18 meters underwater - Koh Tao, Thailand

  Meditation focuses on mastery of the mind. Scuba diving, we found out, emphasizes control of the physical body, essentially manifested in maintenance of neutral buoyancy, which is greatly influenced by breathing patterns. This phenomenal state of weightlessness is the greatest asset in diving, allowing you to steadily navigate and admire the underwater world with ease.

  We arrived in Koh Tao in the morning, after a little discrepancy in the boat plans, as our reserved ride turned out to be nonfunctional. Since most diving companies provide discounted accommodation, we settled in for breakfast with the aim of finding our ideal option. Scuba Junction offers small, 4 – person group courses in a professional yet relaxed setting, and we weren't disappointed as our instructor G started patiently inducting us into the innerworld. Most days began with videos and classwork, but by early afternoon, we were in the water, practicing our freshly acquired skills. Scuba diving, naturally, relies heavily on equipment. Terms such as regulator, buoyancy compensator and submersible pressure gauge ping pong in your head, even as you try to adjust to the seemingly simple task of underwater breathing. It is hard to take in at first, as you finally realize your ability to coexist in this “new” world. Once we've established some confidence in our rudimentary skills (mask and regulator readjustment, ascent, descend, regular breathing, neutral buoyancy, etc.), G led us on four open water dives, his calm no-nonsense attitude easily getting us past some small snags (such as a disadvantageous strong current on our very first dive).

  Each dive began with on-deck preparation and equipment check.

 After a quick briefing and underwater signal confirmation, we descended for a visit into the blue water beyond. Koh Tao and the surrounding islands provide some great diving conditions, with clear aqua blue water, little inclement weather and thus decent visibility. The atmosphere was surreal, addicting. Some senses were dulled, while others heightened. But it was the weightlessness that made you feel as if you were in space. Sun rays slashed deep into the water, and highlighted the wonders below. Like some small model city, the coral, different in shapes and sizes, teemed with a frenzy of activity. Fish of various colors and brightness, sea slugs, eels, jellyfish and squid, crabs, plants and the elusive sea snake made an appearance. The closer you approached the reef, the more vibrant the colors became. We swam through a large school of small yellow-tailed barracudas. Curious and unafraid, they contoured to our movements, as if providing a silvery escort. Enchanting. We heard turtles and even whale sharks occasionally grace divers with their company, but we didn't have the chance to see them.

G, our instructor

Dive computer

Our last dive site

  Careful to ascent slowly and breathe normally (most diving complications relate to incorrect ascent), we surfaced happy, eager to share the experience with our diving buddies.  And here we have a chance to share it with you!

  After 3 ½ days of school (with actual homework), four dives and a final exam, we were officially open water diving certified. We celebrated with an evening out with G, Teemu and Brian.

  We stayed in Koh Tao for two more days to enjoy the beach, since before full days of diving, homework and pure physical exhaustion guaranteed early nights.

  SE Asia has many fine dive sites, so easy access should deepen our comfort level and ability in diving. Meanwhile, our usual lack of pre-planned reservations put us on a long arduous journey, via various modes of transportation, first to the notorious for corruption Poipet border-crossing and then to Battambang, Cambodia. For now, best wishes to my birthday boy!

Oyster sauce chicken

Complimentary green/jasmine tea

Best banana pancake ever, in Bubblehole, Thailand

Welcome to Chumphon train station

Bangkok, the Big Mango

  Bangkok, as P would say, was a breath of fresh air after India, even if the city itself is huge, concrete and traffic – congested. We landed at midnight at an extremely modern-looking airport, quickly passed through passport control and baggage claim, withdrew money at the ATM, caught an AC-ed cab (in departures – cheaper!) for the 30 km to the city center and within 1 ¼ hour of touchdown were checked in at the hotel. How efficient. We dropped our bags and wandered throughout the intense Kao San Rd area, munching on some street food and nicely chilled beer. Bars welcomed with pounding music, people danced on the street, and taxi drivers and lady boy prostitutes alike waited for their drunk customers. As we turned in for the night at 4 a.m., the streets still pulsed with life beneath our windows. We were so exhausted it did not matter.

