Barbara's Travel Blog

Home sweet home

After five months of traveling the world, I have at last arrived home. The last few days I've felt exhausted and disoriented, and unsure what to do with myself with wide open days and no sightseeing agenda. Over the last several months I've had no problem settling in as I moved from place to place, but oddly enough, I now find myself waking up during the night confused about where I am, taking several minutes to orient myself.

Home is starting to feel more normal, but at first it was like a sterile corporate apartment, what with having packed up my personal belongings before I left to clear my condo out for the tenants I rented it to. I look forward to unpacking my belongings, and personalizing my home again with the treasures I've acquired over course of my trip – a hand-woven tree of life rug from India, lacquerware from Vietnam, a Kashmiri patchwork wall hanging, a wool blanket from Tibet, and more.

These five months have been an amazing experience, one that I struggle to adequately capture here. I have had the rare opportunity to travel for an extended period, immersing myself in different cultures and challenging myself with new and different experiences – and learning so much in the process.

Most of what I've learned is too complicated or personal to share here, but one lesson definitely warrants mentioning – how to make chai from scratch. Boil a couple cups of water with a piece of cinnamon bark, 2-3 green cardamom pods (smashed), 5-10 cloves and few slices of fresh ginger in for 5 minutes. Add 2-4 teaspoons of black tea and boil 2 more minutes. Add 1-2 cups of milk (depending on taste), boil 2 more minutes. Add sugar to taste, and serve. Yum!

By far, the most intense part of my travels was the two months I spent in India, an experience that was inspiring, frustrating, exhilarating, saddening, overwhelming and, most of all, eye-opening. I will always treasure my memories of volunteering in Dharamsala, and I am so grateful to everyone who contributed to my volunteer fund to help make that possible.

As for the question everyone keeps asking me – "What's next?" – I'm figuring that out as I go along. I have some leads on the job front, and endless offers of help if those don't pan out. Again, I'm so grateful for all the support I've received from friends and former coworkers who care about my well-being and believe in me. You'd think that getting laid off would be a blow to the ego, but in reality it showed me that I have more love and support in my life than I ever realized.

Whatever I end up doing next and in the future, I will do my best to continue to honor the wisdom of India's founding father, Mahatma Gandhi:

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." 

Oh, the places I’ve been

For anyone who might travel in the future to the places I’ve been on this trip, here are my recommendations for and against the hotels I’ve stayed at.

Thumbs up:

Thailand

• Bangkok: Reflections Hotel – Funky hotel with lots of character. Each room is decorated differently. Great poolside restaurant. Located in a non-touristy neighborhood with lots of food stands on the streets in the evening. Easy skytrain access.
• Bangkok: Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel – Lacking in character, but conveniently located within sight of the Bangkok airport, with a free van shuttle to get you there. Perfect for brief stopovers in Bangkok.
• Ko Pha Ngan island: Cocohut – Beachfront resort with cabins of varying prices, with the most expensive ones located right on the beach. Excellent hammocks, gorgeous beach. Youngish crowd, somewhat party-oriented.

Vietnam

• Hanoi: Hanoi Backpackers Hostel – Very clean, friendly owners, excellent vibe, good common areas. Beds are large and comfortable, with locked storage space underneath, and individual reading lights.
• Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Sofitel Plaza Saigon – Meets the expectations of a hotel in this expensive price range. Nice rooms with all the amenities, rooftop pool, good lobby bar and restaurants. Walking distance from a great sushi restaurant, The Sushi Bar. Located away from the tourist area.
• Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Empress Hotel HoChiMinh – An excellent hotel located reasonably close to the prime tourist area. Rooms are comfortable suites, with good amenities and wi-fi for a fee.
• Hoi An: Ha An hotel – Excellent hotel with beautifully decorated rooms, comfy beds, in-room DVD players, and a good restaurant. Free bikes for hotel guests’ use.
• Mui Ne: Little Mui Ne Cottages – The rooms are nothing special, but the grounds are very nice, with a pool and loungers lining the beach. Good happy hour in the bar, and free wi-fi.

India

• Agra: Hotel Amar – A good mid-priced hotel. Clean and comfortable rooms, a nice pool, and a good restaurant. Five-minute rickshaw ride to the Taj Mahal.
• Jaipur: Hotel Pearl Palace – Excellent budget hotel that feels like it should be much more expensive. Clean and comfortable rooms, funky décor throughout the hotel, computer room with wi-fi (for a fee), and a great rooftop bar/restaurant.
• McLeodganj: Yellow Guest House (Location: Bhagsu Rd; Phone: 21754) – Good budget hotel, with clean rooms, hot showers and an excellent location.
• Panaji (Panjim), Goa: Panjim Inn – A nice heritage hotel with lots of character. Rooms are clean and nicely decorated, and the balcony restaurant is good. 10-minute walk to the heart of town.
• Vagator, Goa: Leoney Resort – Clean and spacious cottages, beautiful grounds and a pristine pool. Down side is that the beach is a 10-minute walk, but there aren’t many hotels in Vagator located on the beach.
• New Delhi: The Residence Delhi – Very good business class hotel. Not a good location for seeing the tourist sights, but a great option if you have a reason to stay in south Delhi.

Italy

• Rome: Hotel Santa Maria – Excellent hotel in a great location. Rooms are a little on the small side, but the great courtyard, fabulous breakfast buffet, free Internet access and excellent location more than compensate.
• Florence: Hotel Cestelli – An amazing deal just blocks from the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the Uffizzi museum. Spacious and clean rooms, with very friendly staff.
• Venice: Locanda Orseolo – Very clean and nicely decorated (but small) rooms. Excellent location near San Marco’s square, with incredibly friendly and helpful staff.
• Rome: Hotel Teatropace33 – Good sized, clean and comfortable rooms very close to Piazza Navona. Breakfast is a little lacking, but staff is generally friendly and helpful and location is good.

Thumbs down:

Vietnam

• Hue: Truong Gian Hotel – No character, basic rooms are in a mild state of disrepair, and location is nothing special.
• Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Bed and Breakfast Ho Van Hue – Very bad experience. Rooms are located two blocks away from the reception & computer room, in a poorly lit building. Rooms have no character, and are painted prison green. Didn’t feel safe there. Neighborhood was far from the tourist area.

India

• Colva, Goa: Hotel Longuinhos – Horrible service undermined what was otherwise an okay hotel. I recommend avoiding Colva altogether if possible.
• McLeodganj: Asian Plaza Hotel – Very poor service, décor is outdated, and hot water didn’t function two mornings in a row.
• Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambhore National Park): Hotel Ranthambhore Regency – Nothing special, and overpriced for what you get. Room rate includes three meals a day (as with most hotels in this area), which was unfortunate, since the food was horrible.