told would bring back the moon from the belly of the snake that had swallowed it.  It worked after about 2 hours.

Mar. 23, 1978 - Malaysia

Took an early train to the Thai border – 5 ½ hours through jungle country.  Unfortunately no bottled drinks were available and fruit sellers weren’t in sight after the first few stops.  We each had 2 slices of pineapple and then nothing for the next 5 hours!  We got terribly dehydrated, more than I’ve ever been.  Once we arrived at the border town of Sungai Kolok I didn’t feel satisfied until 2 cokes, 2 fresh lime juices, 1 can of grapefruit juice and 1 lime juice freeze later.

We then walked 1 km in the 1pm sun to the border.  We couldn’t find transport so we lugged the suitcases.  After the Malaysian immigration it was an easy thing to get a taxi to Kota Baru, 1 hour and 2 police checks away.

Kota Baru is a peaceful, unspoiled town that produces the prettiest batiks I’ve ever seen.  Unfortunately banks had closed so we couldn’t change money so we didn’t buy any.  Tomorrow, Friday, everything is closed because this is a Muslim country.  Fortunately we had changed a small amount before we left Thailand.  We stayed at the Prince Hotel but found a better hotel named the Kesina.  Ouch! I just got bitten by a nasty little thingie that burrowed in my leg and Bryan had to tweeze it out. I hope he didn’t bring along any friends; I wish we had found the Kesina first.

I just finished reading The Mountain Is Young by Han Suyin.  She wrote about Nepal in the 50s.  It is a love story novel and in it she quotes Anne Morrow Lindbergh:  When you love someone you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment.  It is an impossibility.  It is even a lie to pretend to.  And yet, this is exactly what most of us demand.  We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships.

Mar. 21-22, 1978 - Thailand

Happy Vernal Equinox.  This morning we took an organized tour to the floating market which was an enormous traffic jam of tourist boats.  We didn’t get out on the river until late and by then the market ladies in their straw hats and narrow boats loaded with produce were back home again, except for a few enterprising women who stayed to sell bananas to the tour guide to distribute to the tourists.

We got to our train heading south from Bangkok at 4:00 with 10 minutes to spare and found our private compartment.  It had elegant wood paneling and louvered doors.  We had a coke in the dining car with fresh flowers on the table and watched one of the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen as we rolled through the countryside south of Bangkok.  The only mistake we made was not to ask the ticket seller what time the train got into Hadyai because he spoke English.  We asked the ticket puncher conductor and understood him to say between 4 and 5am.  Whoops.  So we slept fitfully, afraid we would miss our stop and finally at 3am got dressed and opened the door and window and dozed, looking out every time we slowed down.  We had lost our Thailand map so didn’t know exactly where we were.  Well, the next morning we found out arrival would be about 10 or 11am.  Boy were we dumb.  We finally arrived at 2pm

After a wash-up at our hotel – the Orient – we took a bus to Songkla and had a great crab fried rice dinner on the sand and Bryan swam in the Gulf of Siam.

Mar. 16-20, 1978 - Thailand

Spent the day lazing around by the pool.  Lunch was an enormous milkshake at a Foremost ice cream shop – 15 flavors, including rocky road, to choose from.  In the afternoon I went Thai Silk shopping but couldn’t make up my mind.  There are so many beautiful prints at $6 a yard which tailors will make into a dress for $20.

The Thai people are great and don’t pay extra attention to you.  Unlike Burma where everyone wore a sarong, Bangkok residents dress western.  The women wear dresses almost entirely and tall heels. Bryan’s stomach is better (could it be the ice cream?) but he still has a miserable cough left over from an Afghan cold.  I feel very healthy now, having recovered from my bout in India.

What a lovely place for relaxing; it is so hot you have to slow down in the middle of the day – a minimum of 90 degrees and 75% humidity.  We swim in the pool daily, eat hamburgers and ice cream and wander through the air conditioned stores.  We have a map of the bus system and have been taking the buses around. How lovely to relax.  One morning we had breakfast at the pool and in the afternoon we ordered fresh iced mandarin juice.

Monday we went to the post office to mail home our sweaters and some Thai silk.  The beautifully organized place even had a packing service and for 35 cents we got a box, had it taped and banded.

We bought train tickets in the well organized train station – take a number rather than stand in line – and bought a first class sleeper ticket down to south Thailand for Tuesday.  Time for a bit of beaching.

Mar. 15, 1978 - Thailand

Bryan spent a sick night so I went to meet Chesno in the morning to say we couldn’t go with him.  He accepted and asked if he could do anything for us and I thanked him.  What a gracious representative of the Burmese people; we were fortunate to meet him.

We decided that with travel so restricted in the country and with Bryan sick we would go on to Bangkok.  Bryan stayed in bed while I went out to change our reservations.  I was able to get a flight on Burma Airways with no problem for 3:00 in the afternoon.  We walked around until 1:00, looking at the shopping center – a big covered market.  They make delicate wickerwork baskets and lights.  We noticed the women and children had a fine yellow-beige powder spread on their cheeks and forehead which we were told was sandalwood to protect from sun and insects.

