Thailand - Celebration of the festival of Lights (Loy Krathong)

Thailand was not on our “travel map” (As we’ve been there 2 years ago) but our Indian via was expiring just before the festival of Lights. And as we had to fly through Bangkok to go to Myanmar, we decided to make a 10 day stop in Thailand and explore the North.

First we went to Chiang Mai where Loy Krathong is very well celebrated. This festival occurs each year at the 12th full moon of the Thai calendar. “Loy” means “to float” in Thai. Like the tradition says, people put some “krathongs” on the water. A “krathong” is a small floating boat made with banana leaves and decorated with flowers, a candle and 3 incense sticks. The meaning of this boat is to abandon your fears, your anger and your resentment… to be free from all your negative and hard feelings accumulated during the year. Putting a Krathong in the water is a good way to well start the year. Candle is here to honour Buddha.

The origin of Loy Krathong is to be find in the Hindu festival Diwali which celebrates and honours the Goddess of the Ganges. During that festival, people put candles on the Ganges. 

In Chiang Mai there is also a specific tradition : people launch hundreds of lanterns in the sky: this paper balloons, heated by a candle, go high in the sky like hundreds of stars. It is also a good time to have fun with fireworks and crackers! 

Loy Krathong is celebrated during several days (between 3 and 6 depending on where you are) and is accompanied with parades, and dancers, all dressed with traditional clothes and lights of course !

We really enjoyed being in Chiang Mai because it remembered us our first holidays in this country and it was like a « test » for our world trip !

We also spend time with Emeric, Romain’s colleague who also took few months off to travel ! 

We then spent our few last days in the North of the country. In Chiang Dao we did a short jungle trek but most important, we met really nice people : Michel and Jennifer, a Dutch couple and Martin and Sarah, a Swiss couple. Together we had fun, played billiard, drunk cocktail (with moderation…), and had a bath in hot springs !

In Chiang Rai we were amazed by the beauty of the White Temple. It is a modern temple with traditional aspects! Incredible how incredible it is!!

We flew from Chiang Rai to Yangon in Myanmar but until the last moment we were really scared… In fact, we read “too quickly” the Myanmar Immigration website and we thought we could get our visa on arrival. But 3 days before our flight, we checked again and we realized that this visa on arrival was not for tourism purpose! We did our application for an E-visa, but this can take up to 5 days… The day of our flight, we didn’t receive the confirmation of our visa, so we flew to Bangkok and we were almost going to cancel the next flight to Myanmar but just at the airport we received our E visas! Wahoo, that was short but we got it!!!

See you then in Myanmar!!!

We have a dream… One day, the Children Rights will be respected !!!

….Unfortunately it is still a dream…. It is a pity, because having Rights is such an important thing!!

UNO has always been fighting for Peace in the World, but peace can only exist if every Human Being has rights. And children have specific needs, so it is normal that they also have specific Rights. In 1959, UNO adopted the Declaration of the Children Rights and this Declaration was completed by a Convention in 1989.

On the 20^th November 2014, we are celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the Children Rights Day!

Those Rights are listed below:

1. The right to equality, without distinction on account of race, religion or national origin.

2. The right to special protection for the child’s physical, mental and social development.

3. The right to a name and a nationality.

4. The right to adequate nutrition, housing and medical services.

5. The right to special education and treatment when a child is physically or mentally handicapped.

6. The right to understanding and love by parents and society.

7. The right to recreational activities and free education.

8. The right to be among the first to receive relief in all circumstances.

9. The right to protection against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation.

10. The right to be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, and universal brotherhood.

Unfortunately, specifically today, a lot of children have their Rights violated ! And sometimes you just need to open your eyes and watch carefully to discover that it is not necessary to be in a so-called poor country to face this situation!!!

The Children Rights were yours few years ago!!! One day, our country, our world, will be governed by our children… So in the hope of having a better world one day, we need to fight to make these Rights being respected EVERYWHERE, EVERYTIME!!! As these children, who give their smiles to this cause, stand up and talk!!!!

We have a dream…. One day, everybody will understand why having Right sis so important and why we need to respect them !!!   

