Snowy Russia

Despite the numerous times I have visited home, this is only the second time I'm visiting in the winter. Unlike the last time in 2006, when there was no snow and it was quite warm for December, this time the typical Russian winter has taken its course with a ton of snow and cold temperatures that feel just right for this time of the year. I have been having a very relaxing time here: sleeping a lot (even though I definitely had a mean case of jetlag), eating delicious homecooked meals, catching up with family and friends, enjoying the New Year's lights and decorations around the city, and watching all my favorite Russian movies. Tonight is perhaps the biggest holiday in Russia, New Year's Celebration. Everyone stays up at least until midnight, eats good food, watches the traditional Russian movies all evening and then the president's speech at 11:55pm, and then goes for a walk after midnight to speed up the digestion process a little and socialize. My brother is welcoming 2010 in the Philippines, so it will be just my Mom, Dad, and myself tonight to celebrate. We are definitely eating all my favorite traditional foods and have already begun the movie marathon, but Im not sure if we'll make it outside after midnight. Happy New Year!

Last morning in Amsterdam

I had a few hours left before having to track back to Schiphol, so I decided to make the most of it and visit the famous Rijks Museum, which is also in the Museum District not far from my hotel. Continuing in the good tradition of being a crazy tourist, I was the first one to actually enter the museum exhibit, as mentioned to me by the museum guard (I wasn't the first one in line to enter the building, but the couple in front of me took their time in the cloak room, so I beat them to the punch:). The Museum is under construction, so only a few halls were open to the public. It had a very nice exhibit on the Dutch colonial history, the role of the Catholic Church in sponsoring and inspiring artists, a display of the traditional Dutch blue-and-white ceramics, and the world-famous "Night Watch" by Rembrandt.

I decided to have a leisurely breakfast before rushing off to the airport and enjoyed the typical Dutch pancakes that tasted like regular pancakes but looked like Donut holes. After breakfast, I walked around a bit more until I realized that I had to run back to the hotel to make sure I wouldn't miss my flight. Of course, when it rains, it pours, so I not only missed my tram the first time, but when I got on the next one, I couldn't quite figure out how to make it stop at my stop, so I ended up going to the next one and running to the hotel, then running back out with my suitcase, catching a tram to Centraal, then a train to Schiphol...of course, I made the flight for the easy trip home.

Beyond the fact that it had always been my dream to visit Amsterdam, I am a crazy tourist (at least I admit it:)---I always have a detailed list and schedule of attractions to see in a place I'm visiting. In this case, of course, it was much worse since Amsterdam has so much to offer to its visitors and I only had about 30 hours to see as much as I could; I was barely able to sleep the night before my "Amsterdam day" and got up at the crack of dawn to catch the bus from Volendam to the Amsterdam Central Station. The day greeted me with cold rain, but I was determined nonetheless. So, after getting to the city and purchasing a tourist pass for the day, I embarked on my tour.

Amsterdam Centraal (central station)

Since the museums had not opened yet, my first stop was the Beguine Convent---a collection of houses around a pretty courtyard that still houses women who dedicate themselves to helping the poor and doing other good deeds (but these women are not nuns---some of them had been married and had lost their husbands). Next up was Neiuwe Kerk (New Church)---a Cathedral which used to be a Catholic church, but was converted into a Protestant church (and thus stripped of all the figurines and crucifixes) when the Netherlands became Protestant after the Reformation. The church is now a place of coronation for Dutch royalty and also the site of various exhibitions. The current one was on the Kingdom of Oman, so I got to learn a bit more about this interesting middle-eastern country.

Unfortunately, the Royal Palace was undergoing reconstruction so I couldn't see it, so I decided to leave Dam Square (city center) and walk a bit around the beautiful canals that cross the city similarly to those in St. Petersburg, Russia. Amsterdam is a relatively small city, even smaller than DC, so I was able to cover a lot of ground on foot, even though the nice Dutch people who kindly gave me directions always suggested that I took the tram.


