Because I’ve been busy and lazy, I mean in an attempt to streamline blog content, I’ve not done a weekly roundup for weeks. But I have a lot to ramble/complain/rant on this week, both on and off the blog (just ask my poor husband).

These rambles are the good kind, though!

First, I haven’t even mentioned here that I am going to Peru in the next few weeks in celebration of my mother’s 70th birthday. She is still traveling and I’ll always appreciate her enabling (and encouraging) us to do the same. I am really excited to see Machu Picchu, and honestly, hopefully have a week of slightly cooler temps. The heat in DC has been tolerable this year, but relief is always appreciated. Vamos!

Second, in a second of impulse (or perhaps misjudgment) I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon again. For the third time. The running demons/gods must be with me, as I did get a place through the lottery. After swearing up and down that I would NEVER RUN ANOTHER after last year, I just couldn’t resist. However, the prior two years I have taken a 2-week trip directly over when the longest (20-22 mile) training runs should be. This meant I was coming home (after not running or running very little) and feeling pretty crappy. I’m hopeful that the quick trip to Peru will be easier on my legs, and that I can at least get a run or two in while I’m there. I guess I’m a glutton for pain, and also for all the massive eating (errr…responsible post-run fueling) that comes with marathon training (remember the blerch? yea). Nom nom nom.

Third, there are things going on in the United States that just sound absurd when discussed in other cultures and contexts, and nothing brings this more to a point than the need for “free-range parenting” in the United States. While we were in Kenya, we were discussing that kids in this area can’t even walk 2 blocks to school on their own in many neighborhoods, or social services can be called. In fact, some can’t even walk to school alone when their house is in sight of the school. This phenomenon was obviously met with an appropriate degree of incredulity in Kenya. What better way to ensure children cannot make decisions than to wrap them in a parental bubble and ensure they never interact with the world.

Fourth, while I don’t shop at Gap very much anymore, I’ve been on the hunt for a less expensive basic white tee. While my Theory ones are the best and have lasted many years, they look disgusting at this point and I have to drive to the outlets to get new ones. I’m lazy, guard my weekends like a hawk (i.e., don’t like to drive), and even on sale they still cost $40-$50. Enter Gapfit. Their breathe tees are THE BOMB, and I got mine for $13, though their regular price of $25 is definitely reasonable. The white is not particularly sheer, they wash pretty well, they are SO soft, and work under a blazer as well as running/yoga etc. Good job Gap.

Happy Weekend!

If we thought Paro was a bit warm, Punakha was crazy hot and humid, but the valley was gorgeous. We arrived in Punakha after a fun drive from Thimpu, in which I was thanking my motion-sickness patch every hairpin turn along the way.The COMO Punakha property is stunning, it’s new, quaint, and with an absolutely beautiful view. They have a deck that is just incredible, overlooking the valley and perfect for an early breakfast or sundowner.We spent 2 nights in Punakha. Our first stop was at Chimi Lhakhang, otherwise known as the Temple of the Divine Madman. Catchy, right?

With just a short drive and a quick walk uphill through a small village and some rice paddies, we arrived at a small knoll and the Temple. Many couples visit this temple to be blessed for fertility, but there were just a few other visitors there at the same time.On the way, we were lucky enough to stop through the village and check out a few things they were making. Um..did you know rice pops like popcorn in oil over the fire? Yea…apparently everyone knew that but me. It was awesome to try some Bhutanese rice krispies, as well as a rice puff snack.

In most of the temples you enter in Bhutan, you have the option to be blessed (and an offering is expected if you accept the blessing). Honestly sometimes I think it’s a little awkward and we aren’t really into that (more into watching and listening), but we also didn’t want to offend by refusing a blessing, so we really decided when and when not to accept based on the specific situation. We typically gave to the temples regardless, though not in large amounts (equivalent to a few US dollars).If you are or were totally overwhelmed with history like we were, the Divine Madman is a story that is hard to forget, and you are reminded of the Divine Madman in many places in Bhutan, particularly in the Punakha Valley but also in other locations as he is a essential part of their history.

