Salaam Bombay!

So here I am in Mumbai (previously known as Bombay), India, a place that I have wanted to go to ever since I was a little girl and saw a Bollywood movie playing at a childhood friend's house. What kind of magical and crazy place created such colorful and exuberant things? Oh, India...

Yet, now that I find myself here after all these years of anticipation, I don't know how I feel about actually being here. Granted, when I first arrived, I was on the recovering end of rubella and basically took a few days to rest and mend but I can't seem to find my usual enthusiasm and curiosity for exploring a new place. Maybe because every single time I've ventured out into the city, I've literally seen people defecating and urinating in the streets (I kid you not). This makes Mumbai a little scary to me, not to mention grossly unappealing. And this is coming from me. ME! The girl who always talk potty.

The truth of the matter of why I haven't been so excited about Mumbai has to do with the fact that I plain out miss Burma. Even after just a few days, I already miss that messed up country and hanging out with my cousins. In fact, on my way to the airport in Yangon on the day I left, I remember thinking about how I was going to miss it. I just didn't realize that it was going to be so soon!

I'm really looking forward to going back to Burma before returning to the States next year. But first, I need to get my head back into the traveling mode and start experiencing India! Wish me luck!

© Connie Hum 2010

Fortune and Doom

The other day I decided to go with my mother and her sisters to get our palms read. I don't really give fortune telling much stock since I'm a firm believer that you are in charge of your own destiny and that you can make your own luck, but I thought it would be a fun and interesting experience.

My fortune, as told by a Ph.D. in Palmistry (does that really even exist?) is as follows:

• I will meet my future husband this year (talk about pressure and expectations on every boy I meet!)
  

• There will be 3 suitors and I should choose the one my mother chooses (hmm...wonder if there was any bribery taking place?)

• I will get married by the end of next year

So if indeed my future is literally in the palm of my hands, everyone should be getting ready for a pretty awesome wedding party next year! Haha!

Now for the doom part. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with my fortune! For some very odd reason, my month in Burma has been plagued with inexplicable illnesses. This is rather puzzling to me as I usually do not get ill, especially while I'm traveling. So far, I've had three days of hotel confinement, moving only between the bed and toilet, a short but ferocious bout with dengue fever and now, a horribly itchy red rash spreading all over my body! The only thing I can think of saying in response is in Burmese: "Dohk kah beh!"

The year is still early so we'll just have to keep an eye out to see if my fortunes come true. Only time will tell. But then again, I too am a player in this game of life and my future will be what I want to make of it. In any case, this just keeps things a little bit more interesting!

© Connie Hum 2010

Little Buddhas

The other day I spent an afternoon at my family's temple in Sagaing, a city of high concentration in temples and meditation centers within a country already full of temples and meditation centers. A large group of children between the age of six and fourteen took a shine to my digital camera and started following me around, asking me to take their picture. They were absolutely over the moon every time they saw themselves on my little screen.

I taught them how to use the camera and they were each excited to have their turn at being a photographer. Unfortunately, the excitement led to my camera slipping between little hands and the result was a stuck lens. The little Buddhas looked at me horrified and apologetically. One of my cousins saw this and jokingly asked which stick he should hit them with for breaking my camera. The little Buddhas found the smallest stick on the ground and said to use that one. I laughed and the lens was shoved back into working condition.

The little Buddhas begged me to come back the following year and bring them printouts of their pictures. As most novice monks are there for only a week at a time, I asked if they would still be at the temple next year. They responded that they would. That was when I realized that they were all orphans that the temple had taken in. They would still be there the following year because they had nowhere else to go.

Most people in Burma are quite poor and lack the means to take care of their growing families so many children are left in the care of temples by parents who cannot afford to keep them. It’s such a sad situation and I really feel for these kids. There were about a dozen of these orphans at my family’s temple, but there are hundreds of temples like that in Burma. Think of how many children that means are abandoned by their families.

I promised the children I would come back soon to see them again and take more pictures of them.

