I wanted to write about our faith and reflect on our experience traveling as Muslims, especially in a time where religious tolerance seems non-existent and xenophobia running high.
It was amazing for us both to realize just how many Muslims dominate the world from South East Asia to Central Asia to Africa. When we had initially began our trip in Indonesia, we knew we would encounter Muslims but in the town of Cianjur, we had some very warm hospitality. The town of Cianjur is small, kind of place where everyone knows everyone, just a few tourist attraction, so when you show up you draw attention. We were staying with a local family, who lived close to a mosque, so Sabeen and I decided to start praying there while in town. I immediately drew attention when I walked in the mosque with looks and a few whispers. As the prayers ended, few elderly men came over, first hesitatingly then outright questions of where I was from. When they learned that I was from the US and a Muslim on top, they were shocked, had no idea that first Muslims in great numbers existed in America and that second having grown up in the US, I still continued to practice my faith.
Well, lucky for me because from them on, every time I would go to this mosque, some gentlemen or other, would invite me to their home for coffee and sweets. Sabeen would often wonder where I had disappeared only to hear laughter or talk from a neighbors house and see me walking down the street with a huge grin on my face.
These sorts of interactions pretty much continued through out our year long journey, where we would end up in a new town, have some curious bystanders come around inquire about us and as soon as they would learn of our faith we were friends. The best part was seeing mosques and hearing the call of the Azan and listening to the Friday sermon in different languages such as Khmer, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Bahasa, Arabic, and Turkish.
In Central Asia, we had great interactions with locals to dine and to sleep in their homes despite the language difficulties. In Turkey, we again stayed with a few families in Mardin and at other times had a few people befriend us to drive us around and take us to really cheesy tourist sites. I think we also drew attention due to our brown skin and many just hadn't seen people of our background traveling, which again made our travels that much more unique.
We both miss the hospitality of strangers and long to get back on the road.
Showing posts with label religious. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religious. Show all posts
Mosquee De Paris
The Paris Mosque built between 1922 and 1926 is a haven of peace and solitude. I wanted to break away from the typical sites in the city, so went venturing to this idyllic spot located in the 5th arrondissement. It is the largest mosque in France and the third largest in Europe. It was founded after World War I as a sign of France's gratefulness to the colonies's Muslim, 100,000 of whom died fighting against Germany.
Getting around the city isn't too bad given you have a decent map and an idea of how the arrondissements (administrative districts) are laid out. Paris is basically a ring city with each arrondissement winding its way spirally clockwise starting with the first one and going outwards to the 20th. The city is also blessed with wide boulevards, many of which parallel others, so cutting across them is also another efficient way of getting around.
The mosque is located a few hundred meters from the Institute De Arab, whose receptionist was helpful in pointing me to the right way as sadly its location on the map is hardly noticeable.
It was nice to be in a mosque again and seeing the familiar things such as a Mihrab (pulput for Friday sermons) and Minhab (direction of Mecca). I also heard a lot of Arab, not just from the recitation of the Quran but from men speaking it to each other. The architecture was classic Arab with mosiac tiles, fountains, and lots of trees in a peaceful courtyard. I took my time to offer a few prayers in the calm before walking out and imagined how interesting Ramadan must have been with its offerings of probably both immigrant and French flavors.
Getting around the city isn't too bad given you have a decent map and an idea of how the arrondissements (administrative districts) are laid out. Paris is basically a ring city with each arrondissement winding its way spirally clockwise starting with the first one and going outwards to the 20th. The city is also blessed with wide boulevards, many of which parallel others, so cutting across them is also another efficient way of getting around.
The mosque is located a few hundred meters from the Institute De Arab, whose receptionist was helpful in pointing me to the right way as sadly its location on the map is hardly noticeable.
It was nice to be in a mosque again and seeing the familiar things such as a Mihrab (pulput for Friday sermons) and Minhab (direction of Mecca). I also heard a lot of Arab, not just from the recitation of the Quran but from men speaking it to each other. The architecture was classic Arab with mosiac tiles, fountains, and lots of trees in a peaceful courtyard. I took my time to offer a few prayers in the calm before walking out and imagined how interesting Ramadan must have been with its offerings of probably both immigrant and French flavors.
