Rules for Surviving the Indian Local Bus

Based on our recent local bus experiences, here are some tips for those times when you want to cheap out but still (hopefully) make it across the country…

• NEVER take a bus not originating from your bus stop unless you are okay with standing the whole way.
• Show up early to the bus station and rush the bus when it arrives. It’s important to get a seat in the front of the bus if you have bags… Indians are not kind to people who take up seats and/or floor space for their bags. And don’t bother spreading out too much… chances are incredibly slim that the bus won’t be standing room only (or breathing room only) for at least some of the ride.
• Set aside any delusions that you will have any form of personal space. (Even though the back half of the bus was empty most of the way, people getting on the bus still felt the need to sit with us and our load of stuff.)
• Remember your fan and deo… it’s gonna be hot. Even if you aren’t sweating, the people next to you up against you will be, so it’ll come in handy either way.
• Bring as little as possible with you (unless you’re like us and have just coming off a really wild shopping spree...)
• Pay off the guy to put your bag on the carrier (and get it off!) The guy actually told Rutvik to climb up on top of the bus and get his own bag before Rutvik tipped him 20 rupees (40 cents). This will also incentivize him not to peruse the contents of your bag along the way. (Note: You may assume your bag is safe tied down on top of the bus but we’ve seen many buses along the roads with a roof full of people.)
• Wear plugs or learn to pass out at will in any amount of noise. (The Indian uncle behind Kelli felt the need to lean right into her ear and clear his throat continually throughout the trip and the driver had no qualms about leaving the hazard horn on during all stops.)
• Take food and bottled water with you - you will stop at places where food is a possibility but with your Western immunity (or lack thereof) don’t even think of it… unless your intended next destination is the bathroom.
• Be patient – add a minimum of an hour and a half to your planned arrival time. The driver needs time to slow down on the highway to chat with his friends going the other direction and to size up the young Indian girls getting on the bus.
• Most importantly, have a really strong stomach – maybe even take some anti-nausea meds… and a sedative! The buses, along with the roads, are not always in top shape – and the combo can be pretty scary. As we were going down the mountain from McLeod, with all sorts of hairpin turns and a fair bit of traffic, we were impressed by how each of the drivers seemed to know their exact turning radius. At one turn, our driver decided that he didn’t have enough room to make the turn and tried to back up before completing the turn but the reverse gear wouldn't catch. As he tried, the bus kept inching forward toward the edge. After a few attempts, all the passengers evacuated and watched as the poor driver continued to try. Somebody was smart enough to put rocks under the front of the back tires to prevent the bus from hurtling down the mountain. He finally managed to back up, and, as we were getting back on the bus, we noticed that the force of the bus on the rocks was so huge that it left big dents in the road.
• Anytime something bad happens, look down at your ticket and remember that you’re making it halfway across the country for less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee back home.

Hippies in the Himalayas

We’re now happily situated in a small town in northern India called Bhagsu, near Dharamsala. It’s a beautiful town in the Himalayas and barely feels like India because of the number of foreigners/backpackers and the large number of Tibetan refugees here. Rutvik is one of the few Indians in town that is not a shopkeeper or server! Every storefront here is either a multi-cuisine restaurant, or an ayurveda, yoga, music, or reiki center. We have spent the last three weeks doing an intensive month-long yoga course and tutoring two Tibetan girls in English. This place has really grown on us and we plan to spend another two weeks here before heading back to Mumbai and then on to South Africa.

Dharamsala is known as the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. 2009 actually marks the 50th anniversary of the movement of the Tibetan government to India. One of the first days we were here, we took a Tibetan cooking course from a refugee, who taught us to make all sorts of fancy Tibetan style breads. The recipes were quite simple, but the breads are kind of like origami and really fun to make. These turned out well, but we realized that we were lucky to have picked the day to learn their breads because we have since tried other Tibetan food (small dumplings called momos, Tibetan-style soups called thukpa and thantuk) on several occasions (and really tried hard to like it) and find it barely palatable. The food is VERY bland, though this is somewhat forgivable as we have been told that very little vegetation grows in the native Tibet area, so most dishes are meat-based (like yak), which we obviously aren’t into. We did try the Tibetan butter tea, a mixture of goat milk and yak butter, which must taste better in extreme cold because we couldn’t stomach it. We really tried.

