"Mama Mia, Here I Go Again"

With our luggage pieces

December 4th! We are leaving Bangkok! In a way, I had been frustrated. All my plans to write a gender research paper on the effects of landmines on women has fallen apart. I had hoped to meet with the Thai delegates and create a comparative framework. Instead, they were stuck in the border regions and I was stuck with an extended vacation. Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. This internship means the world to me and having missed the World AIDS day celebrations and not knowing exactly when the airports would re-open put a damper on my mood.

Well our tickets were finally confirmed. Ishita and I had decided to first head to the Jet Airways office and figure our flight status via Calcutta to Delhi. Well, leaving Thailand also became quite the experience. First, our driver had no idea where he was taking us. We had asked one of the guards to instruct him in Thai. He had nodded that he knew where to go. After we go in, he took us on a “scenic drive” around bangkok. Luckily, I now know the city well enough to navigate around with some ease. So, after about 45 minutes, we got out of the car and decided to walk to the building.

Well, with a humidity factor of almost 100 percent, it was hot! We were drenched! Arriving at the jet airways office, we found out that we were NOT on the flight to Calcutta. Instead, they had accidently put us on the flight connecting in Mumbai to Delhi and they weren't sure when the connection would occur.

Secretly, I think the both of us were happy to be going via Mumbai. Yes, I do realize that there had been bombings and the airport was under a high level surveillance. But honestly, when I looked around and realized that the entire flight to Calcutta. was with sleazy men who had come to Thailand for the sex industry, I was overjoyed in relief. I would not be on the same flight..hurray!

As fate would have it, we couldn't catch a break that day. We had called up the rest of the girls to come to the office. We had to catch the 1:30 bus to U-Tapao Airport outside of Pattaya. Well, we had packed all of our stuff, me with my one backpack and the girls with their crazy bags filled with all kinds of clothing and handbags they had picked up.

We had waited patiently for bus number three. At 2 PM we found out that the airlines had “forgotten” to put us on the correct bus and now we would be catching the 3:30 Calcutta. bus and we were assured we would be the first ones on and off the bus.

Well, lets just say waiting in the humid weather surrounded by sleazy men was not fun. The bus ride itself was quite eventful. I thought I had returned to India The entire interior of the bus was covered in red wedding curtains and we also had shiny disco lights to keep us entertained! Well the real fun part was when we finally made it to U-Tapao Military Airport.



U-Tapao Military Airport


For a country that had been literally shut down for more than a week, the Thai military really had its act together. They had set up first aid tents, free food and beverages for stranded travellers and even went to the effort of creating a carnival like atmosphere. On the Thai people would ever go through so much effort.

We had exactly 45 minutes to check in and board our plane. We thought we would end up sleeping at the military airport at this point. No bus ride would be complete without one last attempt by a sleazy Indian to pass off his number and blow kisses at us. Laughing hysterically, we made our way to the check in lines. Well, since we were the last to check in, it meant that we didn't have to stand in the long line ups or deal withe all the frustration. Instead, in a matter of 10 minutes we were ready to board.

Arriving in Shivaji Airport, Mumbai ( the old Sahara airport), we were tired and exhausted. A flight that would typically take 4 hours had ended up becoming a 24 hour journey. Transferring out of the terminals, we were glad to find out that we would be catching the 7 am flight to Delhi. It meant spending the night at the Mumbai airport in the Jet Airways lounge.

The airport itself had an eerie feeling. You could see the stranded travellers from various flights back from Thailand all discussing the political environment in India. There was talk of war with Pakistan and there had been reports of a possible attacks on the airports. Even sitting in the lounge, enjoying cups of coffee and cookies, I wasn't a bit comforted. We tried to get as comfortable as possible. Sleeping on chairs, we passed in and out of sleep.

At 3 am, a couple approached me and told me there had been a shooting at the IGI Delhi arrivals terminal. It wasn't on the news yet but by 5 am the reports had come through. I kept thinking to myself, why hadn't I just stayed in Thailand and waited for the airport to re-open. At least then the political situation would have died down. Fortunately, the IGI airport remained open and we able to land in Delhi. Heading back to my comfortable little hole (my “furnished” apartment), I found myself repeating to myself how “surreal” the entire trip had been. I had found happiness, laughter, joy and sadness too. I wouldn't trade the experiences of the last two weeks for anything.