Next on the agenda was Rembrandt House, where the great painter lived and worked. I learned that at the time, it was a very extravagant purchase, and Rembrandt ended up going bankrupt so the house was repossessed---it's a miracle that the things that belonged to him, such as his collections of paintings and objects from around the world, had been preserved. I also learned that he was a very talented and prolific etcher (?), or maker of etchings, and actually had all the equipment to make those in his house. He also had a number of students who worked in his house and whose paintings Rembrandt sold in addition to his---he was a successful art dealer as well.

On my way to the Rembrandt House I had spotted a perfect place for lunch overlooking a canal, but after the house tour, wasn't quite ready to eat and decided to walk around and admire some more views as the weather had improved from the morning downpour. However, I got terribly lost and wandered around for a while before locating my lunch spot:)

Next was the boat cruise along the canals. I couldn't remember the names and the history of all the canals we passed, but it was fascinating to see the similar, but different houses lining the canal streets. Since the city is built practically on water, the houses are leaning either forward or to the side---I tried to capture it, but of course, you have to see it to believe. The gables of the houses are also unique and are made in several distinct styles.


On our cruise, we also saw the Southern Church, first protestant church built in Amsterdam after the conversion, the numerous "water houses" (homes floating in the canals), and the buildings that used to belong to the Dutch West Indies Company. It was this company that sailed upon an island in North America and build a city there naming it New Amsterdam, which is now known as New York.
The Southern Church

Former building of the Dutch West Indies Company (see initials on the building)

After the cruise, I decided to transfer my suitcase from the locker room at the Central Station to my hotel, which was located in the Museum District in another part of Amsterdam. I took a tram to get there, which in itself was a cultural experience. The Dutch are so organized that you can only enter the tram through 2 doors and then exit through the other 2 doors. It took me a while to figure it out, but once you get it, it surprisingly makes sense. My hotel was in a quite residential area near Volden Park, and, as it turned out, was managed by a Russian guy with a Ukranian receptionist who gave me all sorts of helpful tips about the city and the quirks of the Dutch people:).

My last stop of the day was also by far the best---the Van Gogh Museum. I have seen his works here at a visiting exhibit in Washington, but to have a whole museum dedicated to my favorite Post-Impressionist painter...it was beyond words. In addition to the paintings, the museum displayed Van Gogh's numerous letters to his brother Theo and his friends, other artists in France and Holland. It gave a glimpse into the painter's sensitive and somewhat conflicted nature, and revealed his long struggle with mental illness---he did cut off the ear of his friend and fellow painter, Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh worked in both France and the Netherlands and drew his inspiration both from people, mostly peasants, and nature. Even though the subjects of his paintings are quite simple, the choice of color and the art of the painter evoke an emotional reaction that touches the heart and leaves a big impression on the mind. Unfortunately, Van Gogh ended his life at the age of 37---I can't even imagine how much more he could have created had he lived longer.

After this amazing visit, I simply crashed back at the hotel reflecting on all the things that I had seen during the day. There was still so much to do, and only a few hours of the morning left before my flight back to DC.

Volendam

Volendam is a small town, but a major tourist destination, mainly for fishing and sailing. I took one afternoon off and decided to walk around the cute town to get an idea of what a small Dutch town is like. Here is a bit of background first. Volendam, much like the rest of the northwestern part of the country,is built on polders. Polders are built-up layers of ground in the midst of the sea (the Dutch refer to it as "won battle with the sea"). This is why Volendam has numerous canals in-between homes and lush green pastures for sheep to graze on and numerous birds, including swans, to thrive.



The downtown area was absolutely precious---cute little houses lining the narrow streets with cobblestone streets and canals that reminded me of the Munchkinland from the Wizard of Oz. I wandered around the narrow streets not believing that they were actual streets, and not just driveways---they indeed were streets, but since most of the Dutch use their bikes and walk, they can easily get around these streets. I ended up walking on the banks of the North Sea, down a touristy street, had delicious fish for lunch, then yummy apple pie for dessert, and spent way too much money on souvenirs.