We also spent one Sunday at the small Tibet Museum inside the complex of the Dalai Lama, called the Tsuglagkhang. The museum tells the story of the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1949 and the subsequent Tibetan exodus, mainly to India and Nepal. Neither of us really had much of an understanding of the whole “Free Tibet” movement before we arrived here, but the museum gave us some good background and we have since heard several first hand accounts of people that have made the 2 month trek from Tibet as recently as one year ago. It is a sad situation. China won’t allow the Tibetans to practice their Buddhist traditions or teach their language or culture and are stuffing the former territory of Tibet with Chinese in a further attempt to suppress the culture. Many children are sent here without their parents, who stay back to protect the family’s land in the hopes that Tibet will one day again be autonomous. The refugees must trek through the Himalayas in the dead of winter in an attempt to escape capture by the police. Many lose limbs from frostbite and live here without family, education, or material possessions. Fortunately, it seems that India treats them well, but still the situation is quite tragic. The Dalai Lama is already 74 and has accepted Chinese occupation of Tibet but is getting very desperate to gain autonomy for Tibet before the unique culture truly dies but the Chinese claim that the Tibetan people have been treated fairly and it is unlikely that they will accede to his demands.

We have been tutoring two very sweet Tibetan girls in their early 20s, Dolma and Pooja, in English. They arrived here a little over a year ago from Tibet and spent their childhoods working on their family farms and had never gone to school. Upon their arrival here, they immediately started in a proper school. However, having never been to school, it was too much for them and they both dropped out. They aspire to be shopkeepers one day (and there are plenty of really cool Tibetan handicrafts here to sell), so they realized that they need to be conversational in English to communicate with the foreigners (and Indians too, as their native language is Tibetan). As we had never taught English before and both grew up speaking it, we grabbed a grammar book from the volunteer office to work with but quickly realized that the girls only care to learn how to speak. We spend most of our meetings in a sort of Q&A session, talking slowly and correcting their English word by word. We did get a newspaper one day to try to show them the various sections of the paper and to encourage them to develop more of an awareness of the world. However, the vocabulary was pretty tough and we were taken aback by how little exposure they had to the world. We explained to them who the prime minister of India is, the difference between fact and opinion, what temperature means, etc. It truly amazed us how much we take for granted based on our basic education. Teaching them has really taught us a lot.

We also went to get a blessing from the Karmapa Lama, the second highest ranking lama, who is only 24 years old. Because rumor has it that the Chinese government has the Panchen Lama (who is historically charged with finding the next Dalai Lama when he is reincarnated after his death) and his family in custody hidden somewhere, there is talk that the Karmapa Lama may actually take over the Tibetan government after the Dalai Lama’s passing. The experience of getting the blessing was interesting but anti-climatic. After we registered with our passports at the temple, we watched a group of young monks chanting inside the temple. As they streamed out, chaos ensued as the crowd there to get a blessing from the Karmapa Lama rushed the side entrance to the temple. There was no one really roping in the crowd and Indians love to get right up in your personal space, so it was an exercise in patience to remember the spirit of why we were there. Even inside the temple, we were squashed in a large crowd. Some teachings (seemingly) were played over the loudspeaker but there was no real introduction so we didn’t have much idea what they were talking about. Eventually the Karmapa Lama came out into the temple, sat in a chair, and started chanting a mantra. Again there was no introduction. When he stopped, the crowd stood and got in line to receive his blessing. It was an assembly line and even when you got there, the Karmapa didn't look at you (so it was hard to feel a connection) and he just kind of held out a red bracelet "blessing" for you to tie on yourself. We were later told that he is actually in a deep meditation chanting a mantra during these ceremonies, so his seeming indifference was just our interpretation. A neat experience but not what we were expecting.

