Wanderlust and Lipstick » Photo of the Day

Vietnam Buddhism – Photo of the Day

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:02:38 +0000

I was thinking about what aspect of Vietnam I love most. After having traveled there 8 times, I wouldn’t exactly call myself an “expert,” but I’ve become familiar with many aspects of the country – to the degree that I have such close friends there that I consider them my Vietnamese family.

One of the strongest things that speaks to me is the Buddhist nature of the people. A Buddhist practitioner myself, I don’t follow their particular lineage, but I am drawn to their kindness and gentleness – which I think grows out of their religious beliefs.

Buddhism permeates much of the culture – with pagodas, temples and burning incense sticks most everywhere.

Meander down back alleys in Saigon or Hanoi, and you might find women rolling sticks of incense. You’ll find a variety of colors and scents – such as those above – laid out decoratively.

Incense coils hang from the ceilings of many temples. Light the end, and the incense slowly burns itself around and around until it’s completed its own circle of life.

Central to Buddhist beliefs is that from the mud can grow a beautiful flower – the lotus. Just as there is goodness in all of us.

*****

We have a group leaving in March for a women-only tour to Vietnam & Cambodia. My heart aches that I won’t be going with this group (it’s being led by our wonderful guide, Joslin Fritz). I can’t quite explain it, but I consider Vietnam to be a second home to me. Must be some sort of past life thing

Travel Well,

Beth

Photo credit:
Incense sticks – NH53
Incense coil – felixtriller.

Burma Photos (Part III – Food)

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:27:53 +0000

The first time I sat down to a meal in Burma and ordered a set menu, I was surprised that everything arrived on the table at the same time. Appetizer, soup, entree and dessert all beautifully presented on a tray. As someone who likes to eat her hot dishes hot, this was a bit of an issue. Impossible really. Unless I wanted to eat really quickly – which I didn’t. But the meal was good none-the-less.

I enjoy food at markets far more than a big sit down meal. It’s likely because I’m not a big eater and prefer to eat small amounts of food throughout the day. For this, the markets in Burma are pretty darned good.

Burmese food is influenced heavily by India and China – both of which border this tiny country. The fried dough above can be most likened to the parathas of India – next to watermelon, one of my favorite foods ever.

You can’t really go wrong with fried food – eh? I mean, fried food just tastes good (especially to American palettes). But unless it’s been sitting for a long time, you can be pretty certain that you’re not going to get sick because some micro-organisms decided to hang out in your food.

The above are little pockets of fried dough filled with meat (I passed on these).

This is a sweet snack made from sago. For anyone who’s tried sago, you know that it has a rubbery texture (imagine biting into an inch of dried Elmer’s glue) and very little taste. Before I knew it, while my guide was explaining what this was, the vendor had a spoonful of it shoved into my mouth.

My first thought was how many other people had she done that to with the same spoon? Ah well. The taste was not bad. It was sugary enough to be pleasant and the sago was cut with something that made it pudding-like than rubbery.

I desperately wanted this to be Oreo cookie-like or those rolls of black and white cookies that your mom used to make. It obviously wasn’t. And I never tried it. But it was the closest a snack came to resembling something I could relate to at home.

Guess what this is. Not liver. Not pudding pops. It’s black tofu. This is a specialty among some of the tribes. Not so appealing to me – I never could bring myself to try it. (I’m such a wimp.)

My guide explained to me that this was an addictive snack. Literally addictive. This disc is pounded down from a chestnut-like something or other (he didn’t know an English word for it). I suppose that like betel nut, it’s a mild stimulant that keeps ya coming back for more.

“Do you know what this is?” My guide asked. I picked up the bowl and brought it to my nose to smell. “NO!” I’m not sure what he thought I was going to do with it, but I let it drop from my nose and asked what it was. “Boiled ants.”

Oh gawd. I get shivers now just looking at that photo and imagining eating a scoopful.

(Aren’t you glad I left that one ’til last?)

Join me in the Fall of 2012 for the women-only tour to Burma. You’ll get to experience all this (and more) for yourself

Travel Well,

Beth

Burma Photos (Part II – People)

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:55:14 +0000

With years of economic sanctions imposed upon the Burmese by Western nations, when I visited last fall, I had expected to feel a sense of desperation and an eagerness from them to leave their country. Instead, I found the people of Burma to be sophisticated and excited about the impending changes. I also discovered that they are kind, gentle and eager to help rebuild their country, not leave it.

Most Burmese are Buddhist and there are temples, pagodas and monasteries throughout the country. Above, monks wait in line before receiving their second and final meal of the day, lunch. Monks in Burma cannot eat after 12 p.m. and at this monastery in Mandalay, they wait patiently in a line of more than 1,000 to receive rice, which is the staple of their simple meals.