"Fight and Stand up for your Rights"

It's December 1st and our fab five ladies have dwindled down to the crazy three: Priya, myself and Ishita. Honestly, its funny how you end up making friends so randomly and quickly. I went to Thailand really have no expectations...to look at it as a learning experience and I ended up learning a lot more about myself, my reaction to situations and people. Well, because the situation in Thailand so so safe for tourists, us fab five (priya, ishita, joanna, sulo and I ) ended up every night causing some trouble or another on Ko-san road. We made random friends, hung out with cute boys and ate one too many banana pancakes to remember.

We had finally found out that the airport would be re-opened at the earliest date of December 6th. So, that meant that we were confirmed to leave via the military airport. So, us three decided to make the best of it. We met up at Ko- San road and sat down on the sidewalk, enjoying our favorite meal (banana pancakes smothered in carnation milk and chocolate) people watching. What we didn't expect to encounter was the so called “over friendly” Nepalese and Burmese guys intent on causing trouble.

We knew these boys were up to no good. I mean for the past week, every time we walked by they had tried to unsuccessfully sell us something. When that didnt work, they started teasing us and calling us “sexy”...we want to spend the night with you etc. We had tried to avoid it and ignore the comments as much as possible but to no avail.

Today was not the day to mess with me. I was on a roll. I had spent the morning trying to confirm our seats back to India and was utterly embarrassed by the pushy behavior of Indians at the jet airways office. With the men screaming and the women budging the line ups, I found myself making fun of the situation and apologizing on behalf of “my kind” to a bunch of friendly tourists behind me. You have got to understand that these people were acting very foolish and really had no etiquette. You should have seen the number of dirty looks I got for stating that “even though the British conquered India for 200 years, they still couldn't manage to teach us Indians to form a line”. Yes, I know it's racist...but hey I can be racist against my own people!

Well what we had hoped to be a quiet evening enjoying good food took a turn for the worse. Noticing that we three were just alone by ourselves...these boys decided to have a go at it. They started passing lewd comments and finger gestures. At one point we even warned them that if they continued with this behavior we would have to report them.

Infuriated by their responses, we decided to walk to the Ko-san police station and report them. Well, speaking to the Thai officials itself was an interesting experience. They were really sweet but I don't think they quite understood why we were so angry. We tried to describe using hand gestures what exactly the men had indicated. The officer politely asked us to sit and wait until the street officer came to see us. Ishita was so tired from the entire day that she actually ended up falling asleep in the officer's room. I think that embarrassed them to no end and we were asked to politely wait outside until someone came to see us.

Well, an hour later ( yup the Thai officials sure took their own sweet time) the road officer ended up meeting with us. We tried our best in broken Thai, English and hand gestures to indicate what had happened. He asked us to go down the street and he would follow on his bike.

So, we went back towards the pack and they were all ready to taunt us again. But, what they didnt expect was for us to actually bring an officer with us. Ever seen three men disappear in less than a second? Well I did. They ran!
The one guy that we ended up cornering blatantly began to lie to the officer. Fed up, I decided it was time to create a scene. The men had assumed that since I was from Canada, I would not understand or speak Hindi. Surprise! I ended talking to all the shop keepers asking them if they would treat all their visitors and make sexual comments to them. I think it really hit home for them when I told them I could have been their sisters too.

Well, the poor officer, that's who I felt really bad for. He tried to follow along on our conversation. I switched to English when I realized that everyone had gathered around me. I know it may seem like I had blown this small incident out of proportion but honestly, it was pretty bad. When you have multiple men propositioning you for sex, the line has been crossed.

Well, the guy ended up apologizing and we thanked the officer for his assistance. From that day forward, everytime we walked passed their stalls, they would look away or just stand in silence.

We had reacted in this manner to make a point. There are so many women who bear all kinds of abuse in silence- mental, emotional, verbal, sexual and physical. I am never to back down. We were empowered from our week long training and we decided to stand up for our rights.

Now you can see why everyone kind of recognized us when we returned to Ko-San Road. Never a dull moment :)

What's wrong with the world mama?

