Juizhaigo - Far and Further into Tibet and China!

Juizhaigo, a place that caught my attention within no time though I never managed to remember the name, until today! Today, the day I landed in Juizhaigo, valley of nine fortified Tibetan villages with a nature reserve located in the north of Sichuan province close to Tibet, China. Jiuzhaigo Valley (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is part of the Min Mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau and is known for its many multi-level waterfalls, colorful lakes (will definitely see all the peacock colors), green valleys and snow-capped peaks. It’s that part of China where one spends the same time and effort as it takes to travel another continent but also the ones who do, gets rewarded with an experience that I would call unreal.

Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport is built on a high mountain (3448 m), landing on which is as thrilling as it could get. Flying just few feet high on a bed of snowcapped mountains is breathtaking.  The airport is around two hours away from the national park. As I mentioned it’s not easy to reach but that works for a traveler as the true experience is in the journey and not the destination. Jiuzhai Valley National Park is best known for its fabled blue and green lakes (over 100), spectacular waterfalls, narrow conic karst land forms and its unique wildlife. It is home to nine Tibetan villages, over 220 bird species as well as a number of endangered plant and animal species, including the giant panda, Sichuan golden monkey, the Sichuan takin and numerous orchids and rhododendrons. After exploring the parks for two full days, trekking the right slope of this “Y” shaped national park is much recommended. There are lots of people at any point in time, its china but you will find your peaceful spot.

So here I am in the month of June, still cold with light staying till 8 pm, multiple valleys tucked within each other, Tibetan style houses, Sichuan food, and rich culture for as far as I could see. The area feels just like a small hill side sleepy town apart from two cultural centers (with one performance daily on the evolving culture and quite big to my surprise) and a bar street that gets quite buzzing in the evenings. People are so beautiful and happy. Prayers are written on small flags and tied across a string so they could fly through the wind to GOD. And guess it works as they literally live in heaven. We stayed in Meido guesthouse that could only be reached via a small trek but it was exactly what we were looking for. Beautiful views, room and hosts. Douche, our host is turning on the gallery lamps and lighting the wood as I write this. Communication has always been a huge challenge in China but after travelling and getting lost multiple times, I have learnt to trust others as much as to trust my own instincts and enjoy the journey as much as the destination. And if I don’t reach the destination I thought I will, I enjoy wherever I reach. What amazes me is that you can still have your share of chats and laughs with the people around. I learnt some new board and card games over a beer. You need nothing else but to live this moment. A moment of truth, a moment of peace and a moment of life.

