So I've been back in the U.S. for two months now. I took a couple trips back east and to Chicago, but now I'm semi-permanently living at my folks' house and interning with a community media center in my hometown. I am kind of piecing my life back together...it's a very strange thing to return home after such a long trip. Basically, I'm taking some time (that's a euphemism for 'can't find work') to reconnect with old friends and family, purge my childhood room of all the crap it's collected, apply for my hopeful first real job, and do all the things that I finally have time for--read all the books I always meant to read, watch all the movies on my Netflix queue, heck, maybe I'll even start exercising.....maayybee.
One fine example of "doing the things I finally have time for" is THIS--writing on this blog! I even changed the layout and the "About Me" description (real signs of commitment). Ironically, I started this blog to keep loved ones updated while I was traveling, but naturally, full-fledged travel doesn't afford the time (and boredom) to sit in front of your laptop and muse on a blog that no one probably reads anyway. But, now that I've joined the infamous generation of overeducated and underemployed twenty-somethings who live on their parents' couches and therefore call themselves sustainable, I have plenty of time to think stupid things and post them online. Hopefully the results will bring amusement to at least one person besides myself.
For now, enjoy my latest wonderings...questions that clearly only the unemployed have time to ask:
-How do I cut open this pineapple?
-Why are deer afraid of people but not cars? Do they have some kind of 'consciousness radar'?
-Who invented the concept of traffic lights and traffic flow? It's freakin' ingenious. Same question for the mail system....mind-blowing concepts if you ask me.
That's all for now.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Goodbye Europe, Hello Asia
Goodbye Europe, Nice to Meet you Africa(n airport), Hello Asia
--written on January 7, 2010 - the day of my transcontinental flight--
9am - Budapest decided to send me off with a beautiful snow storm...I make the freezing trek to pick up my visa from the Indian consulate, struggling through the fresh snow/slosh without my winter garb, which arrived in CA this morning (thanks mom!). I navigate the bus system, get my visa, and avoid a broken ankle in my flip flops. Mission accomplished.
10am - I return home, realize I do not have enough time to shower (why does this always happen to me?), and thus adorn my typical airplane outfit: track shoes, jeans, at least four layers of my bulkiest shirts and sweaters, all of my scarves and headwraps, and my glasses. (I decided to pack the retainers/headgear this time...shocker, I know).
11am - I frantically try to eat all of the remaining food in the apartment and squeeze all of my new (heavy) guidebooks into my suitcase. I am not successful: hopefully egyptair is not too strict with their baggage allowance rules.
1pm - good news. they're not. I lug my over-the-limit hand bags through passport control and hold my breath, this time in the hope that the inspector doesn't notice my overly long stay in Europe (and choose to fine me, ban me from teh EU for the next five years, or both). With his quick stamp of approval, I breathe easy again. Goodbye Europe, hello....duty free shopping (don't give me that face; I bought tokens of appreciation for my future Asian hosts...okay, and a fat tube of smarties...which exploded in my bag later...luckily they don't melt as badly as m&m's).
3pm - As the small egyptair plan picks up speed down the runway, my final view of Budapest dissolves into a complete whitout. I contemplate the dangers of flying in such conditions when suddenly we emerge above the dense clouds and enter into a completely different atmosphere. I had failed to realize that, oh yeah, snow doesn't fall above the clouds. The view is clear and beautiful as the sun sets over central Europe.
4pm - My ears finally stop popping and I survey my flight-mates. Next to me is a young Egyptian guy who is trying to chat me up in broken English whilst leaning far too much into my shoulder. Behind me is a Canadian woman who works at the international school in Cairo teaching English; she's dressed funny (I momentarily forgot what I look like right now). Across the aisle is a Thai woman, who, like me, is connecting through Cairo to Bangkok. In front of her are these four guys who are reading porn mags and shamelessly enjoying the view each time the stewardesses walk by (more often than not, in response to the guys' buzzing of the service bell). I dislike them a little bit less when one of them (the most shameless of the bunch) crawls underneath his row of seats for a nap. I appreciate his creativity.
5pm - In flight meal. Halal style. Except for Hungarian sacher tort...rum flavored, just like the ice cream and cake we bought at the Budapest supermarket for my birthday the other night...grossest bday cake ever (but good effort mom--not your fault).
8pm - As we descend upon Cairo airport, I am surprised by the lax rules onboard. Kids are playing in the aisles, seatback tables are still lowered (gasp!), no one checks to make sure I fastened my seat belt! ...okay, I should be able to handle that one on my own. After a moment's reflection, I appreciate the realism in the flight crew's approach: if we crash land, a lowered seatback table or unbuckled belt probably won't be my biggest problem.
