[A bit of free writing from my journal, just a few hours old]
It is my second day back in New York, but it almost feels like I never left. Of course, time went on in New York in my absence, but it still feels like nothing has changed but me. Being on the morning rush hour train didn't feel quite as crowded or dirty as it used to. I feel quite underwhelmed by this city now, and I miss Dharamsala with every atom. I had lunch with Andy this afternoon and he said he's never seen me looking so great, that my aura has been revitalized. I went to the Rubin Museum after lunch and walked around, saw statues and thangkas and other artifacts. It was a small comfort, but not too impressive after having been in India and seeing what the temples had on display. Right now I'm sitting at the flagpole in Union Square killing time until I can pick up my photos I had developed this morning. I've never felt so heartsick in all my life. There is a heaviness weighin on my chest that is beyond my capacity to express. I can try to explain to my friends how I feel, but I think they're probably mostly baffled by it. I feel like I've abandoned a lover. I'm not interested in anyone or anything I see. Everything here seems so vapid; the merchandise, the fashion, the conversation. And I ran into Michael at the Bean this morning. I was telling him how amazing the trip was and how much I loved it; he said he would have to put the pressure on so I get my senior work done. It didn't seem like the right time to tell him I no longer want him to be my advisor. But if I intend to pursue graduate work in Tibetan studies, and I do, then it seems like a waste of time to write about anything else. So I'm going to do what I have to do and hopefully the school will cooperate with me. I also briefly mentioned to Grandma my intention to move to Dharamsala once I finish college, and she said how she thinks I should do Birth Right before I get too old to. It was kind of random, but even if I spend a year in Dharamsala I'll still have enough time afterwards to still do Birth Right. I am so drained right now, physically and emotionally. The time difference is kicking my ass. It's already 3:30 am in India, and my body feels it, too. I really just want to go back to the apartment and rest, but I have to wait another hour for my photos. I could wait until tomorrow but I'm already here and one more hour won't kill me, though I really wish I could go somewhere to lie down. But if I did, I would run the risk of falling asleep for hours. My ass is numb from sitting on this stone and I'm so tired of sitting in cafes and paying too much for tea just because I want somewhere to sit for an hour or two, but I'm too tired to walk around, and browsing in stores seems pointless. I have nothing else to do but just wait. Interestingly enough, without even noticing, I sat directly on top of the Indiana stone around the flagpole. I miss Tibetans.
I am in a fucking bardo state. I just want to go back to where I feel at home!
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Regretfully Yours,
Owing to sporadic access to the internet and a very inflexible schedule of class, study, and excursions, I will be refraining from further updates until I return from India. I will transcribe my journal entries and post photos when I get back to New York. For now, I will let your imagination fill in the gaps.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Mystery Tour
Today's events (times are approximate):
5:30am: Dawn/awaking
7:30am: Breakfast
9-11am: Bus ride to Old Delhi and tour of the Red Fort
11:30am: Attempted visit to the largest mosque in India before afternoon services, only to discover that it was closed to non-Muslims owing to the death of the former Imam.
A huge flock of large black birds was circling over the mosque. Eerie.
11:45am: Lunch for meat eaters at Karim's (famous) Moghul restaurant. Mutton kebab, mutton byriani, mutton curry shared by the four carnivores in our group.
The mutton was most certainly freshly slaughtered, probably locally acquired from one of the many streets lined with idle sheep tied to walls. The vegetarians had paneer, vegetable curry, daal, and we all shared rice and butter naan. The naan continues to be the best I've ever had in my life.