Stories happen when you are in Africa

Travelling is hands down one of the few ways you can stretch and challenge yourself.. But maybe this time we pushed it a little too far. Driving 30 hrs in 3 days at an average speed of 15 miles/hr in the middle of an African jungle, all that we were longing for is to view as many "Big 5", "Secret 7" and games as possible EXCEPT those 2 hours.
Kruger national park has broadly two types of roads to drive through for safaris - the tar roads that criss cross through the reserve and the dirt tracks that branch out at places. And then there is this third kind....
We came across a narrow winding track which was apparently closed with an iron rod lying on the road and not one but three sign boards - saying "Do not enter". Now, this track was just on the same side half a mile from a check dam. The best chances of seeing lots of animals and some action are usually next to water bodies.
So some fuse in our heads just went off and we decided to travel this "never" travelled track ( I am very generous in calling it a track ) in our teenie veenie sedan. And as expected the next 1 hour was thrilling as we saw a cheetah, few giraffes, some hippos, a herd of springboks and few others.
Now, did I just forget to mention that we also crossed a dried river bed on our way inside. The whole experience was just oozing awww as of course it couldn't have been more adventurous than this time - Right here.. Right now. So the disclaimer starts from here on.. On our way back to a navigable road, guess what?? Our car got stuck in the sand in the middle of the dried river. The more we tried to speed the car to get out, the more the types got into the sand.
After initial efforts to get the car out, it finally dawned on us - Oh f*** we are stuck. Without really speaking a word, I got out of the car and started digging the sand out of the tyres and Kunal got out to pee grin emoticon .. O and by this time the car was almost a third in water, which suddenly popped out of nowhere from inside the sand.. not just the front wheels, but every single one of them. So the river sand was not as dry as we thought it was. And then followed a series of weird reactions that just didn't made any sense i.e. One of us trying to lift the car while the other watched out for any animal attack, making weird noises imitating lion's roar so we keep the animals away, trying to blade out an arrow through some stick and stone, laughing and crying at the same time. Soon we realised the only option we had was to walk down to a real road. I guess by that time we calmed down a bit or maybe not.
It was a stretch of approx 1 mile which felt like a sumptuous meal we might be and hopefully would never experience again. Me with a stick and Kunal with a rock (we knew it's not gonna help in anyway) walked into the jungle to the track road. That time travelled is the only experience I can never explain. We haven't sensed death so close and have nothing to really say about it. We were completely drenched in mud and scratches. The reason i could write this from my hostel in Cape Town is because we are alive.
A series of events happened after that like taking lift to reach a closest rest camp which was 55 miles away, getting a ticket on the car we asked for the lift from, travelling with the rangers in their open air rescue gypsy to get our car lifted out, paid some through our nose and some under the table to get out of the situation. All in all I quite rate it as an experience worth sharing. Disclaimer: please do never try it yourself.

Lets get Lost - Myanmar Edition!

Myanmar, originally referred to Burma, is a third world country. I didn’t even know what it meant before it actually happened to me. I don’t know if I am a good persuader or if it’s just his love that got us all set to explore. Explore without any reservations and itinerary as we weren’t looking for chilled beer by the sea instead looking forward to explore the real raw side in it’s true spirit. Its definitely far away from an ideal holiday destination one desires for and no matter how much you would love to think you are prepared for it… You never are.

Puts me to surprise on how could a country ruled by an Army general be so f**ked up. Lot of them have come to believe that their country can actually be run better by a foreigner (I was surprised to hear this from a number of locals from various parts of the country). Locals hate the government and trust me they do it for the right reason. Most of the available options to do with a field in comfort is owned by government and has no scope of opportunity to the public. A country which stopped progressing from the point human started inventions for comfort.

For instance, there are banks but neither does it have ATMs or related services nor does it allow any kind of exchange outside the country. “Cash in hand” is what you have as “cash for survival” (but the place is pretty safe.. I remember this evening when I was walking pass and a guy and his son is sitting and counting 5kyat bundles without the fear of being robbed). A US dollar crisp ironed note is the only form of foreign money that Burmese register. And for the little uninformed lot like me…. Well there is literally just very few places in the whole country(Yangon) where they exchange foreign currency or do a credit card ‘hawala’ (you pay to some account in Thailand and they pay you Kyat equivalent) with a cost that comes with a 30% flat commission.

An air conditioned room but no electricity.. SIM cards that doesn’t fit into your phone (usually across the world, you buy a phone and for the phone you buy a SIM. In Myanmar, you buya SIM and for the SIM you buy a phone)… Computers but no Internet (Till last year the locals cant have an email ID/facebook as most of the sites were blocked)… Roads but no public transport (Hands off to the buses we have travelled there for long hours with no suspension, no windows, 40degrees+temperature, and world class pollution)… Education but no schools.

The only hope seems like Aung San Suu kyi. A Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy(NLD) in Burma detained under house arrest for 20 years. With the old army general gone, thecountry is slowly opening to the concept of democracy. One can see a lot ofpublic rallies supporting the cause in even the smallest of cities in Burma and we were fortunate enough to participate in one of them to support the cause.

Myanmar is really hot(40 degrees+ C) in most parts throughout the year so the faster you stop bothering on the heat and ignoring the sweat the more you start enjoying the place.