Singapore
Singapore is not a police state that many expect to see but it is different from the rest of SE Asia. Sure it's clean, has lots of air conditioned malls, Western food chains, so so food again offered at malls or at semi indoor hawker centers, and little air pollution. Dig a little deeper however and you'll find more than just a sterile city. The public transportation is great, I guess being a small country help. Lots of buses, extensive MRT (subway) system, and taxi drivers who don't tout or try and cheat you to pay more.
Singapore for a country of 5 million has a sizable Muslim and Hindu population often with many in close proximity of each other and witnessing the huge Eid celebrations was a surprise as we did not expect parts of the city to be so lit up and decorated.
We spent the month of Ramadan here at the oldest and biggest mosque, known as Sultan Masjid built in the 1800's. In our observance, found the hospitality of the Malays, one of the few ethnic groups along with a predominantly Chinese and Tamil Indians to be curious and friendly. Our time spent during Ramadan was one of peace and a regularity to a day usually filled with lots of decision making and running around. We would wake up each morning at 5, have our morning meal and then go back to sleep after praying. In the afternoons, it was usually too hot, so we would take a short stroll to a park or spend time at the wonderful National Library nearby.
The evenings we really looked forward to because we could break our fast and finally eat. All the mosques like many around the world, provide free meals, so we would go to our favorite (Sultan) and sit with hundreds of people on long tables and share our evening meal of chicken, rice, sambal, gelatinous rice pudding, lamb porridge, tea, dates, and fruits. It was a great way to spend time with the locals and get to know a few familiar faces.
While Singapore for us didn't present any awe inspiring moments, we enjoyed the every day, such as cheap and tasty food at the hawker centers, where the two of us could get a meal for about 6 SGD, walks in parks, botanical garden, and even mundane things like grocery shopping. We also got to know a few people from our time spent at the Mosque and had a wonderful week spent with our friends Nadia and Adnan who had great views of the harbor and nearby East Coast Park from their high rise apartment.
The highlight was visiting Astana, the Presidential Palace, open only four times a year. We happened to be there at the right time, so were able to check out the site with its expansive manicured lawns, fountains with swans, and a sea of calm in an otherwise fast moving city.
Singapore would be the last country on our year long trip, so we both looked forward to but also with some hesitation about homecoming.
Singapore for a country of 5 million has a sizable Muslim and Hindu population often with many in close proximity of each other and witnessing the huge Eid celebrations was a surprise as we did not expect parts of the city to be so lit up and decorated.
We spent the month of Ramadan here at the oldest and biggest mosque, known as Sultan Masjid built in the 1800's. In our observance, found the hospitality of the Malays, one of the few ethnic groups along with a predominantly Chinese and Tamil Indians to be curious and friendly. Our time spent during Ramadan was one of peace and a regularity to a day usually filled with lots of decision making and running around. We would wake up each morning at 5, have our morning meal and then go back to sleep after praying. In the afternoons, it was usually too hot, so we would take a short stroll to a park or spend time at the wonderful National Library nearby.
The evenings we really looked forward to because we could break our fast and finally eat. All the mosques like many around the world, provide free meals, so we would go to our favorite (Sultan) and sit with hundreds of people on long tables and share our evening meal of chicken, rice, sambal, gelatinous rice pudding, lamb porridge, tea, dates, and fruits. It was a great way to spend time with the locals and get to know a few familiar faces.
While Singapore for us didn't present any awe inspiring moments, we enjoyed the every day, such as cheap and tasty food at the hawker centers, where the two of us could get a meal for about 6 SGD, walks in parks, botanical garden, and even mundane things like grocery shopping. We also got to know a few people from our time spent at the Mosque and had a wonderful week spent with our friends Nadia and Adnan who had great views of the harbor and nearby East Coast Park from their high rise apartment.
The highlight was visiting Astana, the Presidential Palace, open only four times a year. We happened to be there at the right time, so were able to check out the site with its expansive manicured lawns, fountains with swans, and a sea of calm in an otherwise fast moving city.
Singapore would be the last country on our year long trip, so we both looked forward to but also with some hesitation about homecoming.
