Saraswati Puja in Varanasi

This week is Saraswati's birthday, and everyone in Varanasi is celebrating this holiday on the Ganges.

India….I’m trying to understand this country…or maybe just come to terms with it, since I don’t think anyone can fully understand India.

Since I came to India, I have felt sexually harassed constantly. I am stared at…I am leered at, from under sleazy moustaches and sunken brows. I am propositioned by big bellied sweater-vested old guys, and young tightly panted young guys alike on a regular basis. This is gross. It almost seems like saying a simple “Namaste” to any male is taken as an invitation to grope me/sleep with me. Several of my students have already had negative groping experiences in India…at clothing shops, by tailors, at fruit stands, in market places, everywhere. This is gross. What’s up with this?



The only explanation I can fathom is that India is a contradiction. These past 2 days have been a festival for Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and music.
Last night, I walked around my neighborhood with 2 American males. We stumbled in and out of several celebrations in front of Saraswati murtis. At one event, there was loud bhangra music blasting and we were invited to dance. I sat and watched, knowing that if I danced with males it would be an open invitation, again, for groping. I am already viewed as a “sexually open” white woman….and I don’t want to perpetuate the stereotype.

Finally a young girl eagerly approached me and asked me to dance with her. This was fine and appropriate, somewhat. It still attracted a crowd of creepy staring males, but at least she fended off all of the guys if they approached me, and yelled at them fiercely in Hindi if they encroached within 5 feet of me. She was awesome.

Tonight is the big ceremony. All day crowds have been rolling Saraswati murtis on chariots through town and down to the ghats to dump into the river. The music is wonderful. They are throwing colors at everyone. There are smiles on people’s faces. I wanted to join the festivities, or at least watch the cultural show. Let’s remember this is a religious festival. How bad could it be?

I walked down to the river with a female friend, and quickly realized we were just about the only women at the event (with hundreds of men) except for one Auntie-ji in a sari standing at a distance. I quickly became overly conscious of my bodyily space, and stuck out my elbows in defense. Teenage boys were wildly gyrating and thrusting their pelvises in an overly sexualized manner.

I adventured down to the river, and was approached by a boat captain, asking if I wanted to go out on a boat ride. I told him I wanted to ride with Saraswati. He told me that wasn’t a good idea because everyone is drunk and they will try to touch me. I said, “isn’t this a religious festival?” He said, “Everyone is having fun and drinking.” I decided against the boat ride, and wondered off to where a murti was being launched. A group of several young guys started to surround my friend and I. A man ran up and started yelling at all the guys in Hindi. He then turned to us and told us to leave right away. He said it wasn’t safe for us to be there, and, again, that guys were drunk and would try to touch us. We fled.

So the contradictions? Woman can’t attend a festival devoted to the devi, because the men do not respect women as they parade around the murti of Saraswati. Men are drinking alcohol (which is usually very taboo) to celebrate the religious ceremony. They dump the Saraswati murtis into the Ganges each year during the festival. In the newspaper that same night, I read an article about however many hundreds of thousands of rupees are being spent to clean up the trash from the Ganges.

The whole night made me feel uncomfortable. Our hotel manager told us to be sure to lock our doors. The music and dancing kept me awake all night. Maybe I am just being silly, and overly negative…maybe not. Today my friend asked me, “If there was one thing you could change about India, what would it be?” I responded, “Respect women in public places, so they don’t risk sexual molestation each time the leave the house.” I’m also tired of seeing wieners on a regular basis because men are urinating everywhere…

Ragigudda Hanuman Temple in Bangalore

Wheeling around tight corners, through market places and tons of traffic, I finally arrived at the Ragigudda Temple in Bangalore after about an hour drive from my guest house. The Ragigudda Temple is a Hanuman temple, with murtis of Rama and Sita also. After re-reading the Ramayana upon my arrival to India, I decided I needed to pay homage at this temple. The temple is somewhat like an amusement park, as you are herded through lines from one murti image to the next.

This is my rickshaw driver who zoomed me through Bangalore. Riding in Rickshaws is a scary business in India. I came to the realization though, that you most likely won't die in a rickshaw accident. Despite the craziness on the roadways, there seems to be some sort of order. I dub rickshaws as excellent driver, actually because they can wheel around cars and motorbikes in the smallest spaces unscathed.