The Netherlands: Arrival

Finally, after sitting for endless hours at the Schiphol airport on my way to Africa and Asia and not being able to wander out, I got off the plane, passed through immigration, and walked out of the airport onto the Dutch soil! Even though I was somewhat out of it due to the overnight flight, I could barely contain my excitement since I had been dreaming of visiting this country for a long time. I made it to the Amsterdam Centraal (Amsterdam Central Station), a beautiful old building, and took a bus to a nearby fishing village, Volendam, the site of the conference which I was there to attend. After checking into my hotel, I ended up sleeping most of the day and worked on my presentation. A few things that I have noticed right away about the country and its people:
1)Everyone speaks English, and well: the bus drivers, any passer-by in the train, etc. As I learned later, most of the Dutch, including the kids, speak English because a lot of their TV programs are in English, unlike the Germans, Astrians, and French where the TV programs are dubbed into their respective languages.
2)The public transportation system is great and quite easy to use and figure out.
3)The country is clean, safe, and well-organized with friendly and polite citizens (ahh, a country after my own heart)

Jakarta

On my last day in Indonesia, the driver took me around Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and the main city on the island of Java. Parts of this country were colonized by the Dutch, then the Japanese during the WWII, and then the Dutch again (remarkably, Indonesians don't harbor hard feelings towards the Dutch and absolutely detest the Japanese, saying that the former basically looted the country during the war). The Jakarta Old Town is built in the traditional Dutch colonial style with white stonewashed buildings and red roofs.

Even though most of the other museums were closed, I managed to make it to the puppet museum. Puppet shows are a big part of Indonesian culture. The museum curator showed me various types of puppets and explained the intricate and long process of making them. (If I recollect correctly, the puppet itself is made out of buffalo skin). I also got to have a delicious rice noodle lunch at the famous Old Batavia Hotel.

The driver then took me around other parts of the city. I saw the beautiful Presidential Palace, an old protestant church in Indonesia (built by the Dutch), the largest mosque in the world, and Jakarta's sprawling Chinatown. Airport was next, followed by a miserably long flight back home.

Taman Safari

I had a free day before the start of the workshop, so I decided to take advantage and go to the local Zoo in Bogor, which turned out to be much more than just a Zoo. It did have animals in caged areas, but the majority of it was actually similar to a drive-through safari park, where animals roamed freely and we were actually allowed to feed most of them carrots that we had bought right outside the park. For those who know my obsession with animals, I was in heaven (I think the driver might have thought I was clinically insane the way I squealed at the sight of new animals and actually talked to them). Here is a sample of the animals we were able to see and feed.




The zebras and the llamas were very brave and actually stuck their faces right into our car windows to get some carrots. One zebra even started chewing on the side mirror when we weren't giving it any more carrots. The car was completely covered with animal saliva.


We were also able to see some more rare animals such as the white Bengal tigers (walking side by side with "regular" Asian tigers) and the Komodo dragon (native to Indonesia). The areas where the tigers and lions were roaming were gated off, and we were prohibited from getting out of the car (not that I would attempt to anyway---they did look pretty ferocious).

Indonesia (getting there)

This was the furthest I have ever flown, so the flight itself was very long and first took me to Seoul, Korea for an overnight layover (after a 13 hour flight). Korean Airlines put me up in the nicest hotel ever---my room had a heated toilet, which, in my opinion, is the greatest invention ever. What made the layover more bearable, in addition to the heated toilet:), is the amazing food the hotel had. The leg to Jakarta was only about 6.5 hours, so I was actually feeling okay when I finally got to my collaborator's beautiful house in Bogor (about 1.5 hours from Jakarta). I was there for an inception workshop for a very interesting research project on the impact of biofuel cultivation on people's land rights.
Indonesia is a country full of contradictions. On the one hand, it has a lot of natural resources (including oil and gas), and everything imaginable grows there (the Indonesians joke that you can drop anything into the ground, and it will grow). Drought is not an issue because of the tropical climate---in fact, I have never seen a stronger tropical downpour than I witnessed one night during my stay. On the other hand, it is the 4th most populated country in the worlds. Most of the people live on the island of Java, while the rest are spread around on some 17,000 islands that constitute Indonesia. So, while the resource abundance is there, so is widespread poverty, due to the geographical spread, high population density in some places, and pervasive corruption. Many Indonesians speak English and their native languages, while Bahasa, a made-up official language, is quite simple to learn.