Istanbul Highlights
There are some very beautiful buildings in Istanbul, most of them masjid (mosques). We had a chance to pray in many of them.
Blue Mosque - The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.
Aya Sofya - A former church turned mosque in the 1400's. Interesting to see the mix of Christian and Islamic relics mixed in together. Not a mosque anymore but an amazing building.
Yeni Masjid - The New Mosque or Mosque of the Valide Sultan (Turkish: Yeni Cami, Yeni Valide Camii) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the Golden Horn at the southern end of the Galata Bridge. It is one of the best-known sights of Istanbul.
Rustem Pasha Masjid - is an Ottoman mosque located in Strawmat Weavers Market in Eminönü.
Sulemaniye Masjid - is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the city.
Some other noteworthy buildings are:
Bryazit Masjid
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Masjid
Kucuk Aya Sofya
Blue Mosque - The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.
Aya Sofya - A former church turned mosque in the 1400's. Interesting to see the mix of Christian and Islamic relics mixed in together. Not a mosque anymore but an amazing building.
Yeni Masjid - The New Mosque or Mosque of the Valide Sultan (Turkish: Yeni Cami, Yeni Valide Camii) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the Golden Horn at the southern end of the Galata Bridge. It is one of the best-known sights of Istanbul.
Rustem Pasha Masjid - is an Ottoman mosque located in Strawmat Weavers Market in Eminönü.
Sulemaniye Masjid - is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the city.
Some other noteworthy buildings are:
Bryazit Masjid
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Masjid
Kucuk Aya Sofya
The Himalayas
The Himalayas for such massive mountains are often hidden behind clouds and we were afraid we wouldn't see them at our arrival in Pokhara, a town with views of the Annapurna Range. We arrived on a clear warm day with paragliders above and shimmering waters of the lake that surrounds the town. Our first attempt to see the Himalayas was to hike to the Peace Pagoda, a temple built along a mountain. We talked to a few locals and started off on the trail, which soon disappeared into the jungle. Dismayed we turned around just as the clouds rolled in and started raining, which would last for a few days...this is the dry season by the way.
Pokhara does busy trade in the tourist business due to many excellent trekking opportunities and is thus a little bit more expensive, which is still a bargain and overall Nepal is an extremely affordable country. Our breakfast away from the touristy hotels would consist of a small bowl of vegetable curry, few poories, milk tea, ghalabi, and a samosa or two.
As the rains let up and chances of seeing the roof of the world improved, decided to do a sunrise on Sarangkot, a town high above. Even in the morning darkness, we could make out the massive peaks close enough to touch, while behind us the town valley below was shrouded in clouds. As the sun rays broke over the hills, the mountains were lit up with their snow covered hulks and finally witnessed the beauty and awe of these giants.
The country has a sizable Tibetan population, many of which left the country after the Chinese takeover and now have refugee status. As such, visiting a few of them is very different from the rest of town with prayer flags strung above, the gompa with it's kora performing devotees spinning prayer wheels, and artisans weaving Yak wool carpet, and the oldest of oldest women you could ever imagine hunched over but still able to climb the hills, give you a friendly smile, and look at you with curiosity. We stayed around just as the monks were gathering for prayer with horns, drums, cymbals, incense, and chanting of the sutras, which was haunting with the mountains around.
Nepal is a trekking country so while we decided we would rather appreciate the mountains from a distance, decided to do a different sort of trek in Bardia National Park to walk on foot and look for wild animals.
Pokhara does busy trade in the tourist business due to many excellent trekking opportunities and is thus a little bit more expensive, which is still a bargain and overall Nepal is an extremely affordable country. Our breakfast away from the touristy hotels would consist of a small bowl of vegetable curry, few poories, milk tea, ghalabi, and a samosa or two.
As the rains let up and chances of seeing the roof of the world improved, decided to do a sunrise on Sarangkot, a town high above. Even in the morning darkness, we could make out the massive peaks close enough to touch, while behind us the town valley below was shrouded in clouds. As the sun rays broke over the hills, the mountains were lit up with their snow covered hulks and finally witnessed the beauty and awe of these giants.