12:30-2pm: Attempt to find tea stall down an alley only to find it closed. Pestered by beggar child. While my back was turned to him I heard a loud smack, but ignored it thinking the boy had (for whatever inexplicable reason) clapped his hands to get us to pay attention to him. As it turns out, a nearby man had smacked him upside the head for harrassing us. He walked off for a little while but hung around near us, then when we walked away he continued to follow us. While we were standing at the mouth of the alley, he kept putting his hand out saying, "Please money, please money" in the most pitifully obnoxious way. I simply ignored him, while our professor told him no and to go away in Hindi. Then we were again split into two groups and received two envelopes each with pieces of paper on which were written new locations in Hindi for us to find. The first was another Sikh temple, though smaller than the one from the day before. To get there we had to walk down this dirt road, which was lined on both sides with tarps under which sat appallingly impoverished people. This teeny tiny little boy wearing all yellow and wearing the white cap of Islam started talking to and strutting down the street with us. He was probably 4 or 5, but was completely alone just running at the mouth saying who knows what. Eventually we reached a main road at the end of the winding parade of severe poverty. We got further directions and walked down this sidewalk lined with stalls while we were harrassed by merchants trying to lure us into their store. Finally we reached the temple, leaving our shoes outside, stepping in the water before crossing the threshhold, then pulling our scarves over our heads. Then we sat in the main room for a while and enjoyed the men singing and playing music, watching worshippers pay their respects. Afterwards we asked directions to the next location, which turned out to be a Jain temple we had seen earlier from across the street at the Red Fort.
We again checked our shoes outside the entrance, then went in the gate. Unlike the Sikh temple, the grounds were disgusting. Dirty and covered in pigeon shit. We tried to get inside to the temple but it turned out they were hosing it down and the gates up into it were closed. It was so filthy outside we left after about 5 minutes. We put our shoes on, tipped the attendant 10 rupees, then got in a tuktuk and went back to the hotel. On the road we passed a shanty town with naked children sleeping on dirty blankets outside of shacks while older children and adults either sat around or walked between shacks in dirty clothes. We also passed a rickshaw stable full of horses and donkeys. When we got back to the hotel, we retired to our respective rooms.
2pm-3pm: watched BBC World News/Discovery Channel
3pm-4pm: napped
4pm: wake up call
5:40pm: woke up to my teacher calling to ask if I'd be joining the group to discuss our discoveries from earlier, having fallen right back to sleep after receiving my wake up call.
5:40-6:30pm: discussion
6:45pm-8pm: dinner at Kwality Restaurant, typical North Indian cuisine. I got to hold my professors' baby, Isabella. She really liked me. Enough so that her father got slightly jealous when Bella's mother said, she likes you because you're nice and fun. He said, "I'm nice and fun."
8pm-12:30am: walked back to the hotel, said goodnight to our teachers, then hung out in one of our rooms, smoking, talking, and then ordered Benson and Hedges, Kingfisher, and hot milk to satisfy the various cravings of the five of us. Group bonding, yay.
Tomorrow we are taking a tour in the morning of New Delhi, then after lunch we have the afternoon free to roam about and go shopping for handicrafts and souvenirs.
5:30am: Dawn/awaking
7:30am: Breakfast
9-11am: Bus ride to Old Delhi and tour of the Red Fort
11:30am: Attempted visit to the largest mosque in India before afternoon services, only to discover that it was closed to non-Muslims owing to the death of the former Imam.
A huge flock of large black birds was circling over the mosque. Eerie.11:45am: Lunch for meat eaters at Karim's (famous) Moghul restaurant. Mutton kebab, mutton byriani, mutton curry shared by the four carnivores in our group.