© Connie Hum 2010

My Burmese Days

Before I left California, one of my cousins asked me, "What do you do in Burma? Just go to temples?" Well, yeah. There ARE a lot of beautiful gold-laden pagodas in Burma. That's true.
But there's so much more to Burma than just the temples.

Being back in Burma has been great for me. For all its faults and wrongs, I love it here. I really do. There's something about its peaceful chaotic-ness and the novelty in the everyday that I love about Burma. Every day, every thing, every moment is a (mis)adventure!

Taking a ride in the cars in Burma is a constant source of amusement for me. I find such joy and hilarity in sitting like packed sardines, bumping around in the cars whenever we hit the many potholes in the streets that I'm pretty much just laughing the entire time I'm in a car. Chinese fire engines have nothing on the Burmese! I've never seen cars and trucks filled to the brim like this before! Most times, I'm laughing through the fear that the people (myself included) will just come spilling off onto the road.

A majority of the homes in Burma do not have hot water to shower with. There's a basin filled with water and you take a small bucket, douse yourself with water, lather and rinse. Given that the air is rather hot and sticky, this is a refreshing treat. The only problem is that the first couple of douses are usually a bit shocking to the body. My aunt calls it dancing around and it's true. You're quite literally dancing around for the first few splashes until your body gets used to the cool water. Then it's pure bliss.

My favorite thing about being back in Burma though is definitely seeing my family that lives here. Since I rarely get to see them, it's always fun to hang out with them, especially my younger cousins.









© Connie Hum 2010

Zen in 2010: All's Well That Ends Well

Happy New Year everyone!!!

The start of a new year is usually the time for self-reflection and coming up with (mostly impossible) resolutions to achieve. This year, I have a resolution that I have every intention of keeping AND every reason to.

My New Year's resolution: Zen in 2010. Zen in 2010 means that throughout the year, I am going to make every attempt to achieve "enlightenment" in the sense of helping others and developing myself personally and spiritually. Too long I've wanted to make a positive change in the world and I haven't felt like I've done anything toward that goal. I'm going to change that in 2010!

The first step to achieving Zen in 2010? My "All's Well That Ends Well" fund-raising project! My goal is to raise $5000 by April 5, 2010 to help build a freshwater well in a village in a developing country, with YOUR help! Please visit my fund-raising page to make your tax-deductible donation, 100% of which will go DIRECTLY to the freshwater well project! On behalf of the BILLION people on this planet who don't have access to clean drinking water, THANK YOU SO MUCH in advance for your generosity!

Also as part of my Zen in 2010 goal, I am also going to endeavor to be as good a friend to YOU as you have been to me. Time and again I am struck with the awe in knowing how truly incredible the people I am surrounded by are, and it's high time I start reflecting that incredible-ness back at the people who matter the most in my life.

This is probably going to be the toughest part of my Zen in 2010 goal as I'm going to be halfway around the world from most of you, and well, let's be honest, YOU have certainly set the bar high!

I'm going to do my best but I need you to send me your address!

Again, happy new year and don't forget to make your donation to All's Well That Ends Well! Together, we WILL make a difference!

© Connie Hum 2010

Sun Diego

My week in San Diego was lovely indeed. The sun was shining, the temperature was in the high 60s/low 70s and I? I was in paradise. Literally.

I spent my days biking along the beach, eating wonderful Mexican food and just merely relaxing in the sunshine. It was a little hard to believe that at one point in my life, every day was (mostly) like this. I even tried surfing again one morning, getting an incredible workout as the waves crashed into me. I spent more time trying to battle my way out into the water than anything else, but it was still thrilling to be back in the water again.

One afternoon was spent watching body surfers in La Jolla Cove. They are pretty amazing. I met one of the body surfers as he was coming out of the water. He was in his 60's and doing this!

It was great to see my SD friends again, some of whom I hadn't seen in years. It's always such a treat to see old friends and discover that the friendship hasn't staled in the time that we had been apart. That's a testament to my friends themselves and I'm so grateful for having these people be a part of my life.

After my week in San Diego, I have a bit of an inkling that I could possibly move back to my little beach shack next to the ocean and lead a perfectly contented life. So long as I can shuttle between there and New York City of course.