Monasteries form the main source of education here… It is also a place you want to stay for few days as the calmness is unbeatable. Its compulsory for everyone to serve in a monastery for atleast a week. Many leave after they finish their education and other schools to spend their life there.  There are so many monks you would find all around. I spoke to many and they talk about a different flavour of life. Worth an experience.

A typical morning in Myanmar would start with hundreds of scooters oozing out tons of smoke, men and women rushing on and around the street, Baghes(cart run by horses) and bicycle convertibletaxis (yes you got me right… like the convertible BMWs and not to miss it cantake 2 people and 2 big backpacks on it), people gathered around taparees(small shops), monks asking for bheeksha (servings of any type). One thing common among all – Tanakha (yellow powder) on their face and shirt &sarong.

Local food comprises of a larger portion of rice and little meat. Lot of variety of street food isavailable most of which is fried but tasty. Local beer is Mandalay and Myanmar and the best is Star Cola (like Coca Cola).. Did enjoy a lot of it.

Commute forms the toughest part of one’s stay here(unless you choose to fly but then you miss out on all the local fun like women throwing bananas on to you when you are standing on one side of the river and you throwing money back on them to the other side.. ahh what fun) Speed ferries can take you to different places through a river though again it’s as slow as it could get (like a 100 miles in5 hrs). Petrol pumps are hard to find but you would spot a lot of locals selling loose bottled petrol all around the country.

Not to miss with all these odds the Burma trail is still worth every pain I went through. Yangon,Bagan, Kalaw, Inle Lake, Mandalay, Putao, and NGAPALI Beach. Every place is a true treat in some or the other way.

The pagodas are outstanding .. You can actually get on top of one of the tallest pagoda in Bagan and see thousands of pagodas all over… Balloon trip in bagan is expensive but bliss to eyes. Ngapali beach is close to Yangon and is the best beach to visit though its really hot most of the time. Kalaw is a hippie paradise. Hill station with very notorious feel to it. In season you can see the opium white flowers covering the mountains but no one ofcourse talks about it. The 3 day 2night trek from kalaw to Inle lake is not to be missed. It gets you as close to the nature as one can get with an experience staying with local family and a monastery the night after. Inle lake is all about getting over the heat, enjoying a true vacation with a boat ride on the floating market and a hot spring. Staying inthe houseboats are also an option available. You will freeze in Putao with most beautiful and rock icy treks and sights to visit.

I am really happy I did it just before the country opened to trade. I would say it is one of the hardest places to travel cheap but behind the challenge lies the real pleasure. Pleasure of taking the risk to experience.

OZORA – The psychedelic Tribal Gathering. Welcome to Paradise… Welcome to my World.

This festival lives up to the theme in its true spirit. The era of back to basics into the wild can only give an experience of a lifetime. The most striking part of this festival is it's ability to instantly make you fall in love. And if you don’t, I still love you J. Ultimately you get to stay in this ‘like lost fascinating world’ with lots of music, hippies, meditation, performances, art, food, activities.. to dance, to laugh, to love, and to live.  It was an experience I could never explain neither forget.

The festival was spread in acres of land over a lush green valley with open wooden showers. Imagine bathing under the trees and the sun in ice cold water. Your skin glows with its rays. The area spoils you with camping space. All and us camped with our campervans, tents, sleeping bags, blankets and made a home away from home by setting up a patio, garden, inflatable pool and kitchen. Lots of sunflower in my garden I must say. Come on..You live there for 5 days and sometimes more. It took us around 20 mins to walk from the place where we camped to the nearest music stage. Storm will come every day with lots of lightening, clouds, wind, rain and mud. But nothing can stop you. Slowly, you build a connect with everyone and everything in the festival. You spend your days resolving the bigger questions in life i.e. the direction of the wind while cooking, time of the storm and filling up before that, distance to various amenity points etc. 