For some reason, through out my time in Thailand, BEP became my anthem. Every time I turned on the T.V there was some disturbing news or another. This time I felt that the air had been sucked out of my lungs as I saw the devastation in Mumbai. Reports were coming in of a hostage situation in Mumbai. 10 Terrorists had taken over the Taj and the Oberoi hotels in Mumbai, killing 50 people at that point. I stared in shock and astonishment that this could happening the exact same time there was talk of a military coup in Thailand. Our group huddled together in quiet sadness as well so the devastation occurring to the buildings and the terror I fear that would rip appear whatever fragile framework that kept India together. I prayed and hoped that these militants would not be linked to Pakistan. I feared for another war and in my own selfish way I kept thinking that I couldn't go to the border regions now and conduct my research work on women affected by land mines. In a way, the bombings of Mumbai was a reality check. Maybe I was having too much fun. I felt like I had forgotten the world in a matter of days. I was infuriated with the Indian media for reporting incorrectly on the casualties and sensationalizing the news. The home minister resigned in shame for not responding earlier and was quickly replaced. Between reports on Thailand and Mumbai, I can only imagine the fear and worry that everyone I knew back home must be facing. Honestly, I have never felt so much love and concern until I moved to India. I had emails from all over the world inquiring if I was okay. To everyone who emailed me, thank you so much! I love you and your words only made me stronger.

Looking at all this destruction around me, I was looking for a silver lining, some sign of hope. I don't want to see a region destabilized by war. Maybe war will not happen and instead people will remember that in the face of terrorism, the biggest response anyone can do is to fight for justice, remember, heal and move forward. Fear is what extremists thrive on. So, why give them an opportunity to live on our fears. Instead, as a stared out of my balcony at the moon and the stars, I prayed for compassion, I prayed for hope and I prayed for peace.

Kho- San Road

Our First Group Dinner

I would be lying if I said I never knew this road existed. Actually, I found it on my first day in bangkok and practically every night after, it became our group's favorite hang out spot. It's called the backpackers road. It's also tourist central where you can find the best food, bars, nightlife, shopping and best of all “Thai massages”.

Every city has a distinct noise. In Delhi, its the never ending parade of honks from one end to another. In Khosan Road, its the women of the northern tribes of Thailand who attempt to sell you musical turtles. Basically you take a wooden piece and rub it in either directions and it makes a “trrrrrr” sound. Every night after 6pm, this noise takes over the street and blends into the reggaeton music, R and B and house coming from various areas of the street.

Kho san, is also where we quickly realized that we became the regulars. The tuk tuk drivers knew that we stayed at the royal princess. They even knew that we did not want to go to a “ping pong show” and we were NOT interested in women. ( I think we girls had confused them by holding hands one too many times)

This is also where I began to once again be called “Shilpa Shetty” from the Big Brother London fame. Maybe I should just nod my head and agree instead of cringing. The street has the best street food ever. From freshly cut fruit, to chicken skewers, sweet corn and most disgusting of all, any kind of insect you want to eat will be given to you. I say NASTY



The Fab Five

But, the lure of kho-san road was threefold. For us women, we wanted to hang out with all the cute foreign men. Quickly our favorites became the Aussies and the Brits. Hey, they were friendly and apparently, Indians are hot commodity. (I have no complaints, there is a GOD) Secondly, you could drink by the bucket for 200 baht and most importantly, drum roll please- BANANA pancakes and Mango Sticky rice...YUM YUM

Oh Jack Johnson you need to go to Kho-san road because every day is the weekend and you don't need to pretend! Banana pancakes covered in nutella or you can have them with carnation milk..so deadly good.

If you are ever stressed out or just feel like pampering yourself, for about a 100 baht, you can be stepped on, raised, have a deep tissue massage, have your body twisted and come out feeling like jelly. Hmm, life is good!

Random story: Trying to get back to the hotel, I was asked by a tuk tuk driver if I liked women. He then proceeded to show me pictures of naked women because I had been holding on to my friend Joanna's arm. Never one to be shy, I proceeded to find two cute boys and began pointing at them, telling the driver “ I no like women, I like MEN, see see, MEN”.

Most commonly asked questions on Kho- san road:

“ You like Ping Pong show”, Ping- Pong. If you don't know what that is please email me.
“You want Spicy club?”
“ Are you Indian, you buy sari, give you good price”
“ Oye, you look like Shilpa Shetty”

Stranded in Paradise: "Can you hear me calling out SOS"

Day three. You could imagine our sheer shock when we realized that the protesters against the Thai government had taken over the airport and effectively shut it down. We weren't going home??? Could this be true. By 6pm, the news was confirmed. All flights had been cancelled and the next available date was in December. There were reports of firings where protesters had been injured and possible bombings. But, where we were, there was nothing but peace. We were actually shocked to see how much devastation the Thai economy was to suffer in the next coming days. BBC reported that the country faced a worse future than the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997. The protesters through peaceful measures want to topple the government and weaken it to its knees. It worked. For nearly a week, these protesters organized the shut down of one the largest airports in South East Asia. They were well prepared with access to first aid, food, clothing and sleeping arrangements. Peacefully, they called for a dissolution of government and never gave up.