Our main activity while we’ve been here has been an intensive one-month yoga course that includes 4+ hours of yoga each day plus an hour lecture each night. The physical part of the yoga has been intense – instead of the vinyasa (flowing) yoga that we were used to in the gym at home, we are learning to hold the poses and to meditate on the flows of energy in our body. We have bent our body in ways we had never thought possible! As a result, our bodies have had various “purification reactions” as we’ve gotten deeper into the poses. The teachers are fantastic and we have been absolutely fascinated by the lecture topics – things like yoga philosophy, energy chakras, ayurveda and all sorts of alternative therapies, purification techniques, vegetarianism, etc…. things you probably wouldn’t hear too many people back in Omaha talking about on the street. The people here are pretty into all of the alternative healing stuff too and we’ve had some great discussions. The female yoga instructor is actually a former NYC belly dancer and Kelli’s had fun going to several of her drop-in classes as well as a women’s shakti retreat to have some girl time for a change. All in all, this is a place where it is easy to get very comfortable and it will be tough to leave in a few days.

Favorites, Shocks, Surprises, etc.

Updated 7/24/2009

Best Experiences
Afternoon Tea at the Burj-al-Arab
Mall of the Emirates and Ski Dubai
Spending Diwali with Rutvik’s family (rangoli drawings on floor, pooja worship ritual, special foods, meeting the family)
Having a cook / chauffeur / laundry person / yoga instructor… someone to wait on our every move
Seeing Russell Peters Live with Rushin and Kaddu
Romantic shikara ride around Kodai Lake
Watching Barack Obama win the US Presidential Election in Periyar
Chilling for the day on a houseboat in the Kerala backwaters
Getting certified in massage in Ko Pha Ngan
Beach parties on the Thai islands, especially the Full Moon Party on Ko Pha Ngan... drinking from buckets, firedancers, hookah, the ocean, cool people
Scuba diving in the Gulf of Thailand off Ko Tao (Rutvik)
Having drinks brought to us in coconuts while lying on the pristine Kata Beach
Seeing schools of colored fish swim right up to the shore in Phuket
Petting a baby tiger at the Phuket Fantasea show
Going into a cave with inner tube and flashlight in Vang Vieng
Waterslide into the Nam Song River in Vang Vieng
Seeing the ruins of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom near Siem Reap
Learning to cook delicious Cambodian food at a local restaurant in Siem Reap
"Fish massage" (where little fish ate dead skin off our feet) in the Night Market in Siem Reap
Doing hand claps and reading to kids at NACA Orphanage in Phnom Penh
Shooting an AK-47 outside Phnom Penh (Rutvik)
Taking a mud bath and soaking in hot mineral springs in Nha Trang
Watching President Barack Obama take the oath of office on CNN Asia in Nha Trang
Riding an ostrich on an island off Nha Trang (Kelli)
Being in Ho Chi Minh City for Tet
Riding motorcycles through the mountains with Easy Riders in Dalat
Watching Rutvik try very hard to maintain his poise when learning that he got accepted by Berkeley and that we'll be moving to California in August!
Making delicious Thai dishes at cooking schools in Chiang Mai
Ziplining and Abseiling through the jungle in Chiang Mai
Jumping off a 165 foot high bungy crane in Chiang Mai
Riding an elephant through the river in Chiang Mai
Participating in the weeklong festivities of Anish's wedding in Ahmedabad
The Indian movie theatre experience (national anthem, samosas and other delicious food delivered to your seat, intermission)
Celebrating Valentine's Day in Bombay with a chocolate massage, dinner at a revolving restaurant overlooking the city, followed by a Chocolate Avalanche at Mocha, our fave cafe
Dousing people with all sorts of colors and water balloons at Holi
Introducing our families in Bombay and spending two weeks touring Rajasthan with Kelli's mom and bro
Camping in luxury tents by ourselves complete with a specially prepared dinner in a gazebo under the stars
Tiger safari in Ranthambhore National Park (despite not seeing any tigers)
Simple elegance of the Taj Mahal
Winning $200 two separate nights playing blackjack at Casino Goa
Getting to live among the very happy, open-minded, spiritual people in Dharamsala
Cooking classes in various locales (Cambodian, Thai, Indian, Tibetan), including the best in Bombay with Rutvik's mom
One month intensive yoga course with amazing instructors, interesting co-students, and a lot of thought-provoking discussion topics
Tutoring two Tibetan girls in English
Learning a bit of belly dancing and participating in a women's tantra Shakti group (Kelli)
Doing some really heartfelt meditation exercises with a really beautiful group of people from around the world
Visiting with an ayurvedic doctor about our doshas and body constitution
Having a delicious free meal cooked and served by volunteers at the Golden Temple among thousands of other visitors
Watching the one-upsmanship of the India-Pakistan border closing ceremony (and dancing on the border to Indian patriotic music!)
Celebrating Rutvik's birthday with family at Flamboyante in Bombay
Visiting wineries (esp. Fairview) in beautiful South Africa wine country
Shark cage diving in Hermanus
Ostrich riding part deux in Oudtshoorn
Spur of the moment bush hike to some remote waterfalls in Storms River
Rutvik jumping off the Bloukrans Bridge, tallest bungy in the world
Visiting the local Bulugha School and enjoying the home cooked meals at Bucc's
Very off the cuff tour of Xhosa Village near Coffee Bay
Staying at Bulungula eco-village way off the beaten path - the 4x4 ride in the dark to get there, compost potties, rocket showers, organic food, cool people, etc.
Visiting a township in Durban with a local guide who grew up there
Being greeted and treated like absolute royalty by Bashir Bhai and his family in Dar es Salaam
Seeing Mount Kilimanjaro ABOVE the clouds
The dreamlike "Lion King moments" on Safari #1 through Lake Manyara, Serengeti, and Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania, especially the two lions on "Pride Rock"
The dreamlike "Lion King moments" on Safari #2 through Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru in Kenya
Biking/hiking into the gorge at Hell's Gate National Park