The country has a sizable Tibetan population, many of which left the country after the Chinese takeover and now have refugee status. As such, visiting a few of them is very different from the rest of town with prayer flags strung above, the gompa with it's kora performing devotees spinning prayer wheels, and artisans weaving Yak wool carpet, and the oldest of oldest women you could ever imagine hunched over but still able to climb the hills, give you a friendly smile, and look at you with curiosity. We stayed around just as the monks were gathering for prayer with horns, drums, cymbals, incense, and chanting of the sutras, which was haunting with the mountains around.
Nepal is a trekking country so while we decided we would rather appreciate the mountains from a distance, decided to do a different sort of trek in Bardia National Park to walk on foot and look for wild animals.
Arrival in Nepal
Arriving in Kathmandu after a four hour flight from Bangkok, we had no money to pay for the visas. After filling in all the required customs form, incredibly the customs officer let us leave with all documents in hand along with our passports to go to the nearby ATM and get cash. Coming back to the airport got our stamps and headed out.
We knew we would like Nepal even more when we found out that our taxi driver could speak Urdu, which we would learn soon enough is spoken widely throughout the country and is referred to as Hindi. Kathmandu is a chaotic city but is fairly compact with many alleys, honking traffic, pollution, and kids at night who offer to sell you drugs. Despite the negatives, the locals are warm and friendly and will engage in conversations at the tea shops. Most of our time was spent near Thamel, close to Durbar Square made up of Hindu temples and was the former coronation place of the now deposed king. The city has many temples and young and old are devoted to the faith and wear the bindi. We took a walk a few kilometers to Swaybunath (monkey temple) with lots of yes monkeys but also the two faiths of Buddhism and Hinduism represented with both monks and sadhus worshipping. Several day trips lie close enough to the capital, so going to Bhakthapur, an ancient city was pretty special. With not much traffic and the clak-clak of the loom, women sewing, artisans doing woodwork and pottery, we got lost in it's maze of alleys and found Hindu temples with an orchestra of music of traditional instruments such as Dhol, Thubla, and Harmonium being played out for worship outside. We were sure to snack along the way on samosas, milk tea, and thick sweet yoghurt, a specialty of the area.
We knew we would like Nepal even more when we found out that our taxi driver could speak Urdu, which we would learn soon enough is spoken widely throughout the country and is referred to as Hindi. Kathmandu is a chaotic city but is fairly compact with many alleys, honking traffic, pollution, and kids at night who offer to sell you drugs. Despite the negatives, the locals are warm and friendly and will engage in conversations at the tea shops. Most of our time was spent near Thamel, close to Durbar Square made up of Hindu temples and was the former coronation place of the now deposed king. The city has many temples and young and old are devoted to the faith and wear the bindi. We took a walk a few kilometers to Swaybunath (monkey temple) with lots of yes monkeys but also the two faiths of Buddhism and Hinduism represented with both monks and sadhus worshipping. Several day trips lie close enough to the capital, so going to Bhakthapur, an ancient city was pretty special. With not much traffic and the clak-clak of the loom, women sewing, artisans doing woodwork and pottery, we got lost in it's maze of alleys and found Hindu temples with an orchestra of music of traditional instruments such as Dhol, Thubla, and Harmonium being played out for worship outside. We were sure to snack along the way on samosas, milk tea, and thick sweet yoghurt, a specialty of the area.
Cambodian Bus Chats
We were glad to leave Siem Riep and take some time away from the tour groups and the many backpackers and so opted to go to Banlung in the Ratanakiri province in the NE of the country with its famous red soil. Riding on the bus, I sat next to a man who had converted to Islam from Buddhism and lived for 6 years in Saudi Arabia and owns a Rubber tree plantation. He spoke better Arabic than English. The facts learned from him were quite revealing as he told us that Cambodia has 1 million Muslims, pretty significant for a country with only 15 million people and lots of mosques. We saw Muslims in Siem Riep, heard the azan and would later hear the azan again in Banlung. I shared a few snacks with him and chatted the whole way about family and life in the country.
After riding on many buses, we still are sometimes surprised at how many people get packed on them, so on this ride, plastic chairs were brought out so that people could sit in the cramped bus. I also almost got peed on by a kid who just barely missed me. He was cute and his grandmother laughed, so all ended in laughter and I just rolled up my pants and sat inches from the puddle.