It goes something like this…(very, very abbreviated version…no offense intended, just aiming for brevity):Once upon a time (kidding…he actually lived between 1455 and 1529, according to most records), Drukpa Kunley–infamously known as the Divine Madman–built a chorten on the knoll. Kunley decided on this site when he fought with, and won (of course), a battle against a demon nearby. He won with his magic thunderbolt, which now adorns homes throughout Bhutan (see photo if you don’t know what the magic thunderbolt is).  The Divine Madman was best known for being completely, well, crazy and outrageous. His sexual endeavors were infamous, but he was also a famous poet (related? I’ll never know). He thought that existing teachers of Buddhism in Bhutan were a wee bit too conservative and anal, so he opted for the opposite, with song, dance, and by having sex with women to bless them (they would seek his blessing in this way, the story goes).

And this is how the phallus became a symbolic decoration throughout Bhutan, and the Divine Madman became one of Bhutanese Buddhism’s most important figures. The thunderbolt is considered not only a sign of fertility, in representation of and respect to the Divine Madman, but also thought to ward away gossip and other evilness.

Interesting, eh? So many fascinating stories, so much history, and so much I still have to learn about Buddhism.

In other news, I may have fallen in a rice paddy on the way home and emerged with a very, very disgusting shoe, but DH didn’t take pictures because he thought I would be mad…I was laughing…and wondering what kind of nematodes were crawling through my shoe, sock, and skin.

Archery is pretty self explanatory. We used the good old-fashioned bows (none of this compound nonsense), and wooden arrows with fake plastic feathers. Just like in gym class. Back when you were actually allowed to use a bow and arrow in gym class. I’m sure they’ve done away with that by now…sigh.

Now darts, though, darts is truly a Bhutanese pastime.  And they are amazingly good. Their darts resemble something of a lawn dart (oh, also outlawed here for safety reasons). They are about a foot long, with a huge metal spike (the dart), and a weight. We had wooden ones, until our guide broke out the good ones weighted with aluminum and let my husband play with those!

You have to get your dart on the target, or at least a dart’s length away from the target. Sounds easy enough, until you realize the target is smaller than the dart, and that the target is about 20m away.  You get a point for hitting the board at all, then 2 points for the bulls eye. However, if someone hits the board after you, and is closer than you, they get your point!

On Sunday, when we were leaving Punakha and heading back to Paro, we happened alongside a game of darts on the road between two rival taxi companies. We got out, and watched them throw the dart at absolutely insane speeds, hitting the target twice, just in the ten minutes we were standing there. They have special dances they do when they hit the target, and of course (our guide said), were partaking in the usual shit talking that goes with sports.

So much fun. I am annoyed that we couldn’t bring some darts home to play with; seriously lawsuit happy America? Couldn’t you have just darts out of the equation?

Have you played a different sport when you were traveling? Did you enjoy it?

On Day 2 in Bhutan, I was really just crossing my fingers that a good night of rest would get me over my 12 hour stomach flu for the drive from Paro to Punakha, which it thankfully did.

After a delicious breakfast of French toast  (I must have been sick, I really don’t like French toast…ever) at Uma Paro, we were on our way. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the roads to Thimpu from Paro are well-paved and pretty straight. We stopped twice along the way for a gorgeous shot of the valley, as well as to see some of the old chain link bridges that still are used across the river.

We arrived in Thimpu in good time, and our first stop was the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, where they teach students the thirteen traditional Bhutanese arts, including things like Parzo (wood-carving), Thagzo (weaving), Jinzo (sculpture), and Lhazo (painting). I know many travelers decide to forgo this stop (I’ve read that they perceive it as too touristy or complain the grounds are too run down and the shop is expensive…), but it doesn’t take long and I thought it was really interesting–if nothing else, you get to see how some of the statues and paintings are made in the temples, which I thought was cool. Plus, I like seeing all the kids–broken up into separate rooms by grade–progress in their work. So you were able to see “Drawing 1” and “Drawing 5”, and the enormous progress between the two.