Memorable Experiences
Tour of Dharavi slum - most locals haven’t even been (India)
Cramming ourselves into the standing room only local buses, backpacks and all (India and Thailand)
Leaving biscuits on the bed before going out and coming back to cockroaches (India)
Visiting Amma’s and Osho’s ashrams (India)
Seeing all of the fully clothed (saris, collared shirts, and all!) people at the beach (India)
Negotiating at the mall (Thailand)
People flocking to the Bangkok Royal Grounds to pay their respects to the King's late sister (Thailand)
Being in Bangkok at the start of the major political protest (Thailand)
Waking up to the news of the terrorist attacks in Mumbau (Thailand)
"Thai accident" on our way to the Half Moon Party in Ko Pha Ngan (Thailand)
Taking pictures with Santa and winning 40 baht ($1) at a random casino in Burma (Myanmar)
Christmas in a Buddhist country, including midnight mass, brunch, and lots of Santa costumes (Thailand)
Watching the lady boys perform at the Simon Cabaret (Thailand)
Being able to pay in three currencies - Lao kip, Thai baht, and USD - at the mall (Laos)
Walking between markers denoting demined areas at the Plain of Jars (Laos)
Seeing the many amputees as a result of UXOs and land mines left over from the Vietnam War (Laos and Cambodia)
Getting USD (with no option to get local currency) out of the ATM (Cambodia)
Paying in USD and getting change back in local "riel" currency (Cambodia)
Seeing the mass graves and mugshots of genocide victims in Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Interviewing for UC Berkeley in Saigon (Vietnam)
Sharing a room with some surprise roommates, including a bat that flew in around 3 am, some rats, and assorted insects (Vietnam)
Sledding down white sand dunes overlooking a lake (Vietnam)
A taxi meter miraculously showing 7 times our expected fare for a short cab ride and the driver cutting it in half as soon as we said we pulled out our cell phone to call the cab company (Vietnam)
Mixed feelings from the War Remnants Museum (Vietnam)
Rolling down the hill strapped in a giant zorb ball (Thailand)
Visiting a village of the Karen Long Neck hill tribe where women wear a crazy number of metallic rings around their necks and knees to enhance their beauty (Thailand)
Having a rat run across our feet while walking to the bars (Thailand)
Rutvik's parents forcing him to climb 2 hours up Jainism's holiest mountain without a bathroom while he was the sickest Kelli has seen him so that Kelli could officially become Jain per tradition (India)
Trying to learn a choreographed dance to "Dil Dance Maare Re" (AKA White White Face) for Rushin and Kaddu's wedding (India)
Working outside the US and having a "routine life" for a time in Bombay while consulting for The Clinic (India)
Seeing Slumdog Millionaire with a nearly entirely non-Indian audience in Bombay and having been to many of the places in the movie (India)
People watching among the massive crowd of Indians on Juhu Beach in Bombay on a Sunday evening (India)
Winning an office golf set in the lucky draw at a play with Rutvik's parents in Bombay (India)
Kelli's realization that she was not the only one with pink highlights in her hair after Holi - the light haired dogs and cows were dyed too! (India)
Watching Kelli jump around while waiting for her family to arrive at the Bombay airport (India)
Watching hundreds of washermen beating the dirt out of clothes at Dhobi Ghat (India)
Standing on the railing of a median to watch dabbawallas load people's lunches on both sides (India)
Misunderstanding with an Indian woman at Chokhi Dhani when we asked her to take a picture of us and she very proudly posed for a pic with Kelli's mom instead (India)
Being turned away at the gate of The Oberoi hotel because the restaurant was "full" only to make a reservation by phone a block away and getting allowed in to a nearly empty restaurant (India)
Dipping our feet in the Holy Ganges River in Rishikesh (India)
Rutvik being mistaken for a tour guide at the Jama Masjid and the Beatle's ashram in Rishikesh (India)
Running all over town to get Rutvik's South Africa visa and yellow fever vaccine (India)
Waking up to a screaming match at 5 am in our hostel in Cape Town (South Africa)
Biking around the Cape of Good Hope in the pouring rain (South Africa)
Waking up in the night to a thief in our hostel room and Kelli's shoes stolen (South Africa)
Story of the woman getting stuck in the Tunnel of Love at Cango Caves (South Africa)
Longest bike ride ever to visit Mama Tofu's Xhosa village (South Africa)
Visiting the "sangoma" (herbalist) in his village hut, where he had a rat, two snakes, and a piece of bacon hanging from the ceiling (South Africa)
Witnessing a purse snatcher get severely beaten on the streets of Durban by a huge crowd of regular people as well as cops, with people dancing and cheering for "street justice" (South Africa)
Sleeping in the hostel owners' daughter's room so that we could take advantage of the heating pad (South Africa)
Sleeping under mozzie nets (Africa)
Realizing that we had spent the night in a rent by the hour place our first night in Nairobi (Kenya)
Frustration of negotiating for a safari with touts on the streets in Nairobi (Kenya)