The Ozorian Prophet, a daily newspaper was the only source of information available around. It had everything you wanted to know about OZORA which seemed to be like your life at the time.  Loved the paper.

Main stage, a place for trance lovers, a place I can spend my life dancing. Music, mud, dance, colours and smiles is all I can remember. I am still smiling.. Your heart follows your steps through the high frequency beats. Dance and smile, dance and smile, dance and smile till you reach a point when the stage takes an hour break from the music and you still find yourself dancing and smiling.

Chill out stage had more relaxing yogi music. We spent most of our zombie time eating and napping here. The breeze and the sand makes it a perfect place to sleep.  Music heals you here to go back to it again.

Pumpui was literally a huge tent with beats slower than the main stage but faster than the chill out stage. Lots of trees, straw and shade around. Music was closest to food and alcohol in here. It was a rest point for me between my campsite and main stage. I did all my poi practice here.. I am getting better.

Circus was the stage for everyone who wanted to perform. Fire shows, theater, dance, puppetry - you name it and it was there. It might not gain many brownie points for the presentation but was definitely worth your time for the effort. I was thoroughly entertained. Let’s go to the circus baby.. Its 20:00 already.. we will get late.. walk fast.. finally we are here on time.. lie down like a king and enjoy the goodness.

Magic Garden, a huge area comprising of Dragon Nest, Chambok house, Wheel of wisdom, Haven, Pyramid, Dragon arora and a few more. There was an official entrance to this garden (which was not really a garden) that had a little hut with magic garden written on it. There were so many little things like carvings on the trees, patterns and designs made out of stone, wood, stick, rope, colours etc, wooden bridge made in a shape of dragon face for no real reason, psychedelic paintings at the most random places you won’t notice otherwise and the huge wooden man. Such attention to details. Efforts of so many people to give something back to the festival over years have made this place like heaven. And you are always welcome to add your edition in this creative world.

Dragon Nest was one of my favorites. So much to do in such little time. The huts were made in the way that formed a dragon nest. Learning different types of massages, henna, information of universe and alignment, games, painting, cooking, pottery, wood carving, clay designs, body paints, glass designs was learning at a different level. Instrumental music was mostly played here with few performances every once in a while. We drank water from the taps around and it seemed more fresh than the distilled water.

Chambok House was the meditation centre. Lectures and documentaries on healing, calligraphy, psychedelic culture, sacral geometry, permaculture  were held here. Shoes not allowed inside, and silence to the extent that the place used to eco.

Wheel of Wisdom was like an arena that had concentric circles and lines made up of wood and stones symbolising the alignment of universe and human. There was a open area around it explaining the native American and Indian wheel rituals. Learning little history and beliefs is always fascinating.

Haven was a treatment centre. Name a message type and it was here. Thai, ma-uri, ayurveda, aroma, acupressure, cupping was a bliss to learn. Of course you can get massages while learning as long as you don’t get too greedy. And indeed even a quick massage will do wonders after dancing for hours.

Labyrinth was the best place to get lost. This maze was on top of a hill in the middle of corn fields. With the bushes growing taller than you and fresh corns hanging all around, your only hope was the sound of people talking from the centre of the maze. We did manage to reach the centre from where there were 7 ways out. There were lot of maze and marble games to play in the centre and the way.  Playing the drums made up of tins did give me the feel of a musician.

Restaurants or rather shacks had cold beer, water and so much to drink and eat. Food was everywhere from every part of the world. Tibetan food in Hungary was hard to believe for me but as I said, you name it… you have it.

Flee market was the little shopping bliss in the area. They had all the junky stuff one could imagine. They were selling so many things from India.. so beautiful and gypsy. 500 mts of straight mud road with shops on both sides and so many junkie things to explore was an experience money can’t buy.

Other facilities included a 24/7 Cigarette shop, medical centre, and any other help you might look for. 

Welcome to Paradise… Welcome to my World.