NORTH EASTERN INDIA- Where East meets Far East

The town of Sri Mangel, Northern Bangladesh

Where EAST meets FAR EAST Eastern India June 16th 2012 Calcutta, West Bengal, Eastern India.



 To get to Calcutta, I took a route that on my previous trip to India seemed incomprehensible. I saw a side of India that I never though existed, and I have begun to grapple with the similarities and differences of partition.

British owned tea plantation.

I left the beautiful coastal town of Cox’s Bazaar for the tea plantations of Sri Mangel, of the Syhlet province of North East Bangladesh. It was here that I started to really dig into the cause and effects of Partition, and the impacts the British had on Eastern Bengal. The plantations are worked primarily by Hindu’s, meanwhile the towns and cities of the province are populated by muslims, a legacy left by the British, whom still own many of the tea plantations of Bangladesh. The British brought Hindu’s from India to develop these tea plantations in the latter half of the 19th century, as they often trusted the Hindus and preferred to do business and employ them over their Muslim counterparts. I puzzled over this relationship, which seems quite peaceful on the surface of Bangladesh, but is commonly known not to be perfect.

Making my way to India,  gazing out at the flood plains of East Bengal.

One of the primary reasons for my return to the sub-continent, five years on now is to work on understanding the partition of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. I have maintained that to fully understand India, one must see all three. I enjoyed every minute of Bangladesh, from the crazy streets of Dhaka, to the mountains on the border of Burma, the beautiful seaside and the plantations that make some of the best cuppas in the world.

Met many friends along the way to India. I guess not many tourists enter India this way.

I woke up bright and early in Syhlet, boarded a crowded bus and made my way to the border. As is the case often in Bangladesh, I had very little clue as to what was actually going to happen. Numerous questions spun through my head that morning… Would I actually make it to the border? What would the customs formalities be like? This border is pretty remote, would there be onward transport further into tribal India?

Across that river is India. North East India.

Well, I got to the border town, and as is usually the case in Bangladesh, not the person in sight spoke any English. I ask, “Where is the border?”, people look at me dumb-founded, I say, “INDIA!!!????”, they go, “ AHHHHHH, yes yes, right this way”. I begin to walk with a boy from the shop I had lunch at towards India, along a river on the flat plains of Bangladesh, and their in the distance are tall and green mountains, and he keeps pointing over and saying India!!, with a big smile on his face. I eventually reach a Bangladesh army base standing at a high point over the river facing India, they grab me a motorbike and take me to the border. I pay my exit tax at the local bank, go through the formalities, have one final cup of Chai, exchange my Taka for Rupees and walk across the border!

It has been a slice BANGLADESH!

I have made it back to INDIA! Five years later, to an area of India I never in million years though I would visit. Welcome to the North East tribal states, the frontier town of Dawki. I go through India customs, have a cup of tea and walk to the town. I see Christian churches, liquor stores, women with their hair out and even in this tiny tiny town on the frontier I find people speaking English everywhere. What a difference! The people are part of the tribal region of India and look more oriental, that their Indo-Arayan counterparts in the rest of the country.

A pretty chill border crossing, separated only by a small creek.

Here Christianity prevails as the dominant religion, not Islam, Sikhism or Hinduism. An amazing spot in the world. I see one of the most epic example of the geology on earth. The flat plain of Bangladesh ends and the mountains of North East India begin.

3.4 % of India are Christians and many are found up here in the NE.

Most protestants in this part of India.

I hitch a ride with a convoy of wealthy Bangladeshi tourists to make my way to Shillong city, about four hours away. And what a climb it is, within half an hour we are on the tops of mountains overlooking the endless plains of Bangladesh and I cannot help but ponder my experience there, along with welcome the experience that awaits me here in this largely unexplored part of India.

It looks more like central British Columbia than India. WHAT AN AMAZING PART OF INDIA! So lucky to get here.

These boys invited me to join their family convoy to Shillong city.

What a landscape, what a people, what a part of India.

Got a little misty up in the mountains, much cooler temps than Bangladesh.

After sweating bullets for days in on the plains of Bengal I reach this city in the mountains and for the first time in weeks I am forced to wear a jacket and no longer need air conditioning or a fan at my hotel. This city bursts with people of all different colours, languages and religions. I can sense hints of China, South East Asia, India and Bangladesh, all in one. I marvel at this, and for the first time in a while I taste a glass of whiskey and speak to a woman. It seems rather surreal, but I can tell even this remote corner of India is leagues ahead of Bangladesh in many ways.