“Near Death” Experiences
Watching Diwali fireworks on Marine Drive
Getting eaten alive by mosquitoes at Amma’s ashram
Driving anywhere in Bombay
Driving 120 mph without a seatbelt on the expressway to Pune
Stopping on the side of the Pune expressway to dig out seatbelt
Dodging buses on a one lane highway going up a mountain on the way to Kodaikanal
Taking the Kerala public buses
Riding a motorbike all over Ko Samui with Rutvik at the wheel
Catamaran ride from Ko Tao to Chumporn
Rickety bridges in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia
Crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh City, especially on Tet
Trekking down slippery rocks to Elephant Waterfall in worn out flip-flops in Dalat
Kelli and her mom's nightmarish rickshaw ride through Udaipur (see related blog entry)
No windshield wipers in the pouring rain on our drive from Rishikesh to Haridwar
Bus ride down mountain from Dharamsala toward Amritsar (see related blog entry)
Being too close for comfort to the Sikh riots over the killing of one of their high priests in Vienna (and Kelli being the only foreinger around)
A group of guys running up to us in Cape Town, patting our pockets, and asking "Ya got anything in there for me?!"
Drinking sorghum beer out of milk cartons at the local shabeen in South Africa
Johannesburg
Kelli getting her brows waxed at an upscale salon in Nairobi... since when has bleeding been involved?!