Arriving into town, we were met by some motorcycle touts offering free rides to hotels as they get commission for bringing in tourists, so hopped on and found a place nearby.
After riding on many buses, we still are sometimes surprised at how many people get packed on them, so on this ride, plastic chairs were brought out so that people could sit in the cramped bus. I also almost got peed on by a kid who just barely missed me. He was cute and his grandmother laughed, so all ended in laughter and I just rolled up my pants and sat inches from the puddle.
Arriving into town, we were met by some motorcycle touts offering free rides to hotels as they get commission for bringing in tourists, so hopped on and found a place nearby.
A Big Temple...Angkor Wat to be Exact
Coming into Siem Riep is a bit of a shocker as it feels like the biggest city in the country due to its many hotels, restaurants, and bars all present because of the rush of onlookers to visit Angkor Wat. As soon as we arrived into town, were propositioned by a tout for a free performace done by kids at a local school. We agreed because (a) it was free and (b) we like seeing performances. The name of the school where this was to happen is called Santepheap and in the Khmer language means peace. Fittingly, the place is run by an American who came here as a tourist and after seeing the need for educating kids found this school and is now its director. The school takes in kids from the ages of 10-18 and provides free education for them. Many Cambodians can't afford to send their kids off to get schooled due to financial constraints and the need for them to stay and work with the family on the farms. Santepheap instead provides free education in English, math, and science subjects with the the help of local tutors, volunteers, and staffed teachers.
Upon our arrival at the school we were greeted by the happy kids and asked to sit on plastic chairs under the stars where they served us tea and biscuits prior to the beginning of the show. We met some other travelers who had also been lured and made ourselves comfortable. The performances consisted of traditional Khmer dances and some Ramayana performances which were met with loud applauses from the audience. The kids were wonderful in their donated costumes and performed with confidence and were well practised. David, the director of the school made a plead for anyone interested to come and voulunteer and teach the kids some English, so we immediately agreed and signed on for the next day to spend a few hours at the school.
Next day, about 13 or so kids were ready for us and the day began with the senior tutor first giving us an introduction about the school and then a tour of the several small classrooms and dorms for the boys and girls. Our time was spent reading and conducting listening and writing exercises. Many of the kids were ahead of their age but many were still struggling and it was sad to see several 13 year olds reading at a kindergarten level but we still admired their determination and thirst for knowledge. On the plus side, a few kids have done so well that they have been admitted to a local private school for their education. To read more about the school, check out http://www.santepheap.org/
Now, about that big temple, yeah of course Angkor Wat was grand, we even got up way early to watch the sunrise, which was really amazing with the light of the flashlight and seeing the outlines of the buildings in the pitch darkness was both spooky and cool. We took the lazy approach and instead hired a tuk-tuk to take us around the sites and were satisfied with our one day pass. We took food with us so were able to pass the day sitting under shaded trees looking onto thousand year old ruins sometimes with hardly a soul in site. We packed Tamarind candy with us because we both really like it and it also serves a dual purpose for giving it to the local kids and seeing them smile.
There are a lot of mine victims in Cambodia and many have turned to imaginative ways to make money rather than begging so instead they make their living by playing in bands doing traditional music performaces on the street and around the temples selling CDs and also by selling books on the street.
Upon our arrival at the school we were greeted by the happy kids and asked to sit on plastic chairs under the stars where they served us tea and biscuits prior to the beginning of the show. We met some other travelers who had also been lured and made ourselves comfortable. The performances consisted of traditional Khmer dances and some Ramayana performances which were met with loud applauses from the audience. The kids were wonderful in their donated costumes and performed with confidence and were well practised. David, the director of the school made a plead for anyone interested to come and voulunteer and teach the kids some English, so we immediately agreed and signed on for the next day to spend a few hours at the school.