The people have a more oriental look in this part of India. 

I make my way to Guwati, a city that straddles the Bramaputra river that flows into Bangladesh, I once again return to the heat of India and it is here that I feel that I am truly back to India, as elements of my experience five years ago pop up around every corner. I see poverty, chaos, people everywhere, garbage, bustling traffic, hear the vast honking of horns and I feel déjà vu left, right and centre. I spend a couple days here before taking an overnight train towards Darjeeling, the famous hill station of West Bengal.

Sunset on the Bramaputra river, it flows from the Himalayas to meet the Ganga in Bangladesh.

I buy an open ticket, for 94 rupees, about the 1.70$ and over night to the station closest to Darjeeling. I met some Sikh soldiers who thought I was a soldier myself and invited me to join them on the soldier train car, a far more comfortable option than I expected.

All the cultures and faiths of India are present in Guwati.

Eating dinner in the solider car. These men said I looked like a soldier and invited me to dine with them on the way to Darjeeling. We cracked a bit of whiskey and they told me some wild tales about being on the Indian frontier as a soldier.

I arrived first thing in the morning, exhausted from a crazy over night ride and made my way up to Darjeeling to embrace some cool weather once again before the long haul to Calcutta.

Climbing the Himalayas to Darjeeling.

Darjeeling is famous tourist destination for both domestic Indian tourists and foreigners. I walk up to my hotel, check in and I see two Americans from Tennessee. I am baffled, as for the first time in almost a month I see white people, and not only that, they speak English that I easily understand. They had been travelling India for months and I was happy to pick their brains as to what eventually awaits me.

Most of the people in Darjeeling are Nepali's, lovely people.

I embraced this hill station, relaxing in the cool air, jogging without sweating bullets, hiking in the hill stations many tea plantations and soaking up the surreal environment.

The Darjeeling EXPRESS!

I felt so much different on this go around in India, as on the last trip I was with the University and we were in a group, ushered to many different touristy destinations, easy prey for touts and tourist hawks. I can say that although I enjoyed my last experience in India, this time around I am truly in love, finding hidden gems around every corner and embracing the local people at every opportunity. I guess I have grown a lot in the last five years, and India itself is developing at a rate faster than I ever imagined. I left Darjeeling on an overnight train to Calcutta, arriving first thing in the morning. Since I was flying first thing the next morning back to SE Asia, I figured I would just sleep at the airport and save a night of accommodation. I saw many of imperial Britain's historic capital, from the Victoria memorial, the statues of high standing governors and all the base institutions that made british India function.

Her Majesty, QUEEN VICTORIA. The Queen of the British Raj.

The city was bustling, exciting and intriguing. I could not help but love it. After a day of sweating, exploring and engaging with the locals of Calcutta or Kolkata as it is now spelled I embarked to India’s third largest airport. I found this to be a hilarious experience, I expected something super developed as is the case with the Delhi or Bombay airports, I was sadly mistaken. The airport was very basic, tractors pulling in the luggage and no connector between the domestic and international terminals, and although their was a dorm to sleep in, they would not let me stay. I snuck in to use the internet at the domestic terminal and slept their on a bench.

Waiting for the bus to the airport in Kolkata.

I awoke the next morning to board my plain to Bangkok and onwards to Vietnam, having truly loved this short stint in Eastern India. In three weeks I will return to Kolkata to meet some friends and begin the second chapter of the Indian journey and onwards to Pakistan.

I can say, I was a bit nervous as to how I would take India, but my mind is more open now, and my attitude changed towards India. I cannot wait to return and see what lies in store.

India you rock! And I cannot wait to see you again!

As for now, time to rock some Vietnam with Cookie girl!

Cheers, William

Next up, VIETNAM!

In Bangladesh, WE ARE THE BEST!

In Bangladesh, we are the best….. June 9th 2012 Welcome to part one the journey in Bangladesh. So far this trip has had some ups and downs in terms of the destinations that have been visited thus far. As many of my friends will know, I have been most excited about the prospect of Bangladesh. To be honest, other than brief news headlines and some history of the British Raj I learned in school, I knew next to nothing about Bangladesh. I went down town in Calgary, to my favourite shop, the Map store. This store has some of the best info for travelling to the far corners of the earth, I have managed to snag maps for west Africa, Zimbabwe, the middle east and just about every lonely planet or travel book/magazine you can think of. But even they had to do a special order for the Bangladesh guide book, as it seems no really comes here.