The mutton was most certainly freshly slaughtered, probably locally acquired from one of the many streets lined with idle sheep tied to walls. The vegetarians had paneer, vegetable curry, daal, and we all shared rice and butter naan. The naan continues to be the best I've ever had in my life.12:30-2pm: Attempt to find tea stall down an alley only to find it closed. Pestered by beggar child. While my back was turned to him I heard a loud smack, but ignored it thinking the boy had (for whatever inexplicable reason) clapped his hands to get us to pay attention to him. As it turns out, a nearby man had smacked him upside the head for harrassing us. He walked off for a little while but hung around near us, then when we walked away he continued to follow us. While we were standing at the mouth of the alley, he kept putting his hand out saying, "Please money, please money" in the most pitifully obnoxious way. I simply ignored him, while our professor told him no and to go away in Hindi. Then we were again split into two groups and received two envelopes each with pieces of paper on which were written new locations in Hindi for us to find. The first was another Sikh temple, though smaller than the one from the day before. To get there we had to walk down this dirt road, which was lined on both sides with tarps under which sat appallingly impoverished people. This teeny tiny little boy wearing all yellow and wearing the white cap of Islam started talking to and strutting down the street with us. He was probably 4 or 5, but was completely alone just running at the mouth saying who knows what. Eventually we reached a main road at the end of the winding parade of severe poverty. We got further directions and walked down this sidewalk lined with stalls while we were harrassed by merchants trying to lure us into their store. Finally we reached the temple, leaving our shoes outside, stepping in the water before crossing the threshhold, then pulling our scarves over our heads. Then we sat in the main room for a while and enjoyed the men singing and playing music, watching worshippers pay their respects. Afterwards we asked directions to the next location, which turned out to be a Jain temple we had seen earlier from across the street at the Red Fort.
We again checked our shoes outside the entrance, then went in the gate. Unlike the Sikh temple, the grounds were disgusting. Dirty and covered in pigeon shit. We tried to get inside to the temple but it turned out they were hosing it down and the gates up into it were closed. It was so filthy outside we left after about 5 minutes. We put our shoes on, tipped the attendant 10 rupees, then got in a tuktuk and went back to the hotel. On the road we passed a shanty town with naked children sleeping on dirty blankets outside of shacks while older children and adults either sat around or walked between shacks in dirty clothes. We also passed a rickshaw stable full of horses and donkeys. When we got back to the hotel, we retired to our respective rooms.2pm-3pm: watched BBC World News/Discovery Channel
3pm-4pm: napped
4pm: wake up call
5:40pm: woke up to my teacher calling to ask if I'd be joining the group to discuss our discoveries from earlier, having fallen right back to sleep after receiving my wake up call.
5:40-6:30pm: discussion
6:45pm-8pm: dinner at Kwality Restaurant, typical North Indian cuisine. I got to hold my professors' baby, Isabella. She really liked me. Enough so that her father got slightly jealous when Bella's mother said, she likes you because you're nice and fun. He said, "I'm nice and fun."
8pm-12:30am: walked back to the hotel, said goodnight to our teachers, then hung out in one of our rooms, smoking, talking, and then ordered Benson and Hedges, Kingfisher, and hot milk to satisfy the various cravings of the five of us. Group bonding, yay.
Tomorrow we are taking a tour in the morning of New Delhi, then after lunch we have the afternoon free to roam about and go shopping for handicrafts and souvenirs.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Delhi Meats
I arrived in Delhi last night around 9pm, but by the time I went through the Swine Flu Health Check, Immigration, Baggage Claim, and Customs, it was almost 10pm. Outside of Customs I was met by a representative from Sea and Sky Travel, the company the college has employed as our "travel liason", who led me to a cab and sent me on my way because he had to wait for the last of our group to arrive at the airport shortly following me. When I got outside, the first thing I noticed was the dust. The second thing was the full moon. Not only was it a full moon, but it was also the Dalai Lama's birthday. Auspicious timing for an arrival, to say the least.
When I arrived at the Hans Plaza Hotel in central Delhi, the incompetent concierge had no record of a reservation under my name, so the taxi driver had to call the agent from Sea and Sky to talk to the hotel and finally I was given a room key after about 15 minutes of frustration and confusion. Owing to the excitement of being in a profoundly unfamiliar environment and the 9 and a half hour time difference, I was unable to sleep right away, and so waited until my roommate arrived around 1am. After we settled in and contacted our respective relatives to inform them of our safe arrival, we visited the 24hr hotel cafe for what would be a relatively timely dinner were we in New York, but considering it was 3am in India, seemed to be a curiosity to our waiters.