Next day, about 13 or so kids were ready for us and the day began with the senior tutor first giving us an introduction about the school and then a tour of the several small classrooms and dorms for the boys and girls. Our time was spent reading and conducting listening and writing exercises. Many of the kids were ahead of their age but many were still struggling and it was sad to see several 13 year olds reading at a kindergarten level but we still admired their determination and thirst for knowledge. On the plus side, a few kids have done so well that they have been admitted to a local private school for their education. To read more about the school, check out http://www.santepheap.org/
Now, about that big temple, yeah of course Angkor Wat was grand, we even got up way early to watch the sunrise, which was really amazing with the light of the flashlight and seeing the outlines of the buildings in the pitch darkness was both spooky and cool. We took the lazy approach and instead hired a tuk-tuk to take us around the sites and were satisfied with our one day pass. We took food with us so were able to pass the day sitting under shaded trees looking onto thousand year old ruins sometimes with hardly a soul in site. We packed Tamarind candy with us because we both really like it and it also serves a dual purpose for giving it to the local kids and seeing them smile.
There are a lot of mine victims in Cambodia and many have turned to imaginative ways to make money rather than begging so instead they make their living by playing in bands doing traditional music performaces on the street and around the temples selling CDs and also by selling books on the street.
A Taoist Mountain
China has many religious mountains and Heng Shan happens to be one of them located in the town of Nanyue. All religious mountains are based on Taoist belief that there are five basic elements (wood, fire, metal, earth, and water). All that aside, we really wanted to climb and see the beautiful scenery. The mountain tops out at 4,200 feet at Wishing Harmony Peak, where there is a simple pagoda containing a monastary to Confucious. The mountain was a playground for the emperors who used to come there to hunt and make sacrifices.We took a 21 hours train ride from Changsha in the Hunan province to get to Nanyue, a small town but even by Chinese standards boasts a KTV (night club and karaoke), boutique shops, and of course the fruit market. Upon arriving, we were able to stay at a hotel run by a Chinese woman who came running and beckoned us for lunch and when we asked, offered us the hotel room at the requested bargained price. The place was in a great location, close to the mountain but since the owner along with the rest of the town spoke no English getting around was an adventure and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Chinese version of hiking is to build stairs that sidewind their way to the mountain, so while efficient it is murder on knees both going up and down. Truth be told, we got a little lost going up Heng Shan, maybe on purpose and ended up walking through farms with some barking dogs but some very friendly farmers who pointed us the way to Zhurong Peak. The climb to the top took us about 5 hours on a cloudless picture perfect day, we stopped to eat, snap pictures, so could've done faster but why rush when the views were so bewitching with knotted pine trees, pagodas, waterfalls, and monastaries. Part of the hike we had to do on the road shared by tourist buses on their way to the top, so that was a bit unnerving as the horn is the defensive measure used by all drivers who all drive way too fast, meaning get out of the way quickly.We have been working our way south, so the sensible thing to do was to head south to Hong
Kong but the challenge was communicating and figuring out the timings and location for the bus. We tried using our book, which contained some useful phrases but weren't getting too far. We had been pantaomiming a lot of our conversations, mostly about food, which surprisingly gets conveyed pretty easily but this was more challenging. So Sabeen, said the closest town's name and the hotel owner understood and replied with a time and we agreed to meet her downstairs where she would hail the proper bus going to our destination. She met us promptly at the agreed upon time and walked us to the bus station, spoke with driver who initially seemed hesitant but talked him into dropping us off to our proposed destination. We got on the bus hoping for ther best as we had no idea if we really were headed in the right direction. As the bus arrived into town and emptied out, the bus driver motioned us to stay put and after parking, personally escorted us down the road to get on a local bus in the direction of the train station, where we were able to buy a ticket to Shenzhen on the way to Hong Kong.The booking was simple enough and there was a train leaving that day but the downside was that it was 11 hours later, so we had no choice but to wait it out at the public square watching people. The time actually went by quicker than we thought as we found a good Muslim place to eat, watched men write caligraphy using water and oil on the square, and a weird form of Chinese exercise dished out to both modern and traditional music with women all lined up and waving their arms and bodies in sync. Sabeen tried out her hand at caligraphy at the behest of the locals and wrote her name in Urdu, which the locals at first found interesting and then quickly lost interest and went on their way. We got in our hard sleeper and slept off an exhausting day.