© Connie Hum 2009

BEWARE: Asian Woman Driving!

It saddens me to say this but it's true. I've become one of my worst fears. A bad Asian woman driver.

As much as I have been trying to avoid it, I have recently gotten back behind the wheel of a car. It's almost impossible not to drive here in the suburbs. It's been a long time since I last drove and my first few excursions out on the road have been somewhat, ahem...adventurous.

Unfortunately, my driving has only reinforced the stereotype about Asian women being bad drivers.

First off, being in driver seat is just plain scary for me! I'm really not used to it anymore and I can't say that I'm fully comfortable in that seat. I'm constantly fidgeting around and I get tense when the car's in motion, which makes me even more uncomfortable.

Another thing, the car seems to be going much faster than it really is. On my first day on the highway, I was aghast at all the cars speeding past me. I was shocked at how cavalier people were with the high speeds they were driving. I mean, I was driving a speedy - wait! I'm driving 40-45 mph on the highway! No wonder people were passing me up! I tried to drive at the speed limit but it was really scary and seemed too fast for me.

Driving at night and/or in the rain is a complete nightmare and I've been trying to avoid that as much as possible. It's really much to dangerous for me and for everyone else on the road.

Bottom line? I really don't belong behind the wheel of a car. Though it really has nothing to do with me being an Asian woman. I'm just a bad driver now.

© Connie Hum 2009

If You Didn't Read My Blog This Year

2009 is quickly coming to an end
So here's a review for you that I want to send.

What I did this year I can't complain,
Boasting and gloating I must refrain.
For the few of you who didn't know,
I quit my job almost a year ago!

Goodbye goodbye to my life in New York.
Goodbye goodbye to dishes containing pork.
Hello, Constantinople (as it's known to 'em)
Seven months later and Türkçe biliyorum!

I discovered the streets of magical İstanbul
With plenty of döner kebab to keep me full.
I taught English to two adorable girls:
Beautiful Mina and Melda with curls.

In Copenhagen and Stockholm with my friend from Italy,
I found out I know Matteo more than superficially.
Yachting around the Mediterranean was lots of fun,
Darkest shade of brown I've ever been from hours in the sun.

How did the summer pass by so quick?
Hop a plane, Jordan was the next pick!
The colors of Petra were an amazing sight to see,
Sleeping in a cave turned out to be well-suited for me.

In the calm crystal blue waters of the Red Sea
I received my advanced scuba diver degree.
Dahab I never wanted to say goodbye
But in the end, I gave Cairo a try.

Egypt was pretty rough and dirty;
The men were a little more than flirty.
Luckily I had my friend Ali to treat me right
Or else I wouldn't have lasted even a single night!

Mom joined me for two weeks back in Turkey,
Making me miserable and jerky.
It wasn't her fault and it also wasn't mine,
Traveling together just isn't our design.

London was my final stop before coming home to the States,
Buying a ukulele with Mark was decided by the "Fates."
Ah, back in fabulous New York is really where I belong
But I'm heading to Asia next year to live in a sarong!

Sitting in my bed of my childhood home in California,
The air's freezing cold. Oh sun, how I wish I hadn't scorned ya!
ALL MY LOVE AND BEST WISHES AS WE ENTER THE NEW YEAR!
MAY OUR PATHS CROSS SOON AGAIN AND WE ALL BE IN GOOD CHEER!

© Connie Hum 2009

2010 Plans and My Travel Challenge UPDATE!

I have purchased a ONE-way ticket to Southeast Asia! I'm very excited, but also a bit nervous about my potential YEAR of traveling abroad. My trip begins January 12, 2010 in Burma where I will visit family for roughly one month. After that, SEA is mine for the exploring!

I am really eager to do some humanitarian and volunteer work while I am in SEA . I plan to do various volunteer work in the region, but my main goal is to finally realize my dream of volunteering at the Elephant Nature Reserve in northern Thailand!

If anyone has leads and/or contacts regarding various volunteer programs throughout SEA, or simply general travel information, I'd love to hear from you about it! I don't really know anyone in the region (outside of Burma) and I need all the friends I can get.