We returned to our room mentally drained, but physically unaccustomed to the time difference. I was unable to sleep until after sunrise, at 5:30am. My roommate awoke around 6am and proceeded, perhaps out of restlessness, to get ready for the day. By 6:30 the sounds of her moving around the room woke me from a bizarre dream (which are one of the common side effects of the anti-malarial I am taking) and was unable to fall back asleep. I watched BBC World News after showering and dressing while waiting until it was time to meet my teachers and fellow classmates at 9:30 for breakfast and orientation. By 12:30 we dispersed for a few minutes to freshen up before attending a group lunch at the United Coffee House. The food was outstanding, perfectly spiced and served with the best naan I think I have ever eaten. After lunch, generously paid for by the college, the five of us were split into two groups and each given the name of a different nearby destination which was written on a piece of paper in Hindi. Our task was to find a stranger and get directions to the designated location and record the sights, sounds, smells, and overall atmosphere of the place.
My partner and I got directions from several strangers then walked the 25 minutes or so to what turned out to be an enormous Sikh temple, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, the largest Sikh temple in Delhi. First, we had to check our shoes outside the temple walls, then step into a shallow pool of water at the entrance to wash our feet. We walked barefoot around the perimeter of a huge pool where devotees were bathing, which was set in the middle of an even larger courtyard, paved with a black and white marble mosaics, red woven rugs drenched in water running the length of each side and intersecting at perpindicular angles. The enclosure was walled in by open-air corridors where some worshippers sat in groups, some lay sleeping in the shade, and others walked about. Then we went inside the temple, which was up a flight of marble stairs.
Inside there were small groups of people prostrating in front of a room with large glass windows revealing what appeared to be some kind of shrine covered in brightly colored embroidered cloths, and touching the doorway with their hands and foreheads as a means of obtaining blessings. We went upstairs and walked around a balcony overlooking the main room where more small groups of people were scattered around on a bright red and orange patterned carpeted floor around a platform mounted by several seated musicians. They were singing what we assumed to be prayers, seated on cushions around another altar draped in heavy embroidered cloths, the whole space marked off by a golden railing. We walked around inside for a little while longer, taking photos and observing the worshipers, then trickled outside with the crowds, and walked around a large flagpole draped in orange fabric where people once again were touching with their fingertips and foreheads. Finally, after walking around the fourth side of the pool, we sat for a period in the shade of the open-air corridor. After a few minutes, a teeny little India woman wearing a white sari and a kind smile approached me and started speaking to me in Hindi. I hadn't the vaguest idea what she was saying, so I just kept saying, "I don't understand", "I only speak English", and shake my head and shrugging my shoulders in what I could only assume was the international sign for, "I don't understand". Eventually she wandered off, and my companion and I laughed off our confusion and decided it was probably time to go.
At the threshold to the temple we washed our feet again, traded our little tin coin in for our shoes, and
once we had them on got in a tuktuk, a little three wheel motorized rickshaw which looks as precarious as it feels. We rode it back to the hotel for 50 rupees (about $1) and had the pleasure of being pestered by beggars at every red light. We just ignored them until they either went away or the light changed, whichever happened first, and neither of which ever happened fast enough.
After about an hour's rest, the whole group met for masala tea( which is probably the most delicious drink I have ever had) in the hotel cafe to reveal the mystery locations we discovered and our experiences and reactions to them, followed by a dinner of South India dosas at the Banana Leaf. The sun set while we were at dinner, and as we rounded the corner onto Barakhamba road, a huge, low-hanging yellow full moon appeared in the dusty sky and escorted us back to the hotel.
I am presently back in my hotel, enjoying some black tea with milk before assing out for the night. I will hopefully be able to sleep through most of the night, considering I haven't really slept since my last night in New York, not counting the ambien-induced spell of unconsciousness I had on the flight here.
Tomorrow we are taking a tour all morning of Old Delhi followed by another "special project" involving the locating of a mystery landmark.