9pm - Sitting in the Cairo airport, tolerating mild leering from some Thai adolescents awaiting the same connecting flight. Maybe they don't like my outfit. Later, in an attempt to witness any evidence of my new locality, I search for the airport prayer room advertised in Egyptair's inflight magazine. Unfortunately, the only difference I find between a major European and African airport is that a bottle of water costs 11 something instead of 3 or 4 euros....I hope those weren't euros....
10pm - I just accepted a complimentary caramel from the steward as this huge plane finishes boarding. I realize how insanely lucky I am to speak English as my first language; I mean, I just flew from Hungary (national language = Magyar, which is related to Finnish, which is related to incomprehensibility) to Egypt (national language = Arabic), and now I'm flying from here to Thailand (national language = Thai), yet everything onboard is firstly explained in English! Granted it's still nearly impossible to understand in various accents, but it's English nonetheless.
some unknown time later (I was in and out of consciousness) - I arrive in Bangkok, wait in line for 2 hours to get a visa-upon-arrival, and make my way to the taxi line because the hotel driver seems to have left when I didn't come through the immigration line for two hours. I take a taxi through Bangkok traffic to a hotel kindly reserved for me by a Thai cuber.
In the taxi - I vomit. Welcome to Bangkok!
--written on January 7, 2010 - the day of my transcontinental flight--
9am - Budapest decided to send me off with a beautiful snow storm...I make the freezing trek to pick up my visa from the Indian consulate, struggling through the fresh snow/slosh without my winter garb, which arrived in CA this morning (thanks mom!). I navigate the bus system, get my visa, and avoid a broken ankle in my flip flops. Mission accomplished.
10am - I return home, realize I do not have enough time to shower (why does this always happen to me?), and thus adorn my typical airplane outfit: track shoes, jeans, at least four layers of my bulkiest shirts and sweaters, all of my scarves and headwraps, and my glasses. (I decided to pack the retainers/headgear this time...shocker, I know).
11am - I frantically try to eat all of the remaining food in the apartment and squeeze all of my new (heavy) guidebooks into my suitcase. I am not successful: hopefully egyptair is not too strict with their baggage allowance rules.
1pm - good news. they're not. I lug my over-the-limit hand bags through passport control and hold my breath, this time in the hope that the inspector doesn't notice my overly long stay in Europe (and choose to fine me, ban me from teh EU for the next five years, or both). With his quick stamp of approval, I breathe easy again. Goodbye Europe, hello....duty free shopping (don't give me that face; I bought tokens of appreciation for my future Asian hosts...okay, and a fat tube of smarties...which exploded in my bag later...luckily they don't melt as badly as m&m's).
3pm - As the small egyptair plan picks up speed down the runway, my final view of Budapest dissolves into a complete whitout. I contemplate the dangers of flying in such conditions when suddenly we emerge above the dense clouds and enter into a completely different atmosphere. I had failed to realize that, oh yeah, snow doesn't fall above the clouds. The view is clear and beautiful as the sun sets over central Europe.
4pm - My ears finally stop popping and I survey my flight-mates. Next to me is a young Egyptian guy who is trying to chat me up in broken English whilst leaning far too much into my shoulder. Behind me is a Canadian woman who works at the international school in Cairo teaching English; she's dressed funny (I momentarily forgot what I look like right now). Across the aisle is a Thai woman, who, like me, is connecting through Cairo to Bangkok. In front of her are these four guys who are reading porn mags and shamelessly enjoying the view each time the stewardesses walk by (more often than not, in response to the guys' buzzing of the service bell). I dislike them a little bit less when one of them (the most shameless of the bunch) crawls underneath his row of seats for a nap. I appreciate his creativity.
5pm - In flight meal. Halal style. Except for Hungarian sacher tort...rum flavored, just like the ice cream and cake we bought at the Budapest supermarket for my birthday the other night...grossest bday cake ever (but good effort mom--not your fault).
8pm - As we descend upon Cairo airport, I am surprised by the lax rules onboard. Kids are playing in the aisles, seatback tables are still lowered (gasp!), no one checks to make sure I fastened my seat belt! ...okay, I should be able to handle that one on my own. After a moment's reflection, I appreciate the realism in the flight crew's approach: if we crash land, a lowered seatback table or unbuckled belt probably won't be my biggest problem.
9pm - Sitting in the Cairo airport, tolerating mild leering from some Thai adolescents awaiting the same connecting flight. Maybe they don't like my outfit. Later, in an attempt to witness any evidence of my new locality, I search for the airport prayer room advertised in Egyptair's inflight magazine. Unfortunately, the only difference I find between a major European and African airport is that a bottle of water costs 11 something instead of 3 or 4 euros....I hope those weren't euros....