  The next morning, we moved to quieter Roof Garden Guest House on Soi Rambuttri (great value for the price). The steamy heat immobilized us a bit, but we still managed to explore the alleyways of Chinatown, in search of another great street dish. I have a feeling travel in Thailand will be all about the food; it is that good. We joined the party scene in the evening (it is the Big Mango, after all) with two other life-style changing seekers (hi, Dave!). A bit slow the next day, we still secured train and boat tickets to the divers' paradise of Koh Tao. To wile away the wait time, we gazed in wonder at the Buddhist temples of Wat Pho, so different from the Hindu ones, and relaxed in Lumphini Park. We also tried to obtain our visas to Myanmar (formerly Burma), but time restrictions did not allow it. Since Bangkok is the travel hub of SE Asia, we'll be crossing paths many times. Time for some open water diving. See you in Koh Tao!

Chinatown

Lumphini Park

Soi Rambuttri

Reclining Buddha

Agra, Delhi and adios, India

  We spent the next 24 hours on trains to Agra, the last such long journey on the phenomenal Indian rail. We arrived in Agra late in the evening, with a hotel reservation in hand, only to find out that our room was relinquished to someone else. Tired and frankly a bit pissed off, we found a decent room at the accommodating Taj Guest House, where the management helped us out with various requests over the course of the next day.

  We started off early enough to avoid much of the crowds (didn't really work out) and visit the focal and most well-known attraction in India, the Taj Mahal. A fine example of architecture, it is in fact a mausoleum, built as a token of love by Shah Jahan for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth. Constructed out of white marble, the walls are exquisitely embellished with quotes from the Quran and intricate pietra dura, set with semi-precious stones. The mausoleum houses cenotaphs of both the Shah and Mumtaz, although the actual bodies are interred underneath. Four minarets surround it, with a mosque to the west and an identically replicated building to the east. The design of the structures emphasizes symmetry and clean lines, lending the monument an air of simple beauty. A rectangular reflection pool leads the way from the south, a chief vantage point for Taj Mahal portraits. But the wonder of the building, for me at least, stemmed from the quality of the marble and the image sun rays created while playing on its surface. The blinding whiteness could simply not be captured on camera. Although my bf would disagree, the famous icon brought home the notion that we are truly in India (2.5 months too late, apparently). Agra has more to offer than Taj Mahal, but, tired of constant sightseeing, we took the afternoon off.

Quran quotes

Pietra dura

  Tuesday, our last day in India, passed swimmingly, almost as if the country itself wanted to infirm in us last positive impressions and entice us to come back soon. For the first time ever, our rickshaw driver accepted a regular fare to the train station, without the usual squabbling. While we waited for our train, a young Punjabi Sikh (turban, beard and all, fresh from the religious festival of Kumbha Mela), approached us, simply for the pleasure of a conversation. On the train, we hailed a chai-wallah for a last cup of the exulting liquid, when a gentleman from our compartment paid for the favor. Dreaded New Delhi reminded me a bit of Kolkata, a city like any other, but with extensive public transportation and one of the best thalis (meals) of the trip. Granted, we saw only a minuscule portion, but I think it's been too villainized by many fresh-faced newcomers. We were truly impressed by the new metro and the airport itself, exceeding standards of many in the West. Deprived of some comforts for months, we were like kids in Disneyland, pretendingly perusing the duty – free shops (especially the perfume section :) ).

  I wanted to write a neat little summary of our Indian adventure, but the country is too big for words. Opinions always differ, depending on the perspective, region, people met and circumstances. Like any other place, India offers an eclectic mix of the good and the bad, although often enough they're driven to the extremes. I guess everything depends on your approach, and I think we maintained a pretty healthy one, even if it faltered a bit in the end.

  India definitely tests your patience. Everything runs on a different, slower, schedule, which can especially become frustrating to a Westerner. A person may be helping you, only to break for lunch. Information is inconsistent. Most people will eagerly answer your inquiries, even if they don't know the answer, emphasizing with the characteristic side-to-side head wobble (means “yes, probably”). Best to ask several individuals. A white face always attracts constant staring, its directness invading your personal space. As a woman, I've had to ignore passes made at me, more or less subtle, at times more or less physical. Sex is taboo, so of course it invites curiosity and ridiculous notions of Western women's promiscuity. This is especially apparent on the beaches. I think there's still a long way to go when it comes to women's rights, particularly their execution. You have to scrupulously watch out for scams. In a more benign instance, a hotel issues a bill, the itemized costs are correct, but the math doesn't add up. A mistake, of course. So vigilance is key. There's a crush of humanity and its byproducts: constant traffic, garbage and crap everywhere, cow, long piss walls, wed paan (chewed betel nut) split splatters, slums. The extent of abject poverty is startling – the cripples, begging children and starving animals almost cause you to turn your eyes away in shame, realizing how good you have it.