Activities We've Tried
Abseiling
Bamboo rafting
Biking
Bungy jumping
Camel riding
Camping
Cave tubing
Caving
Cooking
Crocodile watching
Cruising on a houseboat
Dolphin watching
Elephant riding
Horse riding
Kayaking
Massage
Meditation
Mud bathing
Ostrich riding
Ox cart riding
Riding a motorcycle
Salsa dancing
Sand sledding
Scuba diving
Shooting an AK-47
Snorkeling
Trekking
Tubing
Whitewater rafting
Yoga
Ziplining
Zorbing

Best Foods – India
Indian breads (especially the soft, stretchy ones like roomali, kulcha, and paratha)
McDonald’s veggie burgers
“Borbon” biscuits, with tea (India)
Paneer anything
Mint and coconut chutneys
Gobi Manchurian
Pav bhaji
Masala chai
Thalis (from all over)
Daal in all forms
Chaat (pani puri, dahi batata puri, sev puri, raj kachori, etc.)
Raita
Veg biryani
Kitchidi
Upma, dosas, and uttapum
Sabudana
Alfonso mangoes
Sizzlers
Indo-Chinese in general
Anything made by R’s mom or Ganesh, their cook
Lonavala fudge

Best Foods - Southeast Asia
All types of curry (panang, massaman, red, green) with tofu and vegetables (Thailand)
Veggie burgers - in the many forms you find them here (Thailand)
Som Tam (papaya salad) (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia)
Sticky rice (Laos)
Lao-style BBQ (Laos)
Amok (Cambodia)
Khmer Curry (Cambodia)
Nem (Khmer style spring rolls) (Cambodia)
Bubble Tea (Cambodia and Vietnam)
Pho (Noodle soup) (Vietnam)
Khao Soi (Chiang Mai noodles) (Thailand)
Fresh fruit salad with mueseli and yogurt (Thailand)

Best Food - Africa
Bunny chow (South Africa)
African curry (South Africa)
Butternut squash soup (South Africa)
Ngeru curry (Kenya)
Githeri (Kenya)

Worst Food
Tofu Laap (Laos)
Shakshuka (Thailand)
Most Tibetan food except momos (India)

Best Street Food
Samosas (India)
Frankies (India)
Kulfi (Indian style ice cream) (India)
Paneer rolls (India)
Coconut water (India and Thailand)
Noodle stands (Thailand and Laos)
Mango and sticky rice (Thailand)
Fresh fruit stands - mango, chickoo, guava, papaya, pineapple, coconut (India, Thailand, Laos)
Fruit shakes, especially mango and coconut (Thailand and Laos)
Pancakes and crepes (Thailand and Laos)
Falafel (Thailand)
Golas (India)
Indian style grilled sandwiches (India)
Jalebi (India)
Bhagsu cake (India)
Banofee pie (India)
"Mix" (Zanzibar)