A Very Big Buddha
Leshan's highlight is the biggest buddha in the world called Dafo at 234 feet, which took 90 years to complete to tame the Dadu River and is 1,400 years old. The site is quite amazing with not only the buddha but with various other temples built into the cliff sides and a beautifully preserved hanging bridge.A good size comparison is that the buddha's nails are bigger than the average human and his ears stretch for 23 feet. Walking to the Wuyou Temple on the same grounds are 1,000 terracotta
arhats (buddhist celestial beings) similar to angels. The interesting part is that they all have unique body postures and facial expressions along with different clothing and items in their hands.After getting our fill of buddhas, we needed a lazy day to pretty much do nothing, so
what better day than a Sunday to spend with our Chinese counterparts. We strolled around parks with caged hanging birds for the amusement of the men playing cards, sipping tea, crunching on sun flower seeds, and engaging in voiceferous conversations. One thing we have noticed that the Chinese are big eaters and will order a feast of many various dishes at any given time of the day. Us on the other hand, must look completely pathetic with our one main dish, so today we decided to do it up. At a local joint, I got some duck stew, rice, boiled corn, salad, along with some greens. It was delicious made better by the help of the locals who provided guidance on what to order.
Everything Tibetan
The Chinese just know how to make traveling simpler and more comfortable. We had bought bus tickets for the city of Xining (pronounced Shinning) which would hook us on to our next destination Xiahe, a small Tibetan city not too far from Tibet. The bus we entered was none like we'd ever seen before. This was a sleeper bus with top and bottom bunks laid out in three rows. Each bed's head rest was tilted and accompanied a soft pink blanket. Geniuses. Even though our 19 hour bus ride turned into a 24 hour one due to the bus getting stuck in the mud for one hour, 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic due to a truck spilling piles of sinks, and the frequent toilet stops (Chinese drink a lot of green tea...), the sleeper bus made it bearable and fun.After spending two nights in Xining since the train tickets sell out quickly, we hopped on another
bus to Xiahe. This was definitely one of my favorite places in China. Xiahe is a small Tibetan city in the Gansu province and is bustling with locals selling yak meat, handmade Tibetan art, traditionally dressed women in bright colors with neatly tied hair braids, Tibetan men with oversized warm coats, and the most sweetest adorable looking kids with red cheeks skipping and hopping as they follow their parents.
The buddhists here are very much into their religion and throughout the entire day one can witness buddhists walking clock-wise and chanting prayers along the kora which is the sacred path outlining the Labrang Monastery with prayer wheels. After walking for a few on the kora and spinning the prayer wheels with the locals, we arrived at one of the entrances to the monastery. Descending down to an open square, we heard a heavy voice from a monk as he recited prayers followed by a courtyard filled with monks chanting afterwards. We listened and observed from a distance as monks in their magenta and maroon colored robes continuously flowed into the square and took their seats on the stone covered floor.
We were lucky to see some ceremonies being performed inside the monastery grounds as well. We let our ears guide us inside the grounds and entered many buildings where different ceremonies proceeded. The monks in these ceremonies wore elaborate head pieces, chanted prayers in heavy humming voices, blew large horns as monks of all ages from 7 years old to an elderly monk walked around with colorful prayer flags in hand. Strolling the monastery grounds gave us a sense of peace aside from the random cow or sheep sighting. The monks here completely erased another false perception of them being serious and all about work/religion. We saw monks getting each other into headlocks, walking around and laughing with fellow monks and just being playful. One monk by the name of Giden stopped us and spoke to us for roughly an hour. Giden wrote the prayer that buddhists chant as they spin the prayer wheels and asked us to recite it. When we did, his face glowed with excitement. His English infact was quite good and self-taught during his stay in India. When asked if monks could marry, he chuckled and simply replied "no no only alone".