  And then there is so much good here. India is exotic, colorful and very inviting to its guests. Most people are unbelievably approachable, and simply interested in you and your story, as exotic to them as they are to you. They are ingenious in their use of available resources. Whole families ride a motorcycle, shops sell gasoline from water bottles, and a blanket finds second life as a poncho. Women are always willing to help another woman, as soon as you break the ice with a smile. Their beautiful saris add color to the chaotic streets. The chaos is all-encompassing, non-discriminant of race or religion. Horns, loud music, cow bellows and human shouts fill the air. The people often approach their lives with heightened emotions, which leaves no room for pretense. How refreshing. Each region is diverse, with its own landscapes, cultures and atmospheres: so Varanasi has its ghats and spirituality, Kerala its backwaters and calm, Hampi its ruins and hippie vibe, and Rajasthan its forts and history. The cultural variants are exotic, manifesting themselves in more or less surprising traditions (take week long wedding festivities or use of vultures as a means of dead disposal). It's easy to travel throughout the country – hats off to Indian rail for providing a comprehensive, fully functional transportation for such an immense population. Prices for an acceptable standard of living are not hard on the tourist pockets. The food is delicious, from regional specialties to universal thalis, sauces, curries, naans and, of course, masala chais. There's also food for the soul, ranging from all established religions to various forms of mediation and yoga. What more can you want?

  A change of setting does a body good. It's been real, India. But we will be back.

Jaisalmer, a short-lived affair with the desert

  Before we even stepped a foot outside of the train in Jaisalmer, we were approached by a tout. Since he offered a free ride into town, we decided to inspect his hotel and found it comfy enough at a cheap 200 rupees. We also decided to book a camel safari with the hotel, as it seemed to offer reasonable terms. But as it often turns out in India, all was not as it seemed. After talking to some people, we found out the hotel and its safaris repeatedly garnered truly disastrous reviews. Overconfidence in our intuition, honed by months of travel, prevented us from sensing a scam behind the manager's seemingly honest face. We promptly returned to the hotel and demanded a refund. We were relieved when the money was given back without an issue, most likely thanks to the company of his visiting Polish girlfriend (another fact that distorted our perspective). In the following hours, however, he kept accosting us about the safari, using guilt trips and assurances of trust and friendship to persuade us. We heard that it could quickly devolve into rage from there, so we left the hotel for a more reputable one the same evening. What an improvement for our peace of mind.

  We spent the next day wandering around Jaisalmer. The sand-colored buildings contribute greatly to its romantic desert town image, disrupted sporadically by ongoing new construction. It has a rare living fort, where life, with some technological modifications, continues as it has ages ago. Its sleepy pace enticed us to laze a few afternoons away.

A cow walks into a bar ...

  We signed up for another camel safari for a third of the price less than the previous one. Once again, it proved that shopping around is key! Mind you, I've wanted to experience this months before we started traveling. As sometimes happens, reality did not conform to the expectations (or is it the other way around?). Geared entirely towards the tourist, little remains of the authentic charm. Advertised as a romantic night under the stars, the actual conditions quickly dismissed that notion. The camels (granted, with their cute, smiling snouts) randomly interrupted the boredom of the swaying ride by belched groans and other noxious noises (and smells). The saddle and the awkward sitting position got uncomfortable after an hour (not to mention a day) of riding. When we finally reached the sporadic sand dunes, we contemplated the sunset in silence, only to see a man with a bulging bag come out of nowhere, yelling “beer, cold beer!”. We burst out laughing. Unbelievable. In the evening, we quickly ran out of wood for the bonfire. After a shrilling musical performance by the camel drivers (and some thumping on an empty water casket), we jumped into our stack of blankets for the night. The sky was truly striking, unaffected by the ministrations of the profit-driven people underneath. I woke up once in a while to adjust a shifted blanket, only to fall asleep again to the winking stars. Magnificent.

Vultures!

  The night under the stars manifested itself in a cold, however, so I spent the next 1.5 days in Jaisalmer recuperating. Next stop – Agra and the wondrous Taj Mahal. Only four more days in India, but I think we are ready for a change.

Adorable, no?