Corinne, Jules - France, Sangeeta, Riya, Priya, Jai Prakash - India with the sign "Please respect the rights of all children of the world"

Riya, Priya - India

Vasnave - India

Ronhan, Honey, Daljeet - India

Suma - India

Poe - Myanmar

Snow - Myanmar

Me Me - Myanmar

Su - Myanmar

Thita - Myanmar

24 April 2014 – 24 November 2014 – The Light My Fire Adventure blog is going on !!!

7 months already that we are traveling and that we try to share our experience and feelings with you! 7 months already that we are carrying our backpacks (heavy sometimes) and that we are sleeping in a new bed almost every evening! 7 months already that YOU are following our outdoor adventure!! 7 months already that the Light My Fire sporks are giving away here and there on Earth….

7 months already that we are having fun and sharing smiles with children from all around the world ! With a ball, a skipping rope, singing or just running together, playing is universal. And if there are some differences in some places, games are very similar, just the language is different sometimes!! 

We are amazingly surprized and happy each time we share moments with kids. They don’t have fear, they don’t judge you…. If only grown-ups could sometimes imitate children….

And 7 months already that we realize a lot of things:

-                                                Going on an adventure can be seen like a challenge but we realized that only the first step (« i’ll do it ») is difficult… When you want to do something, everything appears clear to your mind and the way is easy to follow !

-                                                 Some « things » of our « consumer life » are non-necessary (or at least don’t need as much care as we do) and sometimes they refrain you from doing “interesting things”…. You can easily replace the television screen by playing cards or just a “discussion evening”

-        

                          Carrying a lot of stuff in our backpacks (like tent and mattresses) can be difficult in local transports but it is so nice to be able to camp everywhere, to have our own “cosy home” instead of sharing a dark and noisy dorm!!! And in our tent we can also hear a lion roaring (or maybe it was our snoring guide??? We didn’t check!!!

-                                                 Discovering new cultures, and new people every single day can be tiring or at least confusing but it is a great exercise for shy people!!! And what a good surprise when you find yourself eating a Swiss cheese fondue in Jakarta by 35 degrees with a Muslim family or when you visit a fort with an Indian family who wants their children to “discover the world”!!! Best moments are the ones we share with people!!!

-                                              Traveling is also discovering ourselves… and growing-up in a way!!! Together we can easily see those changes!! Romain is less shy but he is more stressed than I am when something unplanned happens. Oddly (I surprise myself) I stay “zen” and calm even when we are in a difficult situation (like when we discovered 3 days before our flight to Myanmar that we needed a visa which takes up to 5 days!!!)

-                                              Going on an adventure makes you realize how lucky you are to have such a great family, great friends and of course great blog readers!!!!

-                                               From a down to Earth point of view, spending 7 days a week (or almost) in the Great Outdoor where the climate is sunny makes you have a nice brownish skin without any effort !!! Travelling makes you look good!!!

-                                               « Living outside » makes you realize that the nature is beautiful but if we don’t take care about it, it will be lost sooner as we think ! We don’t need to be ecologist activists but we can try to make simple things like saving water, switching off lights when not in use, recycling…. The words “Water – shortage” take all their meaning in some parts of the world and we all have a role to play in it, don’t forget it!!!!

So if you have a dream (no matters which dream it is), just do it!!! Even if you have some troubles or difficulties on your way, you’ll be so happy to achieve your dream… And as the proverb says “Better to live with remorse than with regrets”!!!!

India : The conclusion

After one month and few days in the North of India (Mumbai, Rajasthan, Delhi, Varanasi and Darjeeling), it is time for us to summarize our journey. We really like this huge country but there are still many other places to discover!  

You probably noticed, a lot of negative remarks are about people ‘s behaviour… We are not saying that they are all like this, but a huge majority is... It is probably because the culture gap between s is very big! We are not saying they are bad people or something, and of course we don’t judge them, but for us it was a bit too much and sometimes we felt uncomfortable with such behaviours!

Fortunately, India is a beautiful country with a lot of traditions, different cultures and of course delicious food!

Darjeeling : fresh air and India from another angle !!!

After one month with very high temperatures, we needed fresh air. So we went to Darjeeling in the North of India, in the mountains. Darjeeling is also well known for its tea plantations. Here, inhabitants look like Nepalese and have a different culture.

After 13 hours of train and 4 hours with a jeep, we are now at 2070m above sea level and the temperature is about 15 degrees!!