10pm - I just accepted a complimentary caramel from the steward as this huge plane finishes boarding. I realize how insanely lucky I am to speak English as my first language; I mean, I just flew from Hungary (national language = Magyar, which is related to Finnish, which is related to incomprehensibility) to Egypt (national language = Arabic), and now I'm flying from here to Thailand (national language = Thai), yet everything onboard is firstly explained in English! Granted it's still nearly impossible to understand in various accents, but it's English nonetheless.
some unknown time later (I was in and out of consciousness) - I arrive in Bangkok, wait in line for 2 hours to get a visa-upon-arrival, and make my way to the taxi line because the hotel driver seems to have left when I didn't come through the immigration line for two hours. I take a taxi through Bangkok traffic to a hotel kindly reserved for me by a Thai cuber.
In the taxi - I vomit. Welcome to Bangkok!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy New Year from Budapest!
I am sick in bed in Budapest for New Years Eve, listening to fireworks and firecrackers launching off all over the city. For a while I thought there was a Hungarian shootout going down on my block (I imagine two gangs of old Hungarian ladies, half wearing leopard print fur jackets and hats, their rivals wearing tiger print fur jackets and hats...and maybe even muffs). Unfortunately, a quick look out the window discounted my hopeful hypothesis--it's just fireworks. Well, as I enjoy the fire show from a distance, I will recount my past two weeks in Budapest....
The greatest delight of this city is the fact that I get to share it with my beautiful mother. For the first time in over 30 years, she flew across the big pond to hang out with me for the holidays (Christmas, New Years, and my birthday--and no, I will not accept your trying to pass off one "big" gift to cover both xmas and my bday...you hear that Grandma? I MISS YOU!). My sightseeing, museum hopping, people watching, shopping, and general life pace have slowed down a bit with my mom in tow, but in a positive and relaxing way. I feel like I'm back at home, where you can do nothing all day except get out of bed and eat what's put in front of you, and your parents consider you a success. I think my mom applauded me for "being awake" today; I haven't received that kind of unmerited positive feedback since I played "Chicken #3" in my kindergarden school play and managed not to throw up on my costume.
Despite our relaxed pace, we have done and seen quite a bit in Budapest. We are living in a lovely old apartment on the Buda side of the Danube River, very close to the medieval castle district. This side of the river is definitely quieter and, well, less interesting than the opposite, Pest side, but the city's great public transportation system has allowed us to get almost anywhere with incredible ease. Budapest relies on metros, trams, trollies, and buses to haul all the little old ladies and gentlemen (there seem to be a lot of them) around town on their errands (what are they doing all the time? joy rides?). The unique thing about the metro is that it is reeaalllyyy far underground. You have to take the longest escalator of your life to get up from or down to the metro. And the escalators move really quickly in order to cover all that ground. My mom still jumps onto it like it's a thrill ride and holds on for dear life (see photo). As for the tram/trolley system, one old car is completely covered in Christmas lights every year, and I was so excited when I finally spotted it lit up the other night (see photo). Lastly, the buses. Buses are always the most potentially useful form of inner-city transportation, but also the most consistently impossible to navigate as a foreigner. I spent one morning trying to navigate the bus network to get to the Indian embassy, and I only managed to arrive at my destination thanks to the generous help of the (again, elderly) Hungarians who watched me hopping on and off numerous buses, squinting at various maps, and looking generally flabbergasted.
As suggested by her nerves and excitability in simply riding the metro escalators, my mom has proven to be quite easily entertained by the simplest things in a foreign place....and it's pretty funny to watch. She takes forever to leave the apartment every day (granted, so do I); this is due to her unfamiliarity with dressing for cold weather, as well as her need to put all of her valuables (aka. her passport and....???) in her money belt and affix it around her waist, underneath her many layers, just in case, I don't know, one of the many fur-coated Hungarian women decides to trip her as she jumps onto to the metro escalator, steal all of her belongings, and hobble away through the snow with a cane and/or walker. Scary, I know. One day she forgot to put on her money belt and...you guessed it...an old Hungarian lady attacked her. Okay, I'll stop making fun of her because she has been such a great companion these past weeks--cooking homey meals, taking care of me while I'm sick, picking up Chinese take-out for me, bringing me necessities from home and lugging lots of my stuff back with her, etc, etc. THANKS MOM!