When you see the India guide book, it is like an archive, while the Bangladesh one reflects a pamphlet, lol.

Regardless, here I am. In Cox’s Bazaar, close to the Myanmar border, soaking up the beach life, Bangladesh style. This means, fully clothed, and drinking cups of Chai tea. A far contrast from the beaches of Thailand, Australia or the Caribbean. But I did not come to Bangladesh to indulge in the beach, I came to see something different, and that is EXACTLY what I found.

Arriving in Dhaka, I went through customs. The man says, welcome to Bangladesh, what is the purpose of your visit, I reply, Tourism. He says, ahhhhhhh, do you have a guide? No, I say. He says, are you alone? I say, yes. He replies, WOW! Regardless he stamps me in, I grab my luggage, get into the taxi cue and meet a New Zealand man coming from Dubai for work, John. We share a taxi into the centre, exchanging some laughs and puzzling over this crazy place we have just arrived, where it seems every public bus has been in an accident, and although there is 20 million people in Dhaka, the capital, it is surprisingly clean.

I part ways with John, and wander into the old city to my own hotel. I go to look for something to eat and to find an ATM that will accept my VISA card, lol, as all the ones at the airport rejected me. I am stared at by everyone, however I am afforded some of the finest service I have ever received and had the best 1 dollar dinner I have ever had. I then quickly realize, good bye to the land of tourist prices and overt western tourism and welcome to one of the few places left in the world that have not been engulfed by western tourists.

The next day I rocked around old Dhaka, indulging in the crazy streets, the various historical sights, including the Bangladeshi equivalent of the Taj Mahal, the Lalbagh Fort. I saw Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian holy places throughout Dhaka and the four religions live in a much more harmonious state than I expected. I went down to the Bari-Ganga river that flows from India and played some cricket with kids on its shores, enjoying about 20 cups of tea from every eager man wanting to talk to me about everything from where I am from, to my religious convictions, to my marriage plans. It was one of the most authentic experience I have had on this trip, no one looked at me as a dollar anymore and everywhere I went I was met with perplexing curiosity and unbelievable kindness.

Case study to follow: I met a man on the flight from Nepal, Rana.. He was from the Chittagong Hill Tracts , a region of Bangladesh close to the Myanmar border. He over heard me speaking to a German girl about the region, I spoke of my plans to go there and she spoke of how she had heard it was dangerous. He was quick to clarify this point, and made it his mission to show me just how amazing it was. “To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing”, a quote from a song I love. I went with this man, Rana and it turns out he is kind of the King Pin of a town called Rangamati. This area is home to the Chakma tribal peoples, who resemble the people of Myanmar and are of the Buddhist faith. It is also home to Bengali settlers, the first of which were brought by the British over one hundred years ago to teach the Chakma and other tribal peoples how to farm. Rana’s grandfather was one of these first Bengali settlers brought by the British to reign in the tribals on the Burmese border, which was also a British territory at the time.

Rana took me all over Rangamati, showing me the Buddhist temples, beautiful landscapes and even had me take a boat ride. He invited me to dinner at his family home and introduced me to many of his friends around the city, which included both Bengali’s and Chakma people. I could not believe how amazing this place was and the fact that so few people come here is truly sad, as it has to be the most beautiful part of Bangladesh. Rana called the army check posts along the way as I bussed to a city called Bandarban, they bypassed my need to have permits and I got to the town and was able to register with the local government on arrival. Very lucky I have to say, and Bandarban was another great hit on the Bangladesh trail. I saw a Buddhist temple that is very much to the styling of the famous golden temple of Myanmar. And the people of Bandarban are of the Marma tribe, and speak the same language as the Burmese people. I found this to be just fascinating and as I stared over the mountains from an incredible view point I could not help but imagine what it must be like in Northern Myanmar, an area essentially off limits to tourists. I wonder if one day Myanmar will become more open and the possibility of crossing overland from Thailand to Bangladesh will become viable? Who knows for now, but hey I shall keep it stored in the back of my mind for another trip. I left Bandarban and arrived where I sit now in Cox’s Bazaar. I am preparing to board a long distance bus over night to the tea region of the north and onwards to India.