This is the entrance to the Ragigudda Temple in Bangalore. This temple is closed from 2-5 everyday, so keep that in mind when you visit.

(Sign in Kanada and English. Kanada is the local language of Karnataka state, and has it's own script.)

The Ragigudda temple is situated on the top of a huge rock formation. Perhaps this was a holy place before the construction of the temple.

Indian Beauty and Fat women

I am having trouble uploading photos due to slow internet connections. So sorry for this.....but at least I have internet at all now.

India has an interesting conception of weight. It seems that bigger is better.

I’ll hypothetically say that perhaps this stems from a culture of poverty, where food is scarce, and most lower caste people are very thin. Thinness is a sign of poverty. Thinness is a sign that you probably do physical labor for work. Fatness is a sign of prosperity. Fatness is probably a sign that you don’t do much for work. I think for Western women traveling to India this is an important concept to grasp, lest you be offended time and time again about your weight.

In the United States, it is very impolite to talk to a woman about her weight and body size. Women are easily offended by this. Also, thin is best, and fat is grotesque. Our economy feeds on forcing women to believe that a thin body is sexy.

In India, fat women are yearned for, to say the least. Women in saris proudly protrude their naked bellies, and having a healthy appetite is preferred.

When I returned to India recently, it was a little disconcerting for me, until I recognized this cultural trait. Upon reuniting with former teachers and mentors, many of them commented on how much I have matured, and complimented on how I have gained weight. “Oh, how nice! It is a good thing you have gained weight!” Or from a very dear female mentor, “You have gained weight since the last time you were here! You are looking so sexy now!” I was totally thrown off by those curveballs, but I’ll take it. In my Western perception of myself and beauty, I really hope I haven’t been gaining weight though (although, I have been scarfing down massive amounts of paneer masala, dosa, roti, and other delicious Indian cuisines).

Back in Bangalore, India

Arrival to India…..

Forgive my lack of writing lately, despite my promises. I have no idea why Bangalore is called the "IT capitol" of India, considering I can barely ever find a decent internet connection here.

Familiar smells of Bangalore, something like incense and flowers and exhaust fumes and bidis and urine….

I didn’t miss Bangalore until I came back this time. I never wanted to return to Bangalore….Maybe I still don’t want to return to Bangalore…but this time I came to India with a different mentality…Maybe because I know I didn’t like it last time, I have a more realistic view of what India and Bangalore will be. I’m not necessarily searching for the same things I wanted last time. This time I just want to make the best of it….I want to make sure my group survives, and that they have a good experience….Maybe I am not as selfish as I was last time. I was idealistic and wanted to see everything and do everything…..This time I have 2 goals to keep me more balanced- 1. Buy some beautiful Salwar Kameez and Saris, and 2. Go on pilgrimage for the last week in India.

I think these are sufficient to tide me over, so that I do not leave disappointed again. Often we are searching for something that we think will be somewhere, but it really just isn’t there.

Hello India. Nice to see you again. Lets be friends this time.

Snorkeling and Vacation in Bang Bao Ko Chang Thailand

Today was a vacation day for me. I travel a lot, but I rarely have a stereotypical "vacation" experience. Most of my travels are for more academic purposes, delving into cultures, volunteering, visiting temples, etc. Today I took a break and decided to go snorkeling off the coast of Bang Bao on Ko Chang in southern Thailand. There are several companies in Bang Bao that offer snorkeling trips. I found a company that takes you out on a boat to 2 spots (lunch included) for the day for 700 Baht (around $23 USD).

(I'm on a boat and it's going fast and I have a nautical themed pashmina afghan (not really))

Snorkeling is really an awesome experience, swimming around with the fishes in the open water, surrounded by miles and miles of blue. It took me a few minutes to get use to breathing underwater, which is just not a normal thing for the human body.

(Applying sunscreen to prevent sunburn in Thailand)

Sunscreen is a must for my pale princess skin. I burn to a crisp in about 2.5 seconds under the Thai sun. Luckily in Thailand pale is considered beautiful. Oh yeah!

This is the front of our fishing boat.