On Christmas morning, we went to see The Nutcracker in the Budapest Opera House, which is one of the city's famous attractions, with its beautiful interior and ornate decorations (see photos). There were tons of adorable Hungarian children dressed up in fancy outfits for the performance, reminding me of my first (and last, until now) trip to The Nutcracker in San Francisco: all of the girls in my elementary school class were told to wear dresses, but I either refused or didn't own one, so I wore a crushed velvet black pant-suit, which I will never forget
(unfortunately, no photo for reference).
We also spent a couple of days exploring the medieval castle district, with beautiful views of the Danube River, the Parliament, and the entire Pest side of the city. I also got to hold a golden eagle (the California mascot!), which resembles the falcon that watches over Buda in traditional folklore. Oh, and my face in the picture is supposed to be a funny.
While in the castle district, we explored the underground labyrinth, which is advertised as a medieval tourist attraction, but is really more of a wannabe-Disneyland-like attraction for twelve-year-olds; hence, I greatly enjoyed it. We spent the next week exploring the Pest side of the city, which required a quarter-mile walk through a congested tunnel every morning and evening because we couldn't figure out how to buy metro passes for a while. After coughing our way through that tunnel for a number of days, I noticed the sign below (see photo). With some added motivation, we have learned to navigate the metro and have since seen much more of Pest....
As per our duty as (Asian) tourists, we visited St. Stephen's Basilica, the city's largest church and home to the preserved hand of Saint Stephen (which is on display and seriously grossed me out). We also enjoyed many a day and night at Budapest's Christmas market, one of the few
traditional markets left in Europe, which only sells original handicrafts made by local artisans. Sorry, I didn't buy anyone souvenirs, but I did enjoy delicious mulled wine, fried dough with sour cream and cheese (a Hungarian speciality and an invitation to a massive coronary), and roasted chestnuts (they're gross), though I chickened out and didn't try to rooster testicles. Hungary is also known for its streudels (they're so-so), paprika spices, Christmas sweet rolls (which, like many local pastries, are filled with poppy seeds--Hungarians could never pass drug tests),
delicious sponge cake, thinly-rolled dough baked over an open fire, stuffed cabbage, wiener schnitzels, I could go on. There are tons of great markets where you can taste all of the above. The only trouble is not understanding the Hungarian language, Magyar, when the merchants tell you the total price of your purchases.
Luckily, an elderly woman helped us out, translating all of our requests and the corresponding prices as we shopped at one market. She then asked, "Are you from China or Japan?" I wanted to tell her that we were from Korea, Vietnam or the Philippines...or even California! We told her we are Japanese-Americans, but that we love Chinese food. She made a gross face and said that she can't imagine eating her little dog...but she does love spring rolls! Who doesn't?! (I wanted to ask her how many dogs it took to make her massive fur coat, but I refrained--she was very kind and helpful).
In project news, I got to visit the original Rubik Studio, where the cube was first created. The studio is still in operation, with a twenty person staff; they assemble each cube by hand, including every last sticker application. These cubes are sold only in Hungary, and I bought one at the Christmas market! I've become/always have been a huge nerd, I know. I filmed two interviews at the studio, one with a man who has been working at the studio since its inception in the 70's. I'm hoping to interview a few more people before I leave Budapest, including Erno Rubik's daughter and the infamous Hungarian cuber who was banned from official cubing tournaments for three years due to supposedly cheating in blindfolded competitions (he is still serving his "sentence"; we'll see if he's willing to meet/be interrogated by me).
All in all, I think my favorite part of our time in Budapest has been walking around aimlessly and getting lost amidst the city's beautiful architecture, especially the many art nouveau buildings and facades. It was only by getting lost far from the city center that we discovered the university neighborhood where all of the young Hungarians have been hiding from us (did I mention how many old men and women there are in central Budapest? I swear they had some crazy parents-of-baby-boomers generation here). For the past few days, I have been sickly and bedridden, sadly unable to mingle with all the Hungarian elders. I have passed the days watching movies online (if you haven't yet, watch "I am Sam" and "North Country"); working on my future travel plans (which are currently very up-in-the-air, as I am landing in Bangkok on Jan. 8, and there is a potentially violent political rally scheduled for Jan. 11th....I'll letcha know how that goes); and obsessively following a stranger's blog (no joke...I stumbled upon this college guy's blog one day and have completely stalked him online, following all potential leads...I'm either in love or a total creeper....or both? Did I mention that his blog is shared with a girl, probably his girlfriend...she better sleep with her eyes open...or maybe call the police).
I'll write again soon about my experiences in France (mainly Paris) from November/December. I'm determined to finish writing about my time in Europe before I leave for Asia; otherwise, I fear I'll forget everything. I'll try to post again tomorrow. I have a feeling it'll be a big day. I might even shower.
Sachi out.
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