The city is very beautiful but the streets are steep. We took the “Toy Train”. It is a train built by the British between 1879 and 1881. The distance between rails is only 61 cm. That is why we call it Toy Train. It starts rom 121 m above sea level to arrive at 2017 m above sea level; The length of the route is 82km. We took it only until Ghoom (8 km from Darjeeling) with the steam engine locomotive. 

When we arrived at the train station, technicians were already preparing the locomotive and putting coal in the big oven. We starting with the traditional horn of the train and we really enjoy the ride. Rails follow the road and sometimes you have the feeling you are inside a shop!! SO lovely!! But don’t be in a hurry: 40 minutes for 8 kilometres!

The famous Darjeeling tea is usually exported because it is very expensive… and in restaurant, when you ask for Darjeeling tea you usually get a fake tea… so we leave this place without tea but with pictures (and that’s already enough)

We spent the rest of our stay in a 3 day trek in the Singalila National park. 65 kilometres on foot in 3 days with a sunrise on Mount Everest when we were at 3636 meters above sea level!!! Beautiful!! It really worth the trip… and we don’t tell you about the vodka and whisky shared with our new friends!!

We leave India with a warm jacket… and with a new vision of this incredible country!

 

Varanasi : The city on the Ganges

Do every Hindus know Varanasi? Of course, I guess! Varanasi is a city on the Ganges River known for its cremations. The Ganges is a holy river which is supposed to come from Shiva’s hair. (Shiva was loved by two sisters and he gave his heart to the first one and his hair to the second…)

We were really impressed by this city. The cremations ceremonies are “different” from everything we saw before. In fact, Varanasi is a holy place for the Death. Every Hindus wish to go to the Nirvana but this stage is usually accessible only after many reincarnations. So, that’s why they put a big importance on the death of the body. 

The tradition is that bodies are burnt with wood fires. Each body needs 300 kg of wood to burn (and this is really expensive). The dead body is carried in the city by the men of the family until the cremation ghat. Women are not allowed because their tears refrain the spirit to reach the Nirvana.

The dead body is first immersed in the Ganges to be purified. The older son of the family puts Ganges water in the mouth of the dead person and then buy the fire in the fire temple. The « untouchable » cast takes care about this fire which is supposed to be 10000 years old. With the fire, the son circles 5 times around the body to represent the 5 elements composing human beings: fire, water, air, earth and karma.

The body is put on the wood and they start fire. 3 hours per body are necessary and in Varanasi the two cremation places work 24/7 with an average of 200 people per day.

During the cremation, the head of the dead is usually broken (with wood sticks) to help the spirit leave the body.

After 3 hours, some parts of the body are not fully burnt. They through everything in the holy water of the Ganges!

But 5 “categories” of people are not burnt, but directly put in the Ganges with big stones. It concerns children below 15 years old, pregnant women, holy men (for those men, they are put in Ganges in the lotus position), the lepers and the people who died by accident or crimes. The 3 first “categories” don’t need to burn because they will automatically reach the Nirvana but regarding the lepers and death by accident, nobody wants to burn them because if such a bag thing happened to them, it means that they have a bad karma and nobody wants to have it!

It is very interesting to understand this old tradition but it is very weird for us to see burning people or floating bodies (or parts of bodies) in the Ganges!

Of course, the Ganges is also a busy living place: people are bathing, praying, washing their clothes… and drinking the water! This water is full of bacteria but it is supposed to have “healing powers”… but as we heard “you need to believe it with your earth and not with your head”. We fully agree, that’s why we didn’t touch the water except with our feet!

Agra and Delhi : Good bye Rajasthan

After 3 weeks in Rajasthan, we went to Agra, the Taj Mahal city. To go there, we decided to take the train. India is well known for its good and wide railway system… but it is really complicated ! I’ll try to explain you:

There are 5 classes in the train : the first class, with aircon, closed bed and meal included ; the second 2 thiers with aircon and 2 beds per « place » ; the second 3 thiers with aircon and 3 beds per « place ; the sleeper class without aircon (just fans) and 3 beds and the genral class : no seat numbers, no beds, no aircon !