Best Restaurants
Kanzaman (Dubai)
Maratha Sheraton (Bombay)
McDonalds, regrettably (Bombay)
The Club, by invite only (Bombay)
Greens Love Shore (Allepey, India)
Mavalli Tiffin Room (Bangalore, India)
Aromas of China (Bangalore, India)
Cafe Ethos (Bangkok, Thailand) ---nevermind!!
Noodle stand outside Jaya Guesthouse (Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand)
Green Peace Restaurant (Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand)
La Matta Italian Restaurant (Ko Tao, Thailand)
House of Fruit Shakes (Vientiane, Laos)
Lao Lao Garden (Luang Prabang, Laos)
Khmer Kitchen (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
Le Tigre de Papier (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
Gon Cafe (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Godmother Restaurant (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Ratana's Kitchen (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Aroon Rai (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Mocha (Bombay, India)
Cream Centre (Bombay, India)
Not Just Jazz by the Bay (Bombay, India)
The Pizzeria (Bombay, India)
Swati Snacks (Bombay, India)
Sardar Pav Bhaji (Bombay, India)
Chokhi Dhani (Jaipur, India)
Zorba the Buddha (Agra, India)
Deoraj Coffee Shop (Rishikesh, India)
Halidram's (Delhi, India)
Souza Loubo (Goa, India)
Blue Tao (Goa, India)
The Plantain Leaf (Goa, India)
Munches (Goa, India)
Cafe Ri Korean Restaurant (McLeod-Ganj, India)
Lung Ta Japanese Restaurant (McLeod-Ganj, India)
Carpe Diem (McLeod-Ganj, India)
German Bakery (Bhagsu, India)
Unity Bistro (Bhagsu, India)
Munchies (Bhagsu, India)
Mama Africa (Cape Town, South Africa)
Buccaneers - home cooked meals (Chintsa, South Africa)
Coffee Shack - home cooked meals (Coffee Bay, South Africa)
Moyo (Durban, South Africa)
Antithi (Nairobi, Kenya)
Java House (Nairobi, Kenya)
Kenya Comfort Hotel (Nairobi, Kenya)

Worst Restaurants
Thai restaurant next to Crystal Dive Resort (Ko Tao, Thailand)
Outdoor Thai Restaurant (Phuket, Thailand)
Okay Guesthouse (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
Garden Bar (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
Hotel 13 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Snow Lion Tibetan Restaurant (McLeod-Ganj, India)
Gayki Vegetarian Restaurant (McLeod-Ganj, India)
Peace Cafe (McLeod-Ganj, India)

Best Places for a Chill Drink
Café Leopold (Bombay)
Wink at Taj (Bombay)
Dome at Intercontinental (Bombay)
Khao Sarn Center (Bangkok)
Streetside vendors on Khao San Road (Bangkok)
Ark Bar on Chaweng beach (Ko Samui)
Beach bars and bucket stands on Haad Rin beach (Ko Pha Ngan)
Riverside cafes along the Mekong (Vientiane and Luang Prabang)
Riverside bars with slides and flying foxes on the Nam Song (Vang Vieng)
Phoudindaeng Organic Farm (Vang Vieng)
Lao Lao Garden (Luang Prabang)
Pub Street bars (Siem Reap)
Bubble T (Siem Reap)
Random beach shacks (Goa)
Mama Africa (Cape Town)
Around the bonfire at Tube n Axe (Storms River)
Mercury Bar (Zanzibar)

Best Places to Party
Khao San Road, Bangkok
Haad Rin Beach, Ko Pha Ngan
Bangla Road, Patong Beach, Phuket
Vang Vieng, Laos
Baga Beach, Goa

Things that Impressed Us
Architecture (Dubai)
Mall of the Emirates and Ski Dubai (Dubai)
Efficiency of public transport (India)
Number of schools in Kerala (not true anywhere else in India)
Detecting problems in internal organs through foot reflexology (Thailand)
Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (Cambodia)
How many motorbikes they can fit on a single block in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
How many people they can fit on a single motorbike in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Tourism infrastructure (Thailand)
Rutvik's dad's plan for developing The Clinic (India)
Efficiency of the dabbawallas and dhobis (India)
Beautiful simplicity of the Taj Mahal (India)
Our yoga teachers Monika and Manu (India)
The lack of animosity at the India-Pakistan border (India)
Watching Rutvik's foot go from scaly to baby butt smooth (India)
Our realization of how true to life the Lion King is (Tanzania / Kenya)