When I arrived at the Hans Plaza Hotel in central Delhi, the incompetent concierge had no record of a reservation under my name, so the taxi driver had to call the agent from Sea and Sky to talk to the hotel and finally I was given a room key after about 15 minutes of frustration and confusion. Owing to the excitement of being in a profoundly unfamiliar environment and the 9 and a half hour time difference, I was unable to sleep right away, and so waited until my roommate arrived around 1am. After we settled in and contacted our respective relatives to inform them of our safe arrival, we visited the 24hr hotel cafe for what would be a relatively timely dinner were we in New York, but considering it was 3am in India, seemed to be a curiosity to our waiters.
We returned to our room mentally drained, but physically unaccustomed to the time difference. I was unable to sleep until after sunrise, at 5:30am. My roommate awoke around 6am and proceeded, perhaps out of restlessness, to get ready for the day. By 6:30 the sounds of her moving around the room woke me from a bizarre dream (which are one of the common side effects of the anti-malarial I am taking) and was unable to fall back asleep. I watched BBC World News after showering and dressing while waiting until it was time to meet my teachers and fellow classmates at 9:30 for breakfast and orientation. By 12:30 we dispersed for a few minutes to freshen up before attending a group lunch at the United Coffee House. The food was outstanding, perfectly spiced and served with the best naan I think I have ever eaten. After lunch, generously paid for by the college, the five of us were split into two groups and each given the name of a different nearby destination which was written on a piece of paper in Hindi. Our task was to find a stranger and get directions to the designated location and record the sights, sounds, smells, and overall atmosphere of the place.
My partner and I got directions from several strangers then walked the 25 minutes or so to what turned out to be an enormous Sikh temple, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, the largest Sikh temple in Delhi. First, we had to check our shoes outside the temple walls, then step into a shallow pool of water at the entrance to wash our feet. We walked barefoot around the perimeter of a huge pool where devotees were bathing, which was set in the middle of an even larger courtyard, paved with a black and white marble mosaics, red woven rugs drenched in water running the length of each side and intersecting at perpindicular angles. The enclosure was walled in by open-air corridors where some worshippers sat in groups, some lay sleeping in the shade, and others walked about. Then we went inside the temple, which was up a flight of marble stairs.
Inside there were small groups of people prostrating in front of a room with large glass windows revealing what appeared to be some kind of shrine covered in brightly colored embroidered cloths, and touching the doorway with their hands and foreheads as a means of obtaining blessings. We went upstairs and walked around a balcony overlooking the main room where more small groups of people were scattered around on a bright red and orange patterned carpeted floor around a platform mounted by several seated musicians. They were singing what we assumed to be prayers, seated on cushions around another altar draped in heavy embroidered cloths, the whole space marked off by a golden railing. We walked around inside for a little while longer, taking photos and observing the worshipers, then trickled outside with the crowds, and walked around a large flagpole draped in orange fabric where people once again were touching with their fingertips and foreheads. Finally, after walking around the fourth side of the pool, we sat for a period in the shade of the open-air corridor. After a few minutes, a teeny little India woman wearing a white sari and a kind smile approached me and started speaking to me in Hindi. I hadn't the vaguest idea what she was saying, so I just kept saying, "I don't understand", "I only speak English", and shake my head and shrugging my shoulders in what I could only assume was the international sign for, "I don't understand". Eventually she wandered off, and my companion and I laughed off our confusion and decided it was probably time to go.
At the threshold to the temple we washed our feet again, traded our little tin coin in for our shoes, and
once we had them on got in a tuktuk, a little three wheel motorized rickshaw which looks as precarious as it feels. We rode it back to the hotel for 50 rupees (about $1) and had the pleasure of being pestered by beggars at every red light. We just ignored them until they either went away or the light changed, whichever happened first, and neither of which ever happened fast enough.After about an hour's rest, the whole group met for masala tea( which is probably the most delicious drink I have ever had) in the hotel cafe to reveal the mystery locations we discovered and our experiences and reactions to them, followed by a dinner of South India dosas at the Banana Leaf. The sun set while we were at dinner, and as we rounded the corner onto Barakhamba road, a huge, low-hanging yellow full moon appeared in the dusty sky and escorted us back to the hotel.