After the school, we went to the National Textile Museum, which is an incredibly large building that doesn’t quite fit in to the rest of the Bhutanese architecture…but it’s a really interesting place, with exhibits about the different dress in different regions of Bhutan (which varies quite significantly), as well as their traditional dress of the kira and gho (for women and for men, respectively). Most women and men wear the traditional dress every day, and I’m pretty sure are still required to when working.

Thimpu is charming. Most certainly more “city-like” than Paro, but still with no stoplights, small streets, beautiful architecture everywhere; it seriously looks like it is out of some fantasy land (I guess that’s but just one reason they call it the last Shangri-La). Apparently at one point they did try to put in a stoplight in the city, but that didn’t go over so well with the residents. There is a UN building there, as well as the national post office, Thimpu Dzong, etc. Plenty to see.

We didn’t know where lunch was going to be, but to our delight, we were dropped off at the Taj Tashi (and yes, lunch was still included…thanks Uma)!  There was a mention of boxed lunches at one point (not my favorite…at all), and so it was an unexpected surprise when our guide told us that would be where we were having lunch. I know some of you are probably wondering why we didn’t request to eat at a local restaurant…look, I was still a bit shaky from the previous night, and certainly didn’t need to test my stomach. I’m very much of the “rather safe than sorry” camp, particularly when I’m miles away from medical care and have a 4 hour car ride ahead.

The Taj is beautiful, inside and out. I had looked at staying in the Taj before we decided on going with the Uma Paro/COMO package, and it’s clear that the Taj is most definitely a luxury hotel in the heart of Thimpu. DH enjoyed Druk Supreme, another local beer (definitely not as good as Red Panda, obviously), and I enjoyed some delicious Japanese potato soup and some pad thai. The service as the Taj was a bit slow, but the food was good and the scenery absolutely gorgeous through huge bay windows. We weren’t really in a hurry, but we sort of were, because the road to Punakha closed at certain times for construction, so we had to make it through the checkpoint at a specific time.

And on to Punakha we went!  Spectacular scenery awaited on the drive ahead.

On our first day in Bhutan, after a lunch at Uma Paro, we took a 1 to 1.5 hour hike from our hotel to the National Museum in Paro. The hike was pretty–the first of a few hikes we would take, with gorgeous viewpoints down into the valley.It was HOT. Don’t let anyone tell you the weather in Bhutan is not hot in September. It’s hot. Even at 7,000-8,000 feet, the days are very warm. What kind of warm, you ask? You will be drenched in sweat. It’s like a day in Washington D.C. in the summer. It’s a bit unpleasant in the shade, but o.k. if there is a slight breeze and you aren’t moving. DH was shade hopping from shade spot to shade spot just like our dog to stay out of the sun, because in the sun–remember you are at 7,000 feet–you felt like a vampire that stepped out into the light.

Beautiful View on the Hike

Also–you either have to wear (or carry) pants and long-sleeved shirts (for women) and pants and a collared short-sleeve shirt or an uncollared long-sleeve shirt (for men) to enter the temples. I also get all itchy with plants brushing my legs (fear of invisible jungle fungus, I tell you) and don’t like bug bites, so long pants were good for me to wear in the forest in the first place. That said, extra layers of fabric just add to the heat, so be sure to bring breathable, good, tech clothing.It’s amazing to me all the temples in Bhutan that are built into the sides of the valley. You’ll be ambling along, and poof..a temple. It’s pretty incredible and impressive. It must be a slow process to build these, but they are beautiful and it really lends to the picturesqueness of the landscape.After wandering along the side of the valley, we looked down and saw our destination–the National Museum in Paro. The National Museum is easy to sight, with a distinctive round shape that is unusual for Bhutan: a watchtower, dating back to the 16th century.  Unfortunately, an earthquake in 2011 damaged the museum significantly. It is under repair, but unfit for visitors as of 2014. The artifacts and information have actually been moved to another administrative building directly behind the watchtower.