We shall see what lies in store for Bangladesh in the remaining days. Bangladesh is an off the beaten track destination and shall remain so for quite sometime, but if one is willing to take the chance to see something different, and experience something they have never felt before, than this is the place! Wishing everyone well back home and abroad. Cheers, William Delaney

Never Ending Peace And Love-NEPAL

Himalayan High- Nepal
June 3^rd 2012.



Himalayan High- Nepal June 3rd 2012. So here I sit at the Kathmandu international airport, waiting for my flight to Bangladesh, which is currently delayed by four hours, for a reason I have yet to be told. I figure this is a great opportunity to catch up on the blog while my memories of Nepal are fresh.

As was part of the goal of this trip, to see the full picture of the British Raj, I felt Nepal, although never officially colonised by Britain was an important piece to the evolution of the Raj and the development of the subcontinent. I arrived in Nepal after a night sleeping at the New Delhi airport after a long haul flight from Malaysia. I did not quite know what to expect from the place, I know many people that have either travelled or volunteered here and after seeing how over touristed Thailand was, I was in no mood to see that again. I was very pleasantly surprised, as although Nepal has a massive tourism industry, tourism has not completely engulfed their society and culture and people come to Nepal for different reasons than in Thailand or other parts of SE Asia.

I have to give a big shout out to my friend Laura Battos, she put me in touch with her friend Molly and as such I was introduced to a wide range of expats from the USA and other parts of the west doing various form of humanitarian work to help Nepal. I had many interesting conversations and although I tend to be a more right wing person compared to the usual NGO types, I still really enjoyed my time with them.

Nepal was in a interesting state upon my arrival, they were in the midst of developing a new constitution, as they deposed their monarchy four years ago and have elected a communist regime. Sadly I do not know of any successful communist regimes in the world, and having just come from North Korea I do fear for the future state of Nepal, but for now things seem to be doing alright. They have these Bandah’s or Strikes that stop all transport and shops from operating during the day, allowing them to open in the evening. I could not fully grasp what their objective was, and many of the other people I talked to could not either, it seemed like the people were just hurting themselves, rather than the government. And Nepal seems to be caught between a rock and hard place, as it is sandwiched between the worlds two largest emerging economies, India and China, both competing for Nepal’s vast water resources. As some of you know, I wrote my masters thesis on the “Water-Energy” Nexus, discussing at length the coming conflict over the worlds water resources, of which Nepal will be a key battle ground. I wonder how this resource will come to bear for Nepal in the future? As even right now they have constant electricity rationing, while selling off their power to India and the Chinese are increasingly bidding to develop hydro projects of their own.

But politics and resource management aside, the people of Nepal were beyond kind throughout my trip. I left Kathmandu after the Bandah finally stopped and went to Polkara to begin a 5 day trek in the mountains. Polkhara was a beautiful town and I would love to take some of my high school students one day to Nepal to learn about the culture and enjoy the vast trekking opportunities. I trekked for five days, indulging in breath taking views and lovely people throughout. On the fourth day of my trek, due my desire to trek quite fast(growing up in Vancouver, it is kinda in our blood), I lost my guide. In an attempt to find him I met an American girl from Idaho, Kristin. We eventually found my guide and I found a travel partner for the rest of my trip in Nepal. Kristin and I finished our trek together, she scored me a solid deal on a safari to Chitwan national park, and we managed to sneak into the Patan Museum on our last day in Kathmandu.

Chitwan was a blast, canoeing down the river, spot crocs and other wild life, riding elephants, bathing elephants and soaking up some solid jungle heat was all a great experience. The last couple days in Kathmandu were a welcome respite, getting well rested before the crazy adventure to Bangladesh which is only one hour away, hopefully!

I have to say that Nepal was a welcome blessing on this trip, although a very easy country to travel in and a bit different from the usual more off the beaten track destinations I so prefer, I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have to say that the Nepali people I met were lovely and the many expats, especially Americans I met were great people and friends I shall hope to see when I return to our continent across the seas!

So Cherie, prepare the ski hills of Utah, I shall be there! And I am sure we shall have plenty of stories to exchange come Christmas time. Thank you too all the people who made Nepal such a great experience and I am sure in the near future I shall be back!