As evening neared we found a local place to eat a hot bowl of noodles as the weather in Xiahe was quite chilly. Two monks sat inside sipping green tea (but ofcourse), and after the owner served us, he without hesitation asked if we had seen the Dalai Lama. After saying 'no', and his eyes lowering as language was again a barrier and the conversation couldn't go further, he went by our Lonely Planet book and pointed to 'like' or 'don't like'. When we nodded in sync that we liked the Dalai Lama, his face gleamed and he laughed openly with enthusiasm while relaying it to the monks.A Country United
A nation of approximately 1.5 billion people consists of Han Chinese, Buddhists, and Muslims. The one child policy, we learned doesn't apply to Muslims and even the Han can have a child right away if the first born is a girl. A second child is possible after waiting about 8 years.In Xian, we came to see the army of the Terracotta
Warriors built by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang to be part of his massive tomb and the first one to unify the country. The 'Q' sound in Mandarin is pronounced "Ch", so his name gave the country its name. Coming back from seeing the Warriors by the local bus, we were hopelessly lost as the bus had changed routes due to construction, so found a policeman, who despite speaking no English, walked us for at least a good 20 minutes only to hook us up with a guy, not sure how he knew but John, a local Chinese spoke who spoke English, agreed to walk with us to our bus and have dinner. Xian, like a lot of Chinese cities has a night market, which is a great place to eat, so here we found lamb, goat, and 
chicken kebabs along with mutton soup and all sorts of delicious snacks and sweets. Walking back again to the night market with a local was a treat as we were able to order what we want and John kindly even offered to buy us dessert.All of China has entered the 21st century in a big way and there are massive construction projects everywhere. I think I counted about 40 construction cranes on one site alone! There is also a massive campaign to beautify and make cities more friendly, so
one can find flower lined roads and helpful officials from the police to the locals to get you in the right direction. I am not sure how many thousands of kilometers we covered on the China rails but our next stop is to Dunhuang, a city in NW China on the edge of the Gobi Desert.A View of Cianjur
Thankful to be out of Jakarta, a conurbation of high rises, more malls than one can handle, modern hotels and not much else to see. Yesterday we left Jakarta and headed for Cianjur, a small city in the province of West Java to experience some authentic culture and the local lifestyle of the Sundanese people. The infinite bus rides to the main bus station and then catching another bus headed directly to Cianjur (pronounced: Chia-n-joor) left us both tired and in desperate need of rest. Indonesians will try to sell you anything and everything from the moment you sit on the bus. With vendors throwing wallets in my husband's lap to kids books being flaunted in our faces, we held our ground and only bought nothing more than some grapes for the "not to be ever mentioned again" bus ride. After a long 9 hours, we arrived in Cianjur and headed for our homestay with a man named Yudi who has opened his home to fellow travelers and offers the opportunity to live with the locals and experience their way of living (http://www.cianjuradventure.com/). We slept from 4:30pm till the call of the azaan at 5am.
This morning on the other hand had a pleasant start. As Shawn savoured a nice cup of Java coffee which is about $300/lb in the U.S but quite inexpensive in Indonesia, I quickly inhaled the locally grown warm tea brought to us by Yudi. For breakfast we enjoyed a bowl of warm rice pudding with crackers on top, locally referred to as Bubur. Although the time was just 6am, the discussion between Yudi and us was quite interesting, and Yudi told us about his book "The Secret Behind the Secret" which talks about how to attain happiness from within rather than seeking it in a materialistic sense. It's always enlightening to hear what one considers happiness, especially from people of different cultures. Now fully feuled we were ready for some sightseeing. One of Yudi's workers' named Andre took us for a pleasant walk through the town. Rice paddies and plenty of friendly smiles and hand waves were seen on the way. We stopped at a rice factory and had a chance to see the steps needed to produce rice and get it ready for the market. After a few hours of trekking the hills of Cianjur, we returned to a home-cooked lunch that included rice, some greens similiar to seaweed, fish, potato patties, and topped off with papaya and pineapple.
Shawn headed for prayer in the mosque and had the pleasure to meet locals who were quite interested in learning more once finding out a Muslim American had just arrived in their local mosque. Dinner is served with some condensed rice cubes that partially looked like potatoes in a delicious coconut curry. Indonesians have some amazing services provided
to them. Don't feel like cooking tonight?...no problem, just ask the local vendor who has a stove and all encompassing ingredients to head to your home and cook on your premises in his handy-dandy little mobile kitchen. Yudi orders vegetable noodles and 3 minutes later ready to be devoured. We helped of course..
Side note, we're a hit with the kids due to our "western" nose. Indonesians, like many Asian cultures are infatuated with caucasian features and women will often bleach their skin to look white.Lesson learned: Never travel right when schools are about to open or locals are returning from holiday unless you enjoy punishing yourself.
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