While I totally understand and respect their request that photos not be taken in the museum, I really wish that they would be allowed as I did not see the same information on the Tshechus (festivals) anywhere else in Bhutan–in particular, information about the masks. The sheer number of masks is absolutely incredible, but more than that, the meanings behind the masks were amazing. There were animal masks for pride, for humility, for shrewdness, for emotional stupidity, for vanity, for greed, for intelligence, etc. I particularly liked all of these animal masks with all of the complicated emotions and characteristics of humans.  There are also other masks symbolizing demons and important people, categorized by the type of dance in which they were used.

They also had an exhibit of important wall hangings, which explained the significance and meaning–again, this information was more exhaustive in the museum than anywhere else, and I wish I had written more down directly after our visit!  Additionally, the museum offered a great display on the natural history of Bhutan, complete with information on geology, flora, and fauna.  The amount and variety of wildlife is truly amazing; if we were to return to Bhutan–without question–we would figure out a way to travel to the remote eastern part of the country to try to catch a glimpse of a rhino, tiger, takin, blue goat, snow leopard, etc. I’d be thrilled just to see any one of those in the wild!

The National Museum is not that large, and I’d say it’s a great place to visit when you first arrive in Bhutan. We spent probably an hour and a half there, and were walking/exploring leisurely. There is a charge for entry, but if you are not Indian/Maldivian, this charge should already have been included in your ‘package’ and you should not have to pay an additional amount for entry.

We’re back! It’s been a bit quiet on the TravelingSaurus front as I was enjoying vacation too much to bother posting from Bhutan or Thailand. I could have said that the internet was too slow or something, but honestly I just wasn’t that into it. Sorry.

But now there is so much to catch up on, while catching up on life in general.  I’m super excited to share our wonderful experiences from The Land of the Thunder Dragon.

Thailand, as most of you already know, was awesome. I seriously could have eaten 20 more days of Thai food without regret. I loveeeee Thai food. Well…there may eventually be some regret.

DH and I didn’t even come close to killing each other during the trip, either. It’s one of the longest trips we’ve been on together and also the farthest we’ve traveled. DH will say that it helped that our seats were soooo far apart on the flight home, thanks to ANA Business Class, we couldn’t really talk–or see each other, for that matter. Whatever. I think our shared love of Tom Yum and Tom Gai helped, too.

I love returning home, but I am one of those people that insists that everything is unpacked and cleaned within 24 hours. I just can’t help it. I hate disorder. I hate mess. Pretty sure everyone thinks I’m OCD now. Again, whatever.

I didn’t even take a nap today which is success in and of itself! Last time I went to Asia I was absolutely dying. I remember force-feeding myself apples during my commute home so I wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel. So much better this time. Not sure if it was the awesome lay-flat seats on the way home or just a better plan to attack jet lag, but only two days and I’m totally functioning.  I did wake up at 5am one day, but considering I slept from 7:30pm to 5am, I can’t really cite that as a total failure.

Here are just five little things I loved about Bhutan. It’s just the tip of a very large iceberg…

1. Red Panda Beer. OMG. Dear Bhutan, please export this. I’m not only in love with the adorable label, I love the beer. LOVE. It’s an unfiltered wheat beer and it’s deeeeliiccciousss. I wish I had more time to consume more Red Panda.

2. Darts. Totally would never, ever, be allowed in the United States seeing as these things most definitely would constitute a safety hazard, which is a shame. We spent hours playing darts with our driver and guide. Seeing a Bhutanese game in person was also incredible. Thumbs up to Bhutanese darts.