For us, it meant the stress of dealing with our respective embassies, trying to figure out if our expenses would be covered and when we could leave back for our respective countries. Honestly, I was happy that I got to spend more time in Thailand but at the same time, I really wanted to return to India and continue with my internship. Moreover, it would mean that I would be missing World AIDS day in Delhi, something I have been involved in the planning phase for the last month.

After the last day of the conference, the Indian delegation was lucky enough to find out that the travel agent in Ottawa had actually automatically re-booked us on the first available flight (December 4th!!!!) . For the rest, they weren't so lucky. I felt so bad with all the uncertainty because we all had jobs, school and exams awaiting us on our return. Although, the city was very peaceful and we didn't have to worry about our personal safety, we were all under the same pressure to get back home.

Again, I have to say this even though it was a saving face measure by the Thai government, I still cant express how thankful I am and how happy I was when I found out that the Thai government would be kind enough to provide accommodation and all food expenses at selected hotels (including ours) until the protests ended and the airports were re-opened. Now, which government in the world would ever offer to do that for their stranded tourists. I cant think of any other.

For us, it meant a couple extra days to see the city, have fun and wait until we could fly home.

I See What? ICPD Training ( Conference on Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights)

Meet Sri Lanka, Canada, Nepal, India (part of the big group)

Rise and Shine. The sunrises outside my room are absolutely spectacular. I was on a mission. After a 10 km bike ride the night before, my ass was completely sore! Now I know what it means to waddle like a penguin! Well, I was determined to keep at my fitness regime (trust me it didn't last past day two). I was off to the gym. Huffing and puffing at 7 am, I was barely able to run for 10 minutes. So disappointing. But, you know the best way to get over that feeling is to eat more!

My roommate is from Beijing. Her name is Dulily and she is from the family planning commission in China. One of the largest NGO's with nearly a million people in membership. I quickly found out that this is one of the few places the Chinese government allows NGO activity in. Sex education and population is surely a priority with the population rising on a daily basis. Du lily is funny without knowing it. I think its in the way she delivers her comments and blushes at the sight of cute foreigners. I love it!

During the training, I quickly realized how much I had in common with everyone around the table. It was great to finally discuss issues in depth with people my own age and after a long time, I was able to say sex, condom or even HIV positive loudly without getting stared at. I could feel myself opening up to the concepts and learning, arguing and expressing my feelings through out that day. The exercises enabled me to focus my points and the regional context allowed me to understand the challenges faced. I never knew Malaysia was so behind in sexual and reproductive rights to a point of being repressive. In a couple years, there is a great fear that HIV in the youth will have reached an uncontrollable rate.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of information we went over a span of four days. It gave me a greater understanding of the challenges and commonalities south Asia and south east Asia faces. I felt empowered as women knowing that even this is a privilege. To be able to travel abroad and discuss issues such as abortion, condom use, rape, abuse without any fear in itself was a real honor. The long sessions left us drained of energy and the abundant food kept us going every night.

Travelling Back in Time, Over the River Kwai

Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world! It's really clean compared to Delhi. The food is to die for...give me more tum yum soup any day and most of all, Thai people really are the kindest people I have ever met. I mean these people will go out of your way to help you and make you feel comfortable in their land. I love it!

Well, the journey began late Saturday night (November 23rd). After waiting for a good hour on the road for the taxi to show up (apparently he was lost), I was off to Thailand! It has been almost exactly a year since my last visit to Thailand and hallejuah I was excited. Well, like all journey's, leaving India was not as easy as entering the country. Apparently, if you don't add the preceding letters of your flight to your flight number on the exit card, the crazy Indian immigration official will yell at you!

But, as luck would have it, the rest of the journey to Thailand was pleasant. With my new friend from India (priyanka), the both of us got upgraded to first class. OH YEAH BABY! Can you hear the champagne flutes and glasses of wine along with an assortment of desserts coming my way. Life is GOOD! I know at this point most of you must be cursing me on my good fortunes. But remember, I do live out of a room that has a bed and a outhouse type toilet that works when it feels like it. So, I think I deserve the good treatment.