I am presently back in my hotel, enjoying some black tea with milk before assing out for the night. I will hopefully be able to sleep through most of the night, considering I haven't really slept since my last night in New York, not counting the ambien-induced spell of unconsciousness I had on the flight here.
Tomorrow we are taking a tour all morning of Old Delhi followed by another "special project" involving the locating of a mystery landmark.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Just a matter of time, now...
I got my Indian visa today. I am astounded by how quickly it was processed. Apparently getting a tourist visa is as simple as applying, no questions asked. I suppose it might not have been so easy had I not been applying from a Western country, but I guess those are the breaks. I'm not fretting nearly as much now. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday to get a tetanus booster and prescription for malaria pills. That's the only other formality before my trip. Everything else is finishing my readings, accumulating supplies and gear, and moving out of my apartment. I'm not really looking forward to the last thing, but I'll probably just sell as many of my books as I can bear to part with, and my bed. I don't really have anything else besides clothes, posters, and bags full of photo prints.
I'm going to India a week from Sunday!!!
I'm going to India a week from Sunday!!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Meet me on the rooftop of the world
I will be spending four weeks here (Dharamsala, India) this summer.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Belated Travel Diaries--Indianapolis to Helsinki (Installment 1)
Last week I returned from a 5 day vacation in LA where I visited my oldest brother. The last time I had flown out of New York to a city besides Indianapolis was two years ago when I traveled to Scandinavia for 12 days with my grandmother. The trip was a reward for making Dean's List both semesters my second (and last) year at Hofstra University of Long Island. It was my last year because I had applied to transfer to Eugene Lang College in the city. At the time of our departure in late June, I had yet to receive any word from Lang about my acceptance, though I was certain it was in the bag. However, the uncertainty was in the back of my mind as my grandmother and I flew from Indianapolis to JFK for our connecting flight to Helsinki. Also on my mind was the fact that my grandmother had booked the trip through a tour group organization and consequently I would be the youngest in the bunch by, oh, say, 30 or 40 years. I really didn't know what to expect.
Since I returned from LA, I've been thinking about my past travels. I dug out the journal that I kept during the time of the trip and began rereading my entries. I had only written one thing in the blank, black, leather-bound book before leaving Indianapolis. I may have written it while I was packing, but I don't remember.
"I measure my travels by the soles I've worn thin. Under my bed, hidden in boxes, are souvenirs of those places whose streets I've tread. In time I'm sure I'll let them go, but until I have other rubber thin and smooth from wear, I'll keep them with me. Unlike other articles from my past, these still fit no matter how much I grow. From day to day to day."
June 21, 2006
I am currently in the air over Massachusetts or Connecticut. Already I am suffering separation anxiety. Not for Indianapolis, of course, but rather for New York. I didn't so much as step foot in Manhattan, but catching glimpses of the skyline from the Airtrain and during takeoff exhilarated and devastated me. I joked with Grandma that she could just leave me in New York and pick me up on the way home. Sitting in the plane, looking out across the tarmac at the skyline, I couldn't help but think, "This is the city that I love." When we flew over Long Island, I tried looking for Hofstra, but I think I was on the wrong side of the plane. I'm always on the wrong side.
This whole experience doesn't feel real yet, though I've been traveling all day. As soon as we landed in New York I began to feel like myself again. I could not be more grateful or relieved to have escaped the Midwest for the time being. An oppressive weight has been lifted from my spirit. I expect this will be one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life thus far. I imagine the reality of it won't sink in for a few more days. I wasn't even totally acclimated to Indianapolis when we left. But I do enjoy not being tied down to any one particularly spot.
[For those of you who've read some of my other entries, you'll recognize this theme of not wanting to be tied down. My frequent moves in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the utter despair that descends like a fog when I end up in some city or town where I can't get around on foot and end up stranded and restless, forfeiting my self-reliance to whomever takes it upon his or herself to chauffeur me around. What misery.]