Wishing everyone well back home and abroad. Sincerely, William Delaney

Family History in Malaysia

Reconnecting with my families Past- Malaysia May 22nd, 2012. Now I am back on track so to speak, back to the spot of SE Asia that I originally planned to visit. I believe everything happens for a reason and the detour to Thailand proved just that in Malaysia, as the people met, both travellers and locals made this experience just fantastic.

The background to Malaysia for myself is with regards to my grandfather, James Baillie. When my grandfather was my age now, 25, he was a staff sergeant in the British Army. Post world war two my grandfather was sent out by the british army to some of the farthest corners of what was the mighty british empire. He visited Suez in Egypt, Aden in Yemen, Ceylon, which now called Sri Lanka and onwards to his favourite place of all, Singapore and Malaysia. It has always been crazy to me to think that my grandfather was a soldier for imperial Britain, something most of us today simply relegate to the history books, a era far gone.

I grew up listening to his stories of southern Asia, how crazy all these places sounded and what an experience it must have been for him as a young man at that time, as international travel was far beyond the means of most people at that time. To be honest, having listened to these stories of adventure throughout my life I must give credit to him for helping spark my sense of adventure, in particular with regards to this trip across Asia. And so it runs in my blood it seems and it was only fitting to explore the places of Malaysia most important to my grandfather, to seek out the parallels and differences between the stories of adventure I have grown up with. So in good form I dug out my British Passport and landed to this corner of Asia as a “British Citizen” and not a Canadian as I usually do. I figured it was a fitting way to honour the work my grandfather did here and show a bit of pride in that side of my family. My grandfather always talks about the magic of Singapore, the hot sunny skies, the colonial buildings and the fascinating caldron of people that make up that place. I arrived in Singapore, checked into my hotel and began to explore. The landmarks my grand dad mentioned still hold quite true, especially the famous Raffles hotel, a hot spot of the British army officers and colonial elites at the time of my grand dad. This hotel is where the famous Singapore sling cocktail was invented, and of course in good fashion I had to go and have one in the spirit of my families past. DELICIOUS! Especially in 40 degree heat! I then embarked on the varying neighbourhoods of Singapore, home to Chinese, Malays, Tamil Indians and of course many western business people and expats. It seems that many of the characteristics that my grand dad described to me hold quite true in Singapore.

I could not help by imagine what it must have been like for him and I cannot wait to show my photos and get his opinion on this incredible city state and bastion of the old british empire. The rest of my grandfathers three years of service in Malaysia were spent between Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Tana Rata of the Cameron highlands, the latter being his favourite. He used to tell tales of Chinese bandits attacking british convoys and about the relaxing Cameron highlands, where british troops were given a respite from their civil duties to drink beer, hike, swim and enjoy the cool temperatures of their jungle territory. I decided to embark to the three spots he mentioned, and much like my grandfather embraced and loved the Cameron highlands, sipping their famous highlands tea and indulging in the cool evening breeze was a welcome respite from my journeys in Thailand and elsewhere in Malaysia. I met two Australian girls, Nicky and Cherie in the Cameron highlands and we embarked on a small adventure to some of the fabulous night markets presenting the culinary marvels of Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisine. And what a time it was, being able to share stories of this incredible country and enjoy these simple pleasures together was a wonderful experience.

Not to mention the two are coming to Canada to work the ski season this winter, ironic coincidence that we met, naw, everything happens for a reason and I cannot wait to show them the best of my own country back home. Rocking down to KL was a blast, seeing this rising tiger of Asia was outstanding and seeing how harmonious the three major ethnic groups are was truly amazing. The British empire has left many terrible legacies around the world, but some how this place is moving in the right direction and the old colonial ties are every present throughout both Singapore and Malaysia. I like my grandfather now have very fond memories of Malaysia. And as I leave SE Asia to embark for the subcontinent I can say I feel very refreshed and excited about what I have seen and look forward to the many great adventures to come on this journey.

Thank you so much to all those that made Malaysia so special and to my grand dad for inspiring me to follow in his foot steps across the world. Sincerely, William Delaney

Thai Apartheid

When I left Seoul I embarked on what I thought would be a relatively short journey down to Singapore and Malaysia. I was dead wrong, I forgot how darn BIG Asia truly is. I shall explain about the Singapore and Malaysia experience in my next post, as in my original plan for the trip, that was the only part of SE Asia I was supposed to visit.

