Warp Drive to Overload (Bangkok, Thailand)
As I sit here in the Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge at the Bangkok airport I'm both looking forward to the next 2.5 months with wide open eyes and a touch of apprehensiveness. Although the latter is quickly disappearing as I learn and read more about what lies ahead. The next 2.5 months will be my first direct exposure to India (Both North and South) / Sri Lanka, Nepal (If I'm lucky with my pacing), Arabia, and the underwater world of Palau.
Some of the things I expect to experience:
Sri Lanka:
- Tea Plantations
The tiny island of Sri Lanka accounts for about 10% of all world tea production (India, China, Sri Lanka, Kenya - account for 70% of the world production), BUT is #1 with around 20% of world tea exports. With Kenya, China, and India close behind in that order. The only reason India and China don't have more exports is that much of the production is to satisfy internal demand.
These 4 countries account for 77% of world tea exports with Sri Lanka leading the way. Add in Indonesia at roughly 5% and you have 82%.
I first heard about Kenya as a tea producer while touring the production facilities of Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, CO, USA - where a few million teabags are produced 6-7 days/week. However, I still don't think of Kenya as a tea producer...nor do I think many other people think of it as a major tea producer. I only think of wildebeest migrations with all its associated wildlife, and long distance runners. But alas, my ignorance is increasingly evident. But, I'm expecting to see another aspect that relates to my Production Line theme - one of the most rewarding travel themes I believe.
Here are some interesting links regarding the tea industry:
http://www.michigan.gov/scope/0,1607,7-155-13497_13503_13507-44028--,00.html
The link above is interesting...it shows a school lesson plan for 7th graders!
World Tea Production and Export Info (India Infoline)
India:
- Amritsar: Holiest place for Sikhs, also near Pakistan border.
- Bodghaya: Location where Buddha reputedly became enlightened 2500 or so years ago. So that explains why the Thai calendar is at year 2547!! ....as I recently realized while riding in the Skytrain and seeing Thai characters followed by numbers of 2147-2547. Marking the 400 year relationship between the Netherlands and Thailand I think.
- Varanasi: Another one of the holiest places in India - many people come here to bathe in the Ganges river and burn their dead along the banks. (I'll add open air cremations occur in Indonesia too...among a few other places I've learned about recently)
- Bangalore: A place I mentioned earlier where many service sector jobs are moving to
- Mumbai: Center of Bollywood - India's film industry that puts out more films than Hollywood.
...and of course many places showcasing India's rich past via art and architecture. Including of course the Taj Mahal.
Nepal:
- Buddhist culture and the mighty Himalayan mountain range. What more can I say? A short trek is in order.
Palau:
- Jellyfish Lake: The opportunity to snorkel with countless numbers of stingerless Jellyfish
- Diving with sharks: While I have been underwater and have been near a couple of small reef sharks, I'm expecting to be diving around dozens of them..much larger too.
- also cave diving, shipwrecks, and seemingly bottomless reef walls.
Arabia:
- Well I haven't done enough research on this area yet nor have I established a firmer plan. I'm expecting to travel through the UAE (Dubai), Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman if I have time. The more modern face of Arabia I feel. The "older" face will have to wait for a future journey.
----
If all goes according to plan I will be experiencing the most holy Buddhist places one week, the mighty Himalayas the next, with the following week in Palau, then 2 weeks later - the deserts of Arabia. This no doubt will be a weird AND unnatural sensation. I'll let you know how it goes. All ahead!
As for apprehensiveness, my jitters about India are quickly receding as I become more familiar with the geography, places to go, means of getting around, and as I begin to put the rest of Asia behind me. Of course it all sounds easy sitting in a nice quiet lounge. While I sometimes dislike lugging around my computer, the benefits of carrying it are never far from my mind. I just downloaded the route maps and timetables for all of India's airlines. This makes planning a breeze. No guidebook can match this level of convenience or clarity. Of course I will travel by train too, the Lonely Planet guide does a pretty good job with that...but if I can I will download the train timetable too.
Downloading websites must be one of the best reasons to have a computer. Using business class lounges as a staging area is good. High speed internet (Wired or wireless) is often available. I just downloaded the India YHA (Youth Hostel Assn) website too and information on Palau dive operators.