June 24, 2006
5:05 AM
We arrived yesterday to our hotel in Helsinki, around 11 or 12 in the afternoon. Grandma and I took
a walk around the streets surrounding the hotel. There was an abundance of hair salons, and we found an optometrist where I could finally have the arm screwed back onto my glasses. While we waited, we explored the Kaampi Center, which is simply a multilevel mall on top of a bus station. While I was there I was excited to hear "One Hit" by the Knife playing in one of the stores. Afterwards we returned to the hotel to nap before dinner, despite our tour leader's suggestion to avoid naps in order to adjust to the time difference. Dinner came after a "welcome drink" where everyone had to introduce themselves to the group. Consistent with my expectations, everyone save for myself was of the AARP crowd.
After dinner we returned to our room where I promptly fell asleep, only to awake at 2AM. Despite all efforts I could not fall back asleep. Grandma also woke up, and thought turning on the TV was a good idea. I chose to read, making it through 50 or so pages of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. After a couple of hours I tried sleeping again, but because Grandma insisted on leaving the TV on so she could sleep, it was a pointless effort; noise and light are keeping me awake.
Today we had breakfast at 7, an information briefing at 8:30, then left for a bus tour of the city at 9:45. We rode through the city down to the Gulf of the Baltic Sea then stopped at an old Lutheran Church built out of a natural granite structure. There was a beautiful organ and humid interior was filled with the smell of wet stone. I took a lot of photos and bought some postcards for those friends I promised to write.
After we boarded the bus again, we drove around, cruising past more sights, stopped for 10 minutes to see a monument erected to Finland's most famous composer (named _________) then we found ourselves passing by the Olympic Stadium.
We stopped one last time for a photo-op of a beautiful and elaborate Lutheran Church in Senate Square, in the center of which was erected a statue of Czar Alexander. Finally we were dropped off at Market Square to browse the stalls for 45 or so minutes until it closed at 1pm. We walked from there to the Esplanande and window shopped all the boutiques which comprise the design district. As the afternoon waned, I successfully navigated me and Grandma back to the hotel despite her second-guessing every move I made.
Because today was Midsummer's Eve, which is a big holiday here in Helsinki, everything was closed except McDonald's, so we had a late lunch there. Because of the currency exchange rate, not only was it the worst McDonald's I've ever eaten, it was likewise the most expensive, with a value meal costing 12-15 USD. After our meal I napped off my stomach ache for a few hours before we left for the Midsummer's Eve Bonfire Festival on the island of Seursari. We spent a couple hours meandering around, ate some peculiar items such as a potato dog, which was essentially a hot dog wrapped in has browns, and also meatballs and little potato balls. None of it was particularly good but in the spirit of new experiences I tried it. I spent most of my time taking pictures, and have already started on my second roll of film.
Tomorrow morning we are on our own, then in the afternoon we leave by plane for Copenhagen. While Helsinki has been different, it has not been particularly exciting, perhaps because it has been a holiday weekend the whole time we've spent here. I am looking forward to the next stop, and I'm glad we only spend a couple days in each place.
Since I returned from LA, I've been thinking about my past travels. I dug out the journal that I kept during the time of the trip and began rereading my entries. I had only written one thing in the blank, black, leather-bound book before leaving Indianapolis. I may have written it while I was packing, but I don't remember.
"I measure my travels by the soles I've worn thin. Under my bed, hidden in boxes, are souvenirs of those places whose streets I've tread. In time I'm sure I'll let them go, but until I have other rubber thin and smooth from wear, I'll keep them with me. Unlike other articles from my past, these still fit no matter how much I grow. From day to day to day."
June 21, 2006
I am currently in the air over Massachusetts or Connecticut. Already I am suffering separation anxiety. Not for Indianapolis, of course, but rather for New York. I didn't so much as step foot in Manhattan, but catching glimpses of the skyline from the Airtrain and during takeoff exhilarated and devastated me. I joked with Grandma that she could just leave me in New York and pick me up on the way home. Sitting in the plane, looking out across the tarmac at the skyline, I couldn't help but think, "This is the city that I love." When we flew over Long Island, I tried looking for Hofstra, but I think I was on the wrong side of the plane. I'm always on the wrong side.