We found the people of Rangoon to be open, friendly and polite and exit procedures at the airport were much less complicated than arriving.  When we entered the country, we had made a list of all jewelry, radio, camera and money which was a real hassle, even wedding rings.  Going out I had to show it all again, but they took our word on the money.  We found out the black market was 25 kat to $1, not the 12 offered by our enthusiastic taxi friend.  The higher exchange rate would have made life and souvenir buying very cheap but we didn’t want to risk it.

On a scale of 10/10, Thailand’s airport rates a 10 for helpfulness and efficiency; all services were there and open – hotel booked, money changed and whisked the 25 km into town in a prepaid taxi to the hotel door.

Our excellent hotel, The Opera, ($9 for one bed) was recommended by a friend as a Peace Corps hotel.  There is a swimming pool, air conditioning and a 24 hour restaurant and bar.  After a needed shower we went down to the restaurant and looked at the menu, looked at each other, smiled, and ordered simultaneously: grilled cheese sandwich, fries and a chocolate milk shake – real comfort food.  Bangkok is great!  Neon lights, shopping and comfort food.  The hotel even has music piped into the room by the bed.  There is a knob you can turn which some joker had neatly labeled “roudness.”  FM rock music lulled us to sleep.

Mar. 14, 1978 - Burma

Left for the Kathmandu airport after another brief stroll around the city and a bit of souvenir buying.  They had little jeweled temple dogs made locally that I liked.  The flight stopped in Calcutta for a short time where we got a blast of hot, humid air.  The weather was the same when we landed in Rangoon at 4:30 local time.  We were thoroughly searched by customs and made to declare everything in writing – including rings and bracelets and money.  We found out why on the taxi ride in from the airport to town.  The driver’s friend spent the entire trip inviting us to sell anything we had and to change money – he had a pocket full.  He offered us 12 to the dollar rather than the official seven.  We told him no thank you, although I felt when we got out at the hotel that he should have paid us for listening to his spiel.

The hotel, the Strand, was fully booked but she found us one room without a bath and air conditioning.  This is such a muggy place that it would be nice to have a shower in the room but we said yes, rather than wander around.  Rom is $8/night.

We walked out to the tourist office where, posted prominently, was the notice “tourists are advised that they can only go to Mandalay and Pagan by air – price $64. Tickets had to be bought with US dollars."  So much for the train ride we had planned.  We walked as the sun went down and were met by a young man who said he was a student at the engineering school on his holiday.  He invited us for tea and then wanted to take us to the main temple.  He found and paid for a taxi and then for our shoe check and lift fee.  He was well-dressed – almost the only person we saw in western dress.  Everyone else wears sarongs.

Shwedagon Pagoda is the biggest in the world.  It is actually hundreds of temples, each elaborately carved or gilded, containing statues of Buddha.  People bring flowers and folded paper umbrellas as gifts and our guide bought us flowers to present.  We watched the thousands of people who had come in the cool evening.  Some were pouring water over a statue of Buddha as a way of offering and it seemed a smart thing to do on a warm evening.  Our friend, Chesno, wanted to take us to dinner but we said no let us take you, so he took us to a small Burmese restaurant where we had rice with pork and fish and a sour vegetable salad, fish soup and a pleasant refreshing local lime soft drink.  The meal for the three of us came to 30 kat (about $4).  Traditionally, the rice is eaten with a soup spoon, using a fork as a pusher.

Our friend wants to meet tomorrow to take us to an island.  We went back to the hotel where the ceiling fan made a pleasant breeze but there were cockroaches running about and three got on the bed when I picked up my purse.  I hope I shooed them all out.

Mar. 13, 1978 - Nepal

Break, it did.  We were lucky again as we were in Kabul that the weather broke for a sight seeing trip.  We took a 4-hour bus ride to the “Chinese border” where we registered, looked across the river and the friendship bridge to Tibet, and then drove back down the river valleys.  Some people got their passports stamped.

Children along the road to Tibet

The Himalaya Range was clear of clouds in the morning, affording fine views with the terraced hillsides in the foreground.  By the time we returned to Kathmandu it was drizzling again.  Time to move on.

Mar. 12, 1978 - Nepal

The Nepal weekend is Saturday and most things close.  On Sunday stores open again but nothing much seems to get going until 9:30 – even American Express doesn’t open until then during the week.  We walked around Kathmandu, marveling at the temples and the way people include them as part of their everyday activities. Children climb on them and ring the bells and parents bring flowers and food offerings.  This is a very holy city.

We toured the palace, a feast of carved wood windows, doors and struts now being renovated by the Nepalese government and UNESCO. 

I was most impressed by this and we were able to climb the steep narrow wooden stairs four floors to the top to see the view.  By then it had stopped raining and the mountains were exposed with a fresh
dusting of snow.

 We arranged for a tour for the next morning since it looked like the weather might break.