I however, like every trip I have ever taken made some minor changes, which thus expanded as the opportunity to meet up with friends across the world is tooooooooooo good to be true. And hence we have THAILAND!

I was in Thailand five years ago, I visited Bangkok, Kanchanaburi province, Koh Samui and Ko Phanang. I can honestly say that at that time I was not very satisified with what drew people to Thailand; The sex Tourism, alcohol, full moon parties, crowded beaches, happy ending massages and so forth seemed a bit to over indulgent. I did not think much of what made Thailand this way or that it seemed that Thailand is the only country like this, as last time I just used thailand as a relaxation break before India.

Fast forward 5 years, arrival at the Phuket Airport from Malaysia and I noticed a big difference in the way I went about my Thai experience. I flew up to visit my friends Courtney and Sarah.

Since we all were crossing the earth, it seemed logical to meet up here in this southern corner of Thailand. I landed, Court met me at the airport, we rocked into town for a friday night of MAYHEM, it was fun being there with them. We rocked motor bikes around the Island, caught a small boat to a secluded beach, drank many beers and indulged in the sun. I enjoyed taking a "vacation", while on vacation. I however can only handle such activities for a short while, and I began to crave more. I realized that in two trips to Thailand I literally learned next to NOTHING about Thai culture. The Thai tourism industry is sooooooooooo built up that they have seperate buses for tourists, restaurants, beaches, motor bikes and so on so forth. The closest thing Courtney and I got to experience their culture is when we got a flat tire on our moped and we had to slide into the back of a pick up with two old thai women, roll down to a small inland village repair shop and get the bike fixed, which by the way I think was my high light in Thailand.

I left the gals and headed over to Ko Phanang to see an old friend from England, Carly. I then again began to realize the sheer volume of which tourism has engulfed this country. I took a flight, not a single Thai person on it, I took a bus, no Thai's, a boat, again no Thai's, a shared taxi, No Thai's and I began to ask myself, how the heck to these people get around, what do they do? What are their names even like.... This is reference to an Australian girl who was sleeping with the bartender at the resort, he was from Burma. I asked one day where the Burmese fellow was, as I could not remember his name, she replied; "You know he has a name right? His name is JAMES".... I said REALLY? Is that a particularly COMMON name is Burma? Then she had to stop and think about the charade that is Thailand, and that she does not even know the real name of the guy she has been sleeping with for over a weeek.

I have been to many third world countries, but I find myself surrounded by them, packed on busses with them, eating with them, but here, not a chance.

I left me puzzling the extent to which tourism can be good for a country. Of course their economy is doing better as a result, but when ever a country relies to much on tourism, it is never a good thing, feast of famine can ensue very quickly, case in point when Thailand had their massive Tsunami a few years ago, or the global financial melt down of 2008.

As I left Thailand, heading down to the South, the city of Hat Yai before boarding a bus to Malaysia I thought to myself again. How much longer will authentic cultures exist in this global world? Can these countries survive and preserve their ways of life, their languages or even their names, or will more countries completely compromise themselves to become like Thailand.

However, it is possible too that the Thai's keep themselves separate from us, the sort of Thai Apartheid I noticed to protect themselves from the tourism. I am not sure. I do however believe that Thailand is by no means a "backpacker" or in anyway rustic destination. It has to be the easiest country to visit possible in all of asia, if not the entire developing world. So if you want a honeymoon outside of Mexico or Cuba, come to Thailand. If you want to learn about a completely different culture and experience something unique, maybe go somewhere else.

I leave Thailand with a great tan and some fun memories, but with a lasting impression, not so much.

Now Malaysia, that is a different story. See the next blog.

Cheers to All,

William Delaney

Comparing Koreas

Well, where to start?

I gave some hints in my last posts as to the truly weird experience linked with applying and obtaining a North Korean Visa, that and the truly bizare experience of flying into the country on an airline littered with propaganda and the strangest flight attendants I have ever seen.

Regardless, being in North Korea was an experience I shalt forget and it did not really hit me until I went to South Korea after to visit my friend Alisha, and in this article I shall explain why...