Reflections on Thailand and Asia
Before I charge full speed ahead I'll reflect in a couple of sentences that I enjoyed my time in Thailand, but am somewhat disappointed that I did not see other countries in SE Asia as my original plan called for. However my understanding of Asia is so much more clear now that I have experienced a few more countries outside of Taiwan and China.
Some of the things I expect to experience:
Sri Lanka:
- Tea Plantations
The tiny island of Sri Lanka accounts for about 10% of all world tea production (India, China, Sri Lanka, Kenya - account for 70% of the world production), BUT is #1 with around 20% of world tea exports. With Kenya, China, and India close behind in that order. The only reason India and China don't have more exports is that much of the production is to satisfy internal demand.
These 4 countries account for 77% of world tea exports with Sri Lanka leading the way. Add in Indonesia at roughly 5% and you have 82%.
I first heard about Kenya as a tea producer while touring the production facilities of Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, CO, USA - where a few million teabags are produced 6-7 days/week. However, I still don't think of Kenya as a tea producer...nor do I think many other people think of it as a major tea producer. I only think of wildebeest migrations with all its associated wildlife, and long distance runners. But alas, my ignorance is increasingly evident. But, I'm expecting to see another aspect that relates to my Production Line theme - one of the most rewarding travel themes I believe.
Here are some interesting links regarding the tea industry:
http://www.michigan.gov/scope/0,1607,7-155-13497_13503_13507-44028--,00.html
The link above is interesting...it shows a school lesson plan for 7th graders!
World Tea Production and Export Info (India Infoline)
India:
- Amritsar: Holiest place for Sikhs, also near Pakistan border.
- Bodghaya: Location where Buddha reputedly became enlightened 2500 or so years ago. So that explains why the Thai calendar is at year 2547!! ....as I recently realized while riding in the Skytrain and seeing Thai characters followed by numbers of 2147-2547. Marking the 400 year relationship between the Netherlands and Thailand I think.
- Varanasi: Another one of the holiest places in India - many people come here to bathe in the Ganges river and burn their dead along the banks. (I'll add open air cremations occur in Indonesia too...among a few other places I've learned about recently)
- Bangalore: A place I mentioned earlier where many service sector jobs are moving to
- Mumbai: Center of Bollywood - India's film industry that puts out more films than Hollywood.
...and of course many places showcasing India's rich past via art and architecture. Including of course the Taj Mahal.
Nepal:
- Buddhist culture and the mighty Himalayan mountain range. What more can I say? A short trek is in order.
Palau:
- Jellyfish Lake: The opportunity to snorkel with countless numbers of stingerless Jellyfish
- Diving with sharks: While I have been underwater and have been near a couple of small reef sharks, I'm expecting to be diving around dozens of them..much larger too.
- also cave diving, shipwrecks, and seemingly bottomless reef walls.
Arabia:
- Well I haven't done enough research on this area yet nor have I established a firmer plan. I'm expecting to travel through the UAE (Dubai), Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman if I have time. The more modern face of Arabia I feel. The "older" face will have to wait for a future journey.
----
If all goes according to plan I will be experiencing the most holy Buddhist places one week, the mighty Himalayas the next, with the following week in Palau, then 2 weeks later - the deserts of Arabia. This no doubt will be a weird AND unnatural sensation. I'll let you know how it goes. All ahead!
As for apprehensiveness, my jitters about India are quickly receding as I become more familiar with the geography, places to go, means of getting around, and as I begin to put the rest of Asia behind me. Of course it all sounds easy sitting in a nice quiet lounge. While I sometimes dislike lugging around my computer, the benefits of carrying it are never far from my mind. I just downloaded the route maps and timetables for all of India's airlines. This makes planning a breeze. No guidebook can match this level of convenience or clarity. Of course I will travel by train too, the Lonely Planet guide does a pretty good job with that...but if I can I will download the train timetable too.
Downloading websites must be one of the best reasons to have a computer. Using business class lounges as a staging area is good. High speed internet (Wired or wireless) is often available. I just downloaded the India YHA (Youth Hostel Assn) website too and information on Palau dive operators.
Reflections on Thailand and Asia
Before I charge full speed ahead I'll reflect in a couple of sentences that I enjoyed my time in Thailand, but am somewhat disappointed that I did not see other countries in SE Asia as my original plan called for. However my understanding of Asia is so much more clear now that I have experienced a few more countries outside of Taiwan and China.
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