Goa

Goa, a seaside Indian state, is very different from the rest of India. It was colonized by the Portuguese, unlike the rest of the country, which was under the British rule, and the resulting differences in culture, religion, and architecture are very visible. The Portuguese ruled differently and tried to convert their colonies to Catholicism, while the British allowed their subjects to continue their current religious practices. The capital city of Goa, Panjim, has numerous old Catholic churches and cathedrals, most of which are still operating to serve Goa's numerous practicing Catholics. I have seen many old Catholic churches across Latin America, and those in Goa were among the oldest. One of the churches, the Bom Jesus Basilica, has the remains of St. Francis Xavier, a famous Catholic saint.


Our meetings were held at a lovely seaside resort that was literally right on the shore of the Arabian Sea and allowed several lovely walks on the beach during sunset. The meetings themselves were intense (we were working towards producing a training manual), but gathered people from the executive committee of the program that I work on, so the conversations, work, and cultural experiences were a lot of fun. This was a perfect site for a writing workshop like that.
Our resort

Sunset over Arabian Sea

Several funny things:
1) The resort where we stayed was full of...Russians!!! Apparently, Goa is a very popular destination for Russian tourists with direct charter flights from Moscow. My co-workers were remembering the Russian pilots at our hotel in Uganda (February 2007) and were joking that I have a Russian posse following me everywhere:). I'm very grateful to the Russian tourists at our hotel---because of them, the food was not very spicy and I could enjoy most of the meals. (And once again, the proof of my firm belief: there are Russians in every corner of this planet:)
2) On our sightseeing day in Panjim, our local collaborators wanted to give us a full Goan experience. (Goans are very lively and fun-loving people who like to eat and dance.) In the evening, we took a boat cruise on the Mandovi River---it turned out to be somewhat of a booze cruise, but instead of getting drunk, people were dancing to the Indian pop music like crazy, especially the men, who were having a great time despite not being able to dance with women (India is a very traditional sex-segregated country). It was hilarious to watch!
On the way back to the US through Mumbai and Amsterdam I learned that I can now fall asleep anywhere---I laid my head down on my hands at the Mumbai airport and fell asleep for a good hour while waiting for my 2am flight.

Agra

As it turned out, the Taj was not the only famous site to see in Agra, the city 2 hours north of Delhi. The Agra Fort, also known as the Red Fort, is a UNESCO World Heritage site about 2 km away from the Taj. It is a walled city where the Great Mughals lived with their numerous guards, wives, and concubines. In fact, it was one of the Mughals, Shah Jahan, who built the Taj in honor of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Later, he was imprisoned by his son in one of the towers at the Agra Fort that had a marble balcony with the view of the Taj. We toured the fort and learned a lot about the early history of India and the ruling Mughals.


Our next stop was a workshop and store where they make encrusted marble souvenirs in the same style as the Taj, which is a masterpiece made of white marble encrusted with precious and semi-precious stones (some rooms in the Agra Fort are made of marble as well). Making even the smallest jewelry box takes a long time. We were shown some bigger pieces made by the artisans---they were amazing!

Finally, the Taj. After going through some bustling and dirty streets and passing through extensive security (they even made me put my iPod in storage), we were immediately treated to a majestic view of the Taj Mahal, situated at the end of a walkway lined with canals.


Before going up to the Taj, we had to take off our shoes and stand in a pretty long line. Inside were the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shan Jahan. I also realized that the Taj is actually a collection of structures with minarets and gardens of traditional Persian style, which took about 21 years to build, and what is typically referred to as the Taj Mahal is the actual mausoleum with the tombs. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the mausoleum, but could get some more close-up shots of the exterior and other structures.


Full of impressions, we went back to Delhi, stopping by a famous temple of Krishna, one of Indian gods, allowing me a chance to see a real Hindu temple.
One more shot of the Taj, reflecting in the water

The next morning on the way to the airport the driver took me around Delhi to see the famous India Gate and the beautiful Houses of Parliament (unfortunately, I had to snap the pictures from inside the car so they didn't turn out very well).
India Gate

Back to India

Even though I had previously traveled to India, I was only able to visit Bangalore, the site of our workshop in April 2007. This time, the meetings I was coming for were going to be held in Goa, but I could get a flight through New Delhi, which offered a unique opportunity to visit one of the seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. I decided to take the opportunity and was rewarded by a once-in-a-lifetime experience of this majestic palace.