Bang Bao Ko Chang Thailand

I haven’t written anything on my blog for the majority of my time abroad in the last few months. I guess I get bogged down with doing other things, and then want to write about what I have already experienced, and end up just not writing at all. I think I need to make a conscious effort to just write, and not be worried that I won’t write about all of the amazing experiences I am having. I also feel pressured to write decent essays, instead of just writing unpolished journal entries…also not so good for keeping a blog. This is the beginning of my concerted effort to write more, I promise, half way.

(The Pier at Bang Bao Ko Chang, Thailand)

Currently I am watching the sun set over the island of Koh Chang in southern Thailand. I have been in Thailand for over two months now, and my time here is coming to an end. I had never been to the south or the beaches before. My entirety ( almost 5 months total) of time spent here has been in the north. I love the north. I loved it so much last time I was here that I didn’t leave, even though I had planned to travel south.

This year I dragged my feet out of the north and headed south. I miss the north already and can see noticeable differences between the two, but so far I’m enjoying myself and can’t really complain. I went to Koh Chang in search of a little paradise. I went all the way to the southern tip of the island to a little fishing village called Bang Bao. To sum up in one word, it is quaint. The village hasn’t been overrun by the regular half naked farang tourists yet (although some are here). I’m happy to see that there are also many vacationing Thai tourists here, with their families, or young couples.

(Sunset at Bang Bao, Koh Chang, Thailand)

The town is situated around a pier with seafood restaurants, kitchy shops, diving tour places, and fishing boats. My hotel is also on the pier, where I can here the soft rolling of ocean waves under my bed at night. How awesome is that??????

I’ve walked around this area a little bit. Yesterday I visited a beach nearby and sunned myself like a big lizard. Today I climbed over craggy rock cliffs, and found a remote place to strip down and jump off of rocks into turquoise colored water (although, I was a little afraid at first because there were schools of fish swimming around and lots of crabs). The rest of the afternoon was spent napping underneath the palm trees featured in the above photograph. Truly idyllic.

Taiwanese Hipster Haircuts

Photo of the Day: Hipster Haircuts- Hair cuts and hairstyles are a huge deal here in Taiwan. The Hair salons are almost like clubs, with bumping techno music and trendy kids hanging out. Guys and girls alike are really really into their hair. This is a picture outside of a hair salon with a few pictures of hairstyles.

For more of my pictures from Taiwan please visit my Travel Photo Blog at http://travelerphotos.blogspot.com

Long Shan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan

I visited Long Shan Temple this week, which is one of my favorite temples in Taipei. It was built by immigrants from Fujian Province, China in the 1700's. This temple represents Chinese popular religion. It is a mix of Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism-- ""San jiao heyi" - which means three teachings make one. The deity on the main alter is Guan Yin, who is a Chinese representation of the Avalokitesvara Buddha, the Buddha of Compassion. Another main deity found in this temple is Mazu, who is a folk deity popular in Taiwan and Chinese fisherman culture.



In this video the congregation is chanting Buddhist Sutras, and making offerings of fruit and incense. I had never been to this temple before while they were chanting. It is always very powerful to hear a collective voice praying. Last time I visited this temple, I took tons of photos. This time I tried to take several videos to capture the activity and sounds of the temple, which were more striking than the well composed, beautiful photographs I could have taken. I think the video is a better representation of the sentiments of being inside the temple.

For more photos of Long Shan Temple, please visit my photo blog at http://travelerphotos.blogspot.com

Egg Dough Crepe, Taiwan

My photo of the day today is a picture of an Egg dough crepe. These are delicious!!!!! I have had 2 in the past 2 days. I had my first egg dough crepe near the train station in Shanghai...Now I am happy to be eating egg dough crepes again in Taiwan.

For more of my photos please visit: http://travelerphotos.blogspot.com/
I have recently added a few more photos of Taiwan. For now, please enjoy the photos while I contemplate things to write, and try to wait for a free moment to spend writing.

Gay Taiwan: Photo of the Day

I just arrived in Taiwan today. I am staying at an apartment near Xi Men district. It is a very trendy place for young people to hang out in Taipei, and there also seems to be a large gay community here. I walked around all afternoon checking the new digs. This was the funniest sign I saw all day!

(Gay Taipei - "A Piece of Gayke" whatever that means)