3. Stamps. They say that Bhutanese stamps are a collectors dream, and I didn’t really understand why until we went to the post office.  They are SO cool! They have such a wide variety, from Bhutanese wildlife and bridges, to the Apollo 11 landing. Plus, it only costs 20 ngultrum to send a postcard internationally, which is around $.38.  Please explain to me again why USPS costs so much?

4. Ema Datshi. Chilies and cheese. The national dish. Two words. Hot. Wonderfulness. I wish I could have numbed my poor little inexperienced mouth with Novocain and devoured as much as I wanted. Alas, I was steaming, sweating, nose running, and still trying to eat more…it’s like queso on steroids. And it was incredible.

5. Landing in Paro. While the approach was less dramatic than I anticipated after reading some alarmist reports online, it’s so much fun to watch them twist and turn a commercial jet past hills and rice paddies onto the runway. It doesn’t ever feel unsafe, but it is pretty incredible to look out and feel like you are maybe two wing-spans from the foothills. And I now fully understand why they don’t fly in bad weather.

More soon!

As a tourist, I couldn’t really “see” or “sense” the bubbles about to explode.  Maybe I was just young and naive, or maybe it wasn’t apparent if you didn’t spend more time there. I don’t know. Yes, there were little things that just seemed off at the time, like how our guide said he had to check in at least 2 times per day with the authorities, since we were all Americans, to tell them our location, destination, and to make sure everything was o.k.  We’ll never know if this was really true–or not–or if they were checking to make sure we weren’t press or something else.  And of course if you had read just a little deeper, you were well aware of ongoing turmoil, including concern from NGOs on human rights records, news censorship, and the general corruption of the ruling elite.  But the Tunisians also were proud of their successes and pretty moderate society. If you’ve gone to Tunisia both before and after the revolution as a visitor, please chime in, I’d really be curious to see how your impressions have changed.

I’m definitely glad we went–it was a fascinating place and the first time I had visited a predominately Muslim country.  Call me strange, but I actually enjoy waking up to the call to prayer most mornings. Much better than beeeep beeeep beeeep. Their archaeological sites are absolutely incredible (Dougga and El Djem are deserving of their own posts), as is the country’s long and varied history.

That said, we spent two weeks there which I think was a wee bit too long. Particularly because we were on a tour, and couldn’t linger where we wanted and move on (city-wise) from what was just meh. For example, I’d have loved to spend more time in Sidi Bou Said, but I was ready to get out of Sousse after a morning walk.

However, Tozeur, Tunisia was one of my favorite places.  When I imagined an “oasis”, I imagined a place like Tozeur, where all of a sudden, palm trees and life appear out of nothing.  Bonus, the locals even called me Anna Kournikova, since I was blond. That was enough to seal my affinity for the place.

That was sarcasm. I just thought it was awkward.

So this flashback photo Friday, here are some pictures of my two favorite things in Tozeur: the Tamerza Canyon and the Star Wars Set, both a few kilometers away from Tozeur. Tozeur is also well known for its dates, if you are a fan.  I don’t love dates or hate them, and it was fun to try them right under the trees from which they were harvested.

Tamerza is the largest oasis in Tunisia, and I believe was settled first by the Romans.  Tamerza Canyon was a bit busy with people, and we didn’t go during “high” season, so I’d definitely advise going early.

There seems to be controversy over whether the Tunisians should maintain the Star Wars set or not.  To-date, they have not.  It’s totally taken over by sand, and desertification is taking it’s toll.  Deserts move at a rapid rate when there is nothing standing in their way, and that is definitely what has occurred here. I’m on the fence…I didn’t think it was any less cool because there wasn’t a museum, or because the structures haven’t been maintained.  In fact, it gives it sort of an eerie sense about it, and I appreciate the non-commercialization and lack of availability of Star Wars toys to buy. Plus, it seems sort of silly to have the Tunisian people invest in it–I’d much rather see that money going towards preserving the Romanian and Carthaginian ruins that exist throughout the country.  But that’s just me.

Have you been to Tunisia either before or after the revolution? What were your favorite places? 