Here's an updated list and map of my progress toward my travel challenge. The countries listed in bold indicate countries that I plan on traveling to in 2010. Just six more countries to visit and three more years to complete my travel challenge. Let's go!

A - Austria
B - Belgium, Bulgaria
C - Canada (Quebec), Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Cambodia, China
D - Denmark
E - Egypt, England
F - France
G - Germany, Greece, Grenada
H - Hungary
I - Iceland, Italy, India, Indonesia
J - Jordan
K -
L - Laos
M - Mexico, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia
N - Netherlands, Nepal
O -
P - Peru, Poland, Portugal
Q -
R - Romania
S - Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
T - Turkey, Thailand
U - United States
V - Vatican City, Vietnam
W - Wales
X - NO countries start with X but I've been to the Greek island, Χίος (Chios). Does this count???
Y -
Z -

© Connie Hum 2009

3-2-1...Liftoff!!!

Yesterday I accomplished one of my lifelong dreams of watching a space shuttle launch, LIVE! It was truly an awe-inspiring experience.

The day started early as my friend Randee and I left Orlando for the Kennedy Space Center at 6:30 in the morning. Luckily, there was little traffic and we made it to KSC in less than an hour. We met a friend of a friend who worked at KSC and received our visitor center tickets from him. Most of the sites were closing at 10 am in preparations for the launch so we rushed off the to Apollo/Saturn V Center.

I think I should pause and explain to those who may not know this, but NASA and space was, and still is, a big part of my life. I worked as a Space Camp counselor in California for 2 years and also for a summer at a Space Camp in Izmir, Turkey. During that time, I made wonderful friends, had thrilling experiences, met a handful of astronauts (including Buzz Aldrin, Gordon Cooper and Sally Ride)...in short, some of the best times in my life are connected to NASA and Space Camp.

You can only imagine my excitement when I entered the Apollo/Saturn V Center. It was better than Christmas in a candy store for me. There was a presentation on the Apollo program and the moon landing of Apollo 11 and I actually got choked up while I watched it, TWICE! Once when they spoke of the Apollo 1 fire and the death of my favorite astronaut, Gus Grissom, and the other when they showed the live footage of Neil Armstrong taking the first steps on the moon.

Unfortunately, by the time we finished in the Apollo/Saturn V center, it was too late to go to the International Space Station Center. We returned to the main Visitor Center where Randee and I rode a simulator that demonstrated the feel of a space shuttle launch. It was really intense!

As the countdown to launch reached T-minus 1 hour, Daniel met us again and got us on the last bus out to the Eastern causeway to view the launch. This is one of closest places you can view the launch from! It was a perfect setting. Can you see the launch pad in the picture below? It's located just a little to the left of the center, between the two green islands. It's the gray speck.

Excitement built up as the countdown reached T-minus three minutes. At T-minus two minutes, everyone who had been sitting and reading, stopped and stood up. The crowd of people were all standing at attention, holding their breaths.

Finally it came. T-minus 10 seconds, 9, 8, 7, main engine start, 4, 3, 2, 1. Liftoff!!!

At first, all you could see was a thick cloud of smoke (it's really steam) surrounding the launch pad, but then through all the cloudy confusion, you finally see it. Space Shuttle Atlantis taking flight, higher and higher. As Atlantis broke through the thick clouds above it, leaving in its wake a trail of pure white smoke and lighting up the sky with its bright orange-red flame, I started crying. It was really one of the most spectacular and beautiful sights I have ever seen.

Before you even had the proper amount of time to process all the beauty in the launch, Atlantis disappeared into the atmosphere and all that was left was a clear and distinct trail of its path into space.

Everyone piled back onto the buses and returned to the main Visitor Center, the sense of excitement and awe clinging to us. That feeling is still with me now.

Thank you to Valerie and Daniel for pulling some strings and getting me and my friend tickets to the launch! You two are amazing! You have made one of my dreams come true!!!

© Connie Hum 2009

I Love New York

Yes, it's true. I love New York. I wholly, completely LOVE New York.