This whole experience doesn't feel real yet, though I've been traveling all day. As soon as we landed in New York I began to feel like myself again. I could not be more grateful or relieved to have escaped the Midwest for the time being. An oppressive weight has been lifted from my spirit. I expect this will be one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life thus far. I imagine the reality of it won't sink in for a few more days. I wasn't even totally acclimated to Indianapolis when we left. But I do enjoy not being tied down to any one particularly spot.
[For those of you who've read some of my other entries, you'll recognize this theme of not wanting to be tied down. My frequent moves in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the utter despair that descends like a fog when I end up in some city or town where I can't get around on foot and end up stranded and restless, forfeiting my self-reliance to whomever takes it upon his or herself to chauffeur me around. What misery.]
June 24, 2006
5:05 AM
We arrived yesterday to our hotel in Helsinki, around 11 or 12 in the afternoon. Grandma and I took
a walk around the streets surrounding the hotel. There was an abundance of hair salons, and we found an optometrist where I could finally have the arm screwed back onto my glasses. While we waited, we explored the Kaampi Center, which is simply a multilevel mall on top of a bus station. While I was there I was excited to hear "One Hit" by the Knife playing in one of the stores. Afterwards we returned to the hotel to nap before dinner, despite our tour leader's suggestion to avoid naps in order to adjust to the time difference. Dinner came after a "welcome drink" where everyone had to introduce themselves to the group. Consistent with my expectations, everyone save for myself was of the AARP crowd.After dinner we returned to our room where I promptly fell asleep, only to awake at 2AM. Despite all efforts I could not fall back asleep. Grandma also woke up, and thought turning on the TV was a good idea. I chose to read, making it through 50 or so pages of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. After a couple of hours I tried sleeping again, but because Grandma insisted on leaving the TV on so she could sleep, it was a pointless effort; noise and light are keeping me awake.
Today we had breakfast at 7, an information briefing at 8:30, then left for a bus tour of the city at 9:45. We rode through the city down to the Gulf of the Baltic Sea then stopped at an old Lutheran Church built out of a natural granite structure. There was a beautiful organ and humid interior was filled with the smell of wet stone. I took a lot of photos and bought some postcards for those friends I promised to write.
After we boarded the bus again, we drove around, cruising past more sights, stopped for 10 minutes to see a monument erected to Finland's most famous composer (named _________) then we found ourselves passing by the Olympic Stadium.
We stopped one last time for a photo-op of a beautiful and elaborate Lutheran Church in Senate Square, in the center of which was erected a statue of Czar Alexander. Finally we were dropped off at Market Square to browse the stalls for 45 or so minutes until it closed at 1pm. We walked from there to the Esplanande and window shopped all the boutiques which comprise the design district. As the afternoon waned, I successfully navigated me and Grandma back to the hotel despite her second-guessing every move I made.Because today was Midsummer's Eve, which is a big holiday here in Helsinki, everything was closed except McDonald's, so we had a late lunch there. Because of the currency exchange rate, not only was it the worst McDonald's I've ever eaten, it was likewise the most expensive, with a value meal costing 12-15 USD. After our meal I napped off my stomach ache for a few hours before we left for the Midsummer's Eve Bonfire Festival on the island of Seursari. We spent a couple hours meandering around, ate some peculiar items such as a potato dog, which was essentially a hot dog wrapped in has browns, and also meatballs and little potato balls. None of it was particularly good but in the spirit of new experiences I tried it. I spent most of my time taking pictures, and have already started on my second roll of film.
Tomorrow morning we are on our own, then in the afternoon we leave by plane for Copenhagen. While Helsinki has been different, it has not been particularly exciting, perhaps because it has been a holiday weekend the whole time we've spent here. I am looking forward to the next stop, and I'm glad we only spend a couple days in each place.
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