But sometimes reality blurs: the differentiation between “staged” and “authentic” isn’t so clear. For example, the people really do live there, but they are demonstrating activities they don’t do on a regular basis (either traditional activities, or maybe those they think visitors find most fascinating). Or perhaps the entire hut compound is staged, though the people live nearby with similar accommodations.

Many cultural experiences in a guide or tour type of situation are manufactured in some way. Obviously, the best solution here is to spend enough time in a place to make local connections and build relationships so these type of visits–in most places–just aren’t really necessary and cultural experiences can occur organically (ack! I sound like a hippie, which I am very much not). But let’s be honest, particularly for us part-time travelers: that’s just not always realistic or possible. So I present to you: my nerd-friendly continuum from “authentic” to “staged”, when it comes to cultural experiences and interactions.

So if given a choice between visiting a house or a small village (not staged, though money is exchanged) versus a completely staged experience, what would you choose? Here’s my internal monologue…

From reading (perhaps an unhealthy amount) of travel blogs from nomadic or long-term travelers, I started thinking about the things I’m missing by not traveling for longer periods. I think there are certain things that are more difficult or impossible to experience on shorter trips. I’m not talking about personal growth, learning how to adapt, and living outside your comfort zone (all important, don’t get me wrong)–but things specific to traveling or living somewhere new for longer than a few weeks.Here are five things that I think I’m missing as a part-time traveler.

1. Holidays/New Traditions: We rarely travel over holidays–either holidays here in the United States or holidays in other countries.  Everything is booked more expensive and more crowded. Sure, it means we save some money, but we also miss experiencing holidays in other countries, and we miss being introduced to new local traditions that we wouldn’t ever know about.  I’d definitely like to get to some holidays–like Diwali–but I don’t think that just “dropping in” gives you the same experience.

2. Making longer-term friends: Sure, you can meet someone (a local or a fellow traveler) on a two week trip and really hit it off. But most of the time, the relationship ends when you part ways, or after some half-hearted emails back and forth.  It’s definitely not due to bad intentions or animosity, but often you don’t have as much in common anymore. Sure, some connections will last, but a few days really isn’t enough time to get to know someone in a way that makes you really want to stay in touch–at least not for an introvert like myself. Not saying it’s impossible, but its definitely more difficult.

3. Learning language skills: I take language classes weekly, but there is nothing like being immersed in another language to achieve proficiency or fluency.  Sure, some languages are incredibly difficult to learn, particularly for someone like me who isn’t a gifted language learner. But even learning the basics, or being able to read but not speak, is a huge accomplishment–and much harder to do if you don’t stay in a country for more extended periods of time.

4. Understanding cultural references: Yea, there are lots of things even I don’t get about American cultural references either, but you really miss out on understanding the cultural references in other countries with shorter trips. Sure, you can have someone explain things to you, but you probably won’t be able to use them in conversation or really understand their genesis.

5. Trusting locals (and people in general) more. In many places, I’m still suspicious of locals who want to help, particularly in major tourist areas and sites.  Yea, I bet you want to show me the best view of the pyramids…yea, I totally bet your cousin owns the most awesome restaurant. But we almost missed an awesome experience in Cambodia because we didn’t quite trust our tuk tuk driver, and we were SO wrong. Important lesson learned.  Sure, some of this comes with experience, and getting off the beaten path.  But I think a lot of it also comes with staying in a location a bit longer, or traveling constantly so you get a better feel for what’s altruistic and what is not.  It’s like a travel spidey-sense, most often possessed by long-term travelers.

I’m a nester at heart.  I like to be home.  No, I LOVE to be home.  When I go on a trip I’m just as excited to fly home as I am to fly to a new place.  Sure, I still think about traveling (and plan for trips) pretty much constantly. I know that full-time travel isn’t for me right now, and I’m totally content in that decision (but always leaving wiggle room for the future, in my ever-capricious nature!). But there are definitely things that are much harder to experience with this style of travel.