Like any plane ride, they go through the motions, the safety, hello from the captain, flying time, etc. Except on this plane ride the only news paper available was about the DEAR LEADER and his son, and the only movie was a North Korean patriotic film, "Love on the Taedong River". They were also explicitly clear on the fact that we were NOT TO TAKE PHOTOS FROM THE PLANE. However, much like the students I teach(teenagers), I was clearly tempted when they said that, and to add to it, the land was the most barren waste land I have ever seen from a plane. A Swiss man was caught by the secret police taking pictures and forcefully told to DELETE them, I was "caught" by a flight attendant who proceeded to ask me where I was from and later tell me that I have a nice body..... I was just glad she did not report me, and our innocent conversation about Canada was interrupted when I asked about how the country was dealing with the death of the DEAR LEADER, and she went on a very "scripted" patriotic rant about the resilience of the Korean People. All of this and we had not even landed!

We arrived and went through customs, all the Europeans had their phones confiscated at the airport, to be returned to them upon departure from North Korea. We then went into town during "rush hour", when all the people WALK home from work, as no one in North Korea owns a private car. I have never been in a city home to millions without cars, at least the air was clean compared to Beijing.

Another thing that struck me was the god like vistas of the "Eternal President" Kim Il Sung and his recently dead son Kim Jong Il(The Dear Leader). There was also not a single advertisement or shop open that we saw.

That was the beginning of a wild week in the DPRK. We visited the DMZ, to see the North Korean side of the war, sitting at the negotiation table with some other chinese tourists was ironic, as 60 years ago, we would of been enemies trying to kill eachother on behalf of our ideologies. Everything we did was scripted, dinner at the selected restaurants, no public transit what so ever, we could not leave our guides at anytime, except on the island where our hotel was. I as many of you know like to go jogging and was afforded the "freedom" to jog around the island at will each morning before breakfast, I got some weird looks from the locals, as I was sporting Nike shirts and shorts and Adidas shoes, things they had clearly never seen before. I did notice by day three of jogging that the same guy would watch me from the bridge each morning and only leave his post when I returned into the hotel compound gate, I guess even jogging around an island could be dangerous for "their security.

We did manage to get our guides very drunk, opening up a few windows into what their lives were like, and the structure of North Korean society. When we warmed up to them, they took us out to a "BEER HALL", which I must admit was some of the best beer I have ever had, no offense to Germany, Belgium or Portland.

As we embarked on our train back to Beijing, most of us sat in anticipation as to what the border would be like, and one member of our group was especially quiet, a man from new zealand who often sported pink pants and green rimmed sunglasses, a rather odd fellow who, while my guide was wasted drunk off of Jamesons admitted that they were "very concerned about". This man was an undercover journalist, who actually brought his lap top with numerous published articles, including some of which he has written for the Economist. The North Korean guards were unable to work his "MAC" computer, god bless Apple, lol and he managed to escape the possibility of a hard labour camp, which was the fate of the two american journalists that Bill Clinton had to rescue a few years ago.

Once we crossed the border we all let our a sigh of relief and celebrated with wine and russian Vodka, spoke openly about our experiences and puzzled over the weird place all of us had ever been. I enjoyed my experience in the DPRK, the guides were very kind to us, and once you looked past the truly bizare things, one realized just how special that experience was. I shall be interested to see, as many of us were, can the regime last? What will happen if the two countries unify? To get a bit of an inside look at the experience please check the youtube links below.

Short video link into our North Korean trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&v=RW1iBuOpY2Y

Myself participating in MAY DAY in Pyongyang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-NJO-q5Pnk&feature=relmfu

After a short break in China I flew over to South Korea to visit my friend Alisha, whom is teaching in Seoul. I have seen contrast before, short hops from Morocco to Spain, Israel and Palestine, the USA/Mexico border were all experiences with huge disparity, but none of those could have prepared me for THIS!

When I arrived in Pyongyang there was only soldiers, guns and pictures of the dear leader to be seen. In Seoul, I saw adverts EVERYWHERE.... SAMSUNG, HUNDAI, STARBUCKS, banks, models, anything you could ever want. In North Korea where no one owns a car, I saw on the luggage carousel a brand new Hundai available in a contest. I got on a air conditioned bus, I could go where ever I pleased, I could drink anything I wanted, eat anything I wanted, speak to anyone, read anything.... It seemed so weird, as these were Koreans, and a week prior I had been 70 KM away at the border, where all this seemed impossible.