Mar. 11, 1978 - Nepal

Woke up to a drizzle and walked around a bit until departure time of noon.  Arranged to leave one suitcase with the Elephant Camp Office and rode in the taxi to the airport with the camp food.  The camp people were very helpful and saw to our checking in.  However, the plane was to be delayed.  We waited, had lunch in the airport coffee shop, and waited some more with the rain coming down now even heavier.  Finally, at 4:30 they announced that all flights were canceled due to bad weather – even the special charter plane to Tiger Tops. So back again to town where we got another hotel and  had dinner and read until bedtime.

 

I am reading The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux describing his train trips he took in 1970 or so  through Asia.  He vividly describes trains, stations and the people he meets.  His description of the Indian trains we took was quite accurate right down to the miles of people squatting along the tracks.  He says, Because it was still early and because Indian villagers seem to think of railway tracks as the margin of their world, there were people crouched all along the line, shitting.  It quite amazed me.  He also describes the people who live in railway stations – whole villages, he says, because of the security it affords.

Mar. 10, 1978 - Nepal

Plane to Kathmandu left at 10:25 and we got to the airport with time to spare, except that Bryan had forgotten his camera bag and he had to rush back to the guest house and back (30 minutes) while I checked the bags, but since this is India the plane was later than we were.  The height of Indian bureaucracy was when we finally were all crowded into the waiting room we were made to take a bus – literally squashed in – to the plane, only maybe 25 yards from the terminal.  The bus hardly had room for a u-turn and then we piled out.  I counted 14 employees standing around the boarding ramp watching this all.

We had a lovely flight into Nepal and I’m sure I saw Mt. Everest.  However under the clouds it was too overcast to see much of the surrounding mountains.  I hope it clears tomorrow. Right now the weather is cool and pleasant.  Lovely country, very friendly people but they don’t pay much attention to you, which is good.  There are many tourist and “freaks” who have their own society here I imagine.  We came in on the plane with a Smithsonian Intuition Study Tour which goes on later to Butan.  That would be terribly interesting because it is only open for tours.  They’re staying at the most expensive hotels; here in Kathmandu it is the Yak and Yeti Hotel (yes, really) at $40/night double.  Ours is much more basic at $7.50/night and called Hotel Cozy.  The location is good but we found another called the Guest House for $5. which looks even more pleasant and quiet.  A hot shower sure felt good since our room in New Delhi didn’t have one.

 We wandered around getting our bearings and deciding what to do.  Settled on going to a game park for animal viewing since the weather isn’t clear enough for mountain vistas – a big splurge at $150/night but you can ride elephants into the game park and maybe see tigers.  This is called Elephant Tented Camp; it’s big brother, Tiger Tops, costs twice that.

Mar. 9, 1978 - India

What a lovely day!! A pleasantly rolling train ride through country villages and farms to Agra,  3 hours from Delhi, a scooter taxi to the Taj Mahal and some time just sitting to enjoy the beauty of the marble inlay and surrounding gardens.  In the tomb itself a guard showed us how to use a flashlight to illuminate the inlaid stones so the marble shines translucent.  Each flower might be comprised of up to 50 petals. Exquisite.

After a light lunch we set out for the Red Fort of Agra.  We didn’t know much about it but the train didn’t leave until 7pm.  We found it as engrossing as the Taj, more so because we felt we were discovering it for ourselves.  For about 3 hours we napped in the courtyard, watching chipmunks, green parrots and monkeys (apes, Bryan says) playing and bigger birds soaring above.

Then we wandered about to a Palace within the fort that still retains enough of its amazing original splendor: marble carved screens, mirror encrusted baths, large and small mosques, and beautiful views of the Taj in the distance.  (It was here the man who built the Taj for his wife was imprisoned by one of their 14 sons until his death.)

The Taj Express is popular with young Indian couples and even on a Thursday was crowded with people going just for the day from Delhi, just like us.  Most tourists take bus tours but I’m glad we did it as uncomplicated as we did.  We were back in Delhi by 10pm.

Mar. 7-8, 1978 - India

Might as well write Tuesday off, also dinner with religious fanatics.  Spent all Monday night and Tuesday throwing up and sleeping.  Bryan took care of dropping off passports and getting visas.  Wednesday afternoon I accompanied Bryan to a nearby hotel so he could eat where we ran into the woman who had sat next to me at dinner on the floor.  She, too, was sick – said she had “a touch of the flu.”  She said it couldn't have been food poisoning since we were eating Baba's....well you know the drill.  We figured that Bryan hadn’t gotten it because we were sitting separately and were served from separate buckets.

By Wednesday evening I was feeling well enough to go gingerly downtown where we bought tickets on the Taj Express for the following morning.  Reservations took 45 minutes of standing in line and the same information on two separate forms, one in duplicate!  Round trip was 24 rupees each, 2nd class.  Made an attempt to eat dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel.  The nicest hotel in Delhi is the Ashoka which we strolled through after dinner.