Watching the sunrise in the plane and landing in bangkok was stunning. Have you ever been in love with a city? Well, for some reason no matter how many times I come back to this city, I seem to fall in love all over again. After Cambodia, Thailand is my favorite country and well Bangkok my second favorite city. After a quick exit from Suvarnabhumi airport (now infamous for being shut down for close to a week), we were off to the Royal Princess Hotel on Lang Luang road. The Thais can't pronounce “s” properly so, we were constantly asking for the Princep hotel.

Priyanka had decided to sleep off all the jet lag she was facing. I on the other hand had other plans. One of the things I had regretted on my last visit to Thailand was that I hadn't been to the Bridge over the River Kwai in Kanchanburi. After a quick google search, I found a mountain biking company that actually took you on a 10km ride around the river. Well, I signed up for it.

Can you hear the pain? Well after practically suffering through breathing issues, stomach flu and fainting spells in India, but my body was screaming bloody murder. I hadn't been on a bike since June in Uruguay and I am totally out of shape. The 10 km bike ride up and down hill nearly knocked the wind out of me.

It was completely worth it. I discovered underground caves built in the 13th Century by the different Siam Kings and of course Ganesha. No matter where you are in Thailand, you will find the Ganesha Idol and is also revered by the Thai people.



Standing on the Bridge


Cycling over the railway tracks made me feel numb. These were the very same tracks which the prisoners of war from Australia, Canada, India, Philippines were all interned and forced to create a network connecting Burma and Thailand. Japan's great vision in 1944 was to also conquer India and the route chose was through Burma. Seeing the tracks and the crude tools used, I was in tears. Nearly 5000 POW's died during this period to build the system. Cruelty was the norm, food supplies were covered in maggots and bodies were pushed beyond the limit of rational understanding. All in the name of a dream- conquer Asia pacific for resources.

The saddest point for me was visiting the POW museum and seeing the reality of it all. I cried reading the letters these soldier wrote back home, was inspired by their courage to communicate their whereabouts through tin radios, knowing that death would be certain if they were caught and felt utter sadness as I stared at the cemeteries across the road.

What was the point of such cruelty? All in the name of power and conquest? Time and Time again I kept thinking back on everything that has happened this year. Bombing across India, terrorist attacks and more insanity....where is the love?

We say “never forget, never again” but sadly, people forget forget and never again is made mockery off on a daily basis. All I kept asking myself on the ride back to Bangkok...where is the love?

Back to Reality

I am finally back in Delhi after nearly an amazing and unexpected two week stay in Thailand. I still can't believe all the things I've done, seen, laughed at, discussed eagerly and opened my heart to. One word to describe the two weeks would be: Surreal. I am now sitting at my favorite spot in Delhi. The oxford bookstore on Barkambha road. I am surrounded by the smell of freshly brewed Nilgiri tea from the southern states of India. To my left, there is a display of fifteen varieties of tea pots covered in unique designs. I am fascinated by the tea pot in the shape of a Rhinoceros!!! I am more thrilled with the fact that the milk I am using for my tea is served from a pot in a shape of a COW! I kid you not! He hot steaming milk comes out of the mouth of the cow. I am almost tempted to steal it and take it home with me. Ahead of me, I can clearly see clear roads of a sleepy Sunday afternoon turn into the hustle and bustle of Sunday shopping. After all, Sunday markets are popular where you can find pretty much anything to meet your heart's desire. I really did not understand why the girls in my training in Bangkok went crazy over shopping. You can basically get the same goods, for a cheaper rate here in Delhi. It really is a shopper's paradise.

But, I am digressing. The following blog entries are a re-cap of all the best moments of my time in Bangkok- the fun, the craziness, my own personal sadness, unexpected journeys and more! Every time I think I know myself- my thoughts, my emotions, my morals; I am shocked to learn that there is more. This truly is a discovery of the soul. Even as I write this, I find it strange. I feel complete now. I have clarity. I know with certain level of confidence what I want from life. Again, this feeling changes almost on a daily basis but for now, I am happy. Its just a matter of timing and finding the right moment to proceed down that path. Maybe after you read the next couple entry's...things will start to achieve its own sense of clarity. Everything is in the eye of the beholder.