Alisha took me to a soccer game, packed at an OLYMPIC stadium, we partied the weekend away for her birthday in down town Seoul, indulging in a way similar to any first world nation. We travelled by high speed train to the Southern tip of South Korea in two hours, rented bikes, met Koreans, drank what ever beer we wanted. I loved every minute of it. As Alisha knows I kept saying "WOW, they do that here????", "In North Korea there is NO WAY!"... etc.... I was in shock the whole time.

I can say this, that despite their vast differences in quality of life, the korean people on both sides of the border are very kind people, hospitable and hard working. Despite their efforts being directed in very very different ways.

I have had numerous conversations on my trip so far about this experience in "Korea" and also many conversations about the state of the other countries I have visited thus far. I have seen a recurring theme among many of the western people I meet, they all seem to point fingers at Americans, saying how this poverty is caused by them and their "wars", and that the world would be better off if America just STAYED OUT of everyone business.

I can honestly say that after seeing the difference between North and South Korea, two countries DESTROYED in 1953, one that lives with some of the highest standards of wealth, education, health care and opportunity in the world and the other with the lowest. One embraced the help of the Americans both militarily and economically and the other chose a path of extreme socialism and dicatatorship. I am not saying that everything the Americans do is good, but I am saying that when people say that they do no good, they are being very naive and sometimes we need to look a little deeper than what is just on the surface of a situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-NJO-q5Pnk

I had to dig deep to get into North Korea, but having seen this comparison now will forever last in my memory, as I continue to ponder this vast contrast and see how it evolves over the 21st century.

Wishing everyone well back home and abroad. William

Across the Pacific, Vancouver to Beijing

Staying up till 5 am, packing my bag with all my gear..... Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, mosquito net, flash light, medicine, clothes, shoes.... OK OK. I think I am ready! I left Calgary and landed in Vancouver and I got to see a side of the city with which I grew up I had all but forgotten and had never seen before. I landed at YVR, which was strange for me, as I usually go to Abbotsford from Calgary and drive to coquitlam. I took the state of the art Canada line sky train to down town Vancouver, hopped on the sea bus over to north shore and met my cousin Heidi. I had not taken the sea bus since I was a little kid, when my nana used to take me on trips to gas town and granville island from North Van.

I had dinner with Heidi, her husband Gavin and my younger cousins. It was a truly cherished moment to catch up with my family that due to my life style I only get to see so rarely. I also got to catch up with my grand parents, get my grampas insights into his experience serving in the British army in Singapore and Malaysia, which is a place I shall visit in a month before the big haul from Nepal to Turkey

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When I sat down with Heidi, having some wine and talking about the trip, I realized just how special it was, and how being in a family with such passionate people has had an effect on me my entire life. We are just driven and I am so blessed to have such a support network out there, for without them I would not be able to make such an undertaking happen. For this I thank all of you who have helped me lead such a fantastic young life so far.

Down to Business.... Vancouver was the perfect first step to start the journey, I went for a run last night on the North shore, 18 degrees, beautiful and the ocean air got me just fired right up for the adventure, catching transit across the city, coordinating without a local phone and finding my way through was all good practice to get me into the travel mind frame before China. And as well all know, Vancouver is basically half chinese, so seeing all the mandarin writing every where was a good stepping stone to the real thing.

I have been told that my cousin Hedi's husband Gavin's brother live in South Korea. This adds an interesting twist to the adventure and I am sure it will enhance the already incredible trip planned for south korea.

Things just keep coming up, people keep appearing and I cannot wait to see what lies in store over the pacific.

I sit right now in YVR international terminal, having a coffee and preparing for the journey ahead. I can say that being in Vancouver has been a hit, it reminds me why I need to move back here and live, hopefully after next year and I am well rested and ready to tackle Asia! As I am about to board my plane to cross the Pacific, thoughts of deja vu run through my mind of five years ago when I crossed the pacific to Beijing on my first trip outside North America. I wonder what memories shall be reignited upon arrival, what will be different, the same or completely unique. Well Vancouver has been a great first step and we are out of the block at full steam. I shall post again after I cross the worlds largest ocean and land in the capital or CHINA!

I wish everyone the best back home and abroad and I look forward to blogging about the experience in China and in North Korea.