Inle Lake is a popular spot for travelers. Located in the mountains in the eastern part of the country, the temperature can easily be 15 – 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the country – a welcome relief from the heat. Boating on the river means you’ve got a steady stream of air cooling you off, too.

Above, a young fisherman uses his leg to row the boat. This way of rowing is typical on Inle Lake. It’s really quite odd to see but is the preferred method. (I still can’t sort out how this could possibly be more efficient than sitting and rowing with your arms but far be it from me…)

Around Inle Lake, markets are set up in small villages on the water. While most goods are sold to locals, there are a fair bit of souvenirs for the tourists (one look at my earring tree and you’ll see many silver jewels that came home with me). I most enjoyed the larger section of the market that was meant for the locals. There I found all sorts of interesting foods and household items. Above, a woman from a local tribe sells her goods. Her lips and teeth are stained red from chewing betel, a very common practice for men and women.

Burma is a developing country for sure. But somehow the small amount of money that people do make, they put back into their local temples. Here, men are seen putting gold leaf on Buddha statues. YES, those are statues of Buddha that have, over time, been so covered in gold leaf that they are now unrecognizable as Buddha statues – they just look like balls of gold.

If you’re interested in experiencing Burma for yourself, you can join me on our women-only tour to Burma in the fall. It’s selling out quickly so don’t hesitate in sending in your deposit.

Travel Well,

Beth

Burma Photos (Part I – Temples)

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:53:42 +0000

My trip to Burma last fall took me completely by surprise. This is a country that has had economic sanctions imposed upon it by the international community for nearly 20 years. Surely it would be struggling.

I expected what I experienced in 1992 in Vietnam. Women begged me to help them find an American husband so they could flee the country and families joked about me taking their youngest child home because they couldn’t afford to keep the baby themselves.

There was no sign of this desperation in Burma. Quite the contrary, people are relatively well off (at least in the cities) and bursting with excitement about the recent changes in government and the impending opening up of the country to the rest of the world.

Hillary Clinton’s visit and Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest are indications that things are changing. Rapidly.

Burma has made it to the top of numerous lists for the best destinations in 2012. No doubt why. Despite the government’s heavy-handed politics and one of the worst human rights abuse records, the people are gentle and friendly, and the landscape and architecture stunning.

Golden pagodas, like Shwedagon in Yangon (above), pop up all over the cities and in Bagan (below), pagodas and temples dot the landscape.

What surprised me most is that the small amount of money that people DO have, gets poured into the maintaining of these pagodas. Above all, the Burmese are devout Buddhists and the good karma that comes from donating money or gold leaf for the upkeep of their places of worship is paramount.

This devotion makes the country magical on so many levels.

There are few travelers going to Burma at the moment. That is sure to change (and yes, I feel a bit of guilt about contributing to that). But it should be on your must-see list.

Of course if you’re interested in experiencing Burma for yourself, you can join me on our women-only tour to Burma in the fall. It’s selling out quickly so don’t hesitate in sending in your deposit.

Travel Well,

Beth

Photo of the Day: Zambia

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:59:44 +0000

I’ve never been to Zambia and, like so many countries that I’ve never visited, I don’t know a lot about it. But Zambia IS the country in which Passports with Purpose will build 2 libraries. If you’re like me and don’t know much, take this little educational tour with me:

Fast Facts:

Official language is Bemba.
Population 12 million.
Average number of years children attend school is 7.
It has a young population, with nearly 50% under the age of 14 and an average age of 16.5 years. Average life expectancy is 52.
Landlocked country located in Southern Africa and bordered by Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.
Slightly larger than Texas.
Landscape is considered high plateau with some hills and mountains.
Dominant religion is Christianity with Hindu and Muslim closely following.

Big game wildlife is the backbone of the tourist industry in Zambia (seconded by visits to Victoria Falls). Lions, leopards, hippos, giraffes, elephants and many other animals grace the landscape.

Zambia’s future is looking up, there’s no doubt. But with a 14% unemployment rate, 64% of the population living under the poverty line and the average child going to school for just 7 years, the people could use some help, eh?

One small but significant way to help is to pop over to the Passports with Purpose website and donate your coffee allowance for the week. Or skip a meal out and choose a few prizes that you could win. Ultimately, every bit gets us closer to our goal of building 2 libraries (through Room to Read) in Zambia, one in the east and one in the south.

Don’t know about Passports with Purpose? Here’s a little primer.

As of today, we’re more than a quarter of the way to our goal with a week to go. We need your help to reach 80 grand, however. AND you could win some really amazing, fantastically cool prizes in the meantime!

Travel Well,