You need to book your ticket well in advance ! (In India, 60 millions of people travel by train every day). But you can’t just go to the counter and say “I want a ticket to XXXX on that date”. You have to fill a form with your personal details and the train number, the time of the train… If you don’t know the number of the train, then you cannot book!

And if the train already left, you cannot book a seat. (In India, distances are so big that some trains take more than 48 hours to get to their final destination). The only solution in that case is to buy a general class ticket, jump in the train, find a seat in the desired class and pay the difference between the general class ticket and the chosen class.

When all tickets are sold out (except for the general class, where there are as many tickets as people buy), people are on “waiting lists”: they have to pay the full amount of the seat but they will get a seat if someone cancels his ticket. If not they will “borrow” a seat of another… Sometimes there are 3 people for one bed… and sometimes some sleep on the floor!

There is no cancellation fee, so all tourist agencies buy a lot of tickets and the day before the train leaves, they give back all the tickets not sold. SO for every train, the day before it departs, there is a long queue of people waiting to buy a “last minute ticket”.

As « tourist » we are a bit luckier: In the majority of the trains, there are some “tourist quota tickets”: those seats are reserved for non Indian people but you can buy them only in some specific places. Even if the quantity of these tickets is low, you usually get what you want. (If you use an agency, you’ll have to pay very high commission fees). But if the tourist quotas are sold out, then you have to follow the “normal way” that I explained above!

Well, I don’t know if you understood what I try to explain, but at least you understand that the train system in India is kind of very complex !

So, we wanted to go from Jaipur (in Rajasthan) to Agra. It takes about 5 hours so we just bought a general class ticket (for one euro). At the train station, many many people were waiting on the platform. When the train came, some people jumped on the rails to enter the train from the other side. People still on the platform jumped onto the train, caught the doors and windows before the train stops. Everybody was shooting, screaming, trying to push, pull… to enter or get out of the train.

We looked at this from far away… With our big bags, impossible for us to enter in the general class! So we jumped between to other coaches (from second class) and we try to find a place. But every single seat was at least occupied by 3 people so we gave up and we stayed between the toilets ofr 6 hours!!!! What an experience… Thank you “Incredible India”!

We finally arrived (tired) in Agra! After a good sleep, we visited the Taj Mahal!!! What a wonderful monument! And what a symbol!!! For those who don’t know it, it is one of the most beautiful love proof ever. In the years 1620’, the sultan of Agra called Shah Jahan, fall in love with a lady who became his wife. In the Agra Fort he built her a white marble palace (while the rest of the fort is in red stone) decorated with gems. The sultan was the happiest man on Earth (or so) and the life in the Fort was pleasant. But when his wife died in 1631 while giving birth to their 14^th child; the sultan’s pain was huge. So huge that he decided to build a monument to celebrate his wife’s immortality. He called the best architect of that time and killed his wife, so that he could also feel the pain and give all his energy in the construction. The architect used white marble to represent the pure and intact love the sultan had for his wife. In the middle of the building, the body of the queen lies. The tomb is encircled by 4 minarets which are not perfectly perpendicular but built inclined so that in case of a earth quick they will not damage the tomb. It is a sumptuous representation of the love of the sultan for his wife.

After that, the sultan wanted to build a copy of the Taj made with black marble for his own tomb. But one of his son,  upset that his father was spending all his money « for stupid things » arrested him and the sultan was imprisoned during 8 years in the fort where he died. His body was put near his wife in the Taj Mahal.

We really liked this visit…. Even if Pomme Pidou couldn’t enter inside!!! Fortunately the view from the backside of the Taj is free and we could have good shoots with her!!

After this perfect day, we went to Delhi. We were expecting a lot of people, especially a lot of touts out of the train station but it was empty! In fact, we arrived the day of Dewali and everybody was with their families. Dewali is a Hindu festival to celebrate the new lunar year. It is celebrated in all India, with candles in front of the houses, fireworks and crackers… and about the crackers, a lot are handmade and are used by very young children!!! While walking in the streets we were really afraid by all of these “bombs” very loud and dangerous. Dewali is known as one of the most celebrated festival in India but here in Delhi we didn’t really enjoy this event….

We spent the two following days discovering the Old and the New Delhi. As every big city, we feel oppressed after a while. There are some nice monuments and places to see but we would not consider Delhi as a Must!  

After, we moved to Varanasi : the city on the Ganges !