Things that Irritate Us
Hacking of phlegm and spitting tobacco (India)
The Indian philosophy on queues (India)
Lack of street signs (India)
EVERYONE answering their cell phone at the movie theater and TALKING in the theater!! (India)
Foreigners paying 10 to 20 times higher admissions prices compared to locals (India)
Refusal to use taxi-meter, especially after specifically waiting in a line for a metered-taxi for 30 minutes!! (Thailand)
People telling us attractions are closed when they are not, hoping to sell us a ridiculously expensive tour (Thailand)
Monopoly pricing for internet, tours, taxi rides, etc. (Haad Rin beach on Ko Pha Ngan)
Negotiating for transportation anywhere on the Thai islands (Thailand)
US bombing of Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War (Laos and Cambodia)
Continued use of cluster bombs in today's wars (which leaves unexploded ordinance and kills people for decades after the war)
People saying "Hey lady, you wanna buy this or that?!" (Cambodia)
All the motorbikes using the sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) (not a typo)
How people just say "No" and don't even try if they don't understand you (Vietnam)
How people just don't care if someone tries to scam you (it's just the way things are attitude) (Vietnam)
Lingering anti-Americanism (Vietnam)
How the price changes after you order but you have to pay it anyway (Vietnam)
Idea that foreigners can afford to pay exorbitant amounts of money (All countries)
Nobody says thank you or apologizes even for significant mistakes (Southeast Asia)
How they don't turn on the reading lights in overnight buses, even when it's dark at 7pm (Southeast Asia)
Lack of change available and non-acceptance of torn bills (India)
Lack of sidewalks (India)
General lack of understanding of what a "thick shake" is (India)

Things We’ve Taken for Granted
Hot water
Consistent electricity
Drinking tap water
Ice at restaurants
Soap in public bathrooms
Toilet paper
Western toilets
Having clean clothes
Diet Coke
Not having mosquito bites
Watching college football on a Saturday
Personal space
Being able to use a credit card
Availability of contact lens solution, body wash, ladies razors, and non-whitening moisturizer!!
The customer is always right
US sizes of toiletries, food, etc.
Living in a country without land mines or UXOs
Being able to complain if service is crappy
Being able to trust the police and the legal system
Being able to eat raw veggies and salad without fear of future repercussions
Variety of English movies in cinemas
Not having to sleep under a mosquito net
Feeling pretty at ease walking around the city with purses, shopping bags, etc.
Driving without major risk of getting car jacked
Society that is not forced to rely on street justice

Most Useful Items Packed
Flashlight
Sleeping bag
Jungle Juice mosquito repellant
Hand sanitizer
Soap
Toilet paper
Food pushed on us by Rutvik’s mom
Lonely Planet

Biggest Culture Shocks and Surprises about India
ALL the people!!!
ALL the mosquitoes!!!
Bowing to get money --- from so many people I’ve never even met before!
All the vegetarian restaurants
Everything is cash based (credit cards are extremely rare because Indians don’t like to pay taxes)
How absolutely warm and welcoming the people are
Neverending stares
Nobody letting us pay for anything
Getting gifts delivered to the house by people we’ve never even met

Spa Treatments Tried
Swedish oil massage
Thai massage
Ayurvedic herb massage
Body scrub
Foot scrub
Foot reflexology massage
Shirodhara
Nasia
Eyebrow and lip threading

Animals We Have Lived Amongst (by approx frequency)
Flies
Cows
Dogs
Mosquitoes
Monkeys
Camels
Donkeys
Horses
Elephants
Pigs
Goats
Sheep
Rats
Bullocks
Peacocks
Warthogs
Huge spiders
Scorpion