Here's why, in no particular order:

1. My amazing friends (this is definitely the top reason)!
2. Live music every night of every genre! And most of the time, you can get up real close to actually SEE the musicians playing!
   
3. People wash, dry and fold your dirty laundry for you!
4. Delicious food of every possible nationality!
5. My TONY subscription! I practically live by it!
6. The BEST chai lattes in the world comes out of a TRUCK!
7. It's always beautiful in Central Park, no matter the season!
8. Celebrity sightings (on my first day back, I saw Kanye West on St. Marks)!
9. Broadway shows and musicals, rush tickets!
10. The subways run 24 hours a day!
11. There are vegan restaurants that actually taste good!
12. Seeing creativity everywhere, which encourages you to be more creative yourself!

The list continues, but what are YOUR reasons for loving New York?

© Connie Hum 2009

Time Warp

During my last few days of my "official" travels, I had such an odd sensation of being frozen in time.

The month of October has crept by so slowly, though my days have been filled with frenzied activities. Most days I find it almost inconceivable that it is still, indeed, October.

How can it be that in a month's time I left Cairo, visited eastern Turkey, traveled throughout central and western Turkey with my mother, said goodbye to friends in Istanbul, arrived in London, traveled around various parts of England and Wales, AND returned to New York?

Yet it is STILL October.

At least, if my first few hours in New York City has proven anything, life certainly does move faster here.

I'm so unbelievably happy to be home in the city that I love so much and that loves me so well!

© Connie Hum 2009

Cambridge

Last Friday I had originally planned to take a day trip from London to nearby Canterbury because, believe it or not, I loved reading Chaucer's Canterbury Tales when I was in high school. The night before I left, a friend of mine begged me to go to Cambridge instead.

Hey, I'm easy. I went to Cambridge.

Brilliant! The weather held out for me and it was a splendid day for the walk from Cambridge to Grantchester and back again. I spent most of the afternoon meandering along the Cam river, thoroughly enjoying the British countryside.

The trees along the river were turning spectacular colors of gold, orange and red, which were complimented to perfection with the rolling green hills and endless blue skies. To make things even more picturesque, giant white swans idled along the Cam while cows grazed on the grass behind me.

In Grantchester, I stopped by the famous Orchard House for the customary afternoon tea and scones before heading back into Cambridge proper.

I really fell in love with this little British town. The view of King's College Chapel was magnificent and slightly unexpected as I made my way around a corner. The buildings in Cambridge were all old and cute, and of course, the history and pedigree of intelligence in this place was nothing to frown at either.

There were so many people biking along, their baskets filled with either books or flowers. As the day was quite nice, there were also plenty of people punting along the Cam river. I really can't imagine going to university here because I think I would have just spent all my time buying flowers to put in my bike basket or punting along the Cam, looking cute instead of going to class.

Maybe the secret to getting into Cambridge isn't a high IQ after all. Maybe it's just the ability to go to class despite all the many distractions.

© Connie Hum 2009

Ukulele!!!

Yes, I bought a ukulele! It's been something of a hidden, under-the-surface desire of mine to learn how to play the ukulele for some time now and I also needed something new to learn to help keep my mind fresh and sharp. So today while I was strolling the streets of London with my friend Mark, we saw some sure-fire "signs" that the time to start learning how to play the ukulele was NOW.

I bought a ukulele from a store called "The Duke of Uke." It just feels so right to hold it in my hands!

Wish me luck on learning how to play!

© Connie Hum 2009

Seasons Change, Or Six Months Too Long

It would seem as though the seasons have taken an unexpected and sudden turn against us. Just when the sun was shining full of warmth and promises for a bright tomorrow, the days turned cold and gray, threatening to rain on all our future parades with each passing day.

I find that my own feelings are reflecting this seasonal change. Prior to leaving Istanbul in early September, I was madly in love with it and ready to move back at the first opportunity. Upon my return, something happened and I felt jaded by the whole city. All of a sudden, everything that I disliked about Istanbul came under a glaring light, pushing all the reasons I loved it into the fading darkness. Yes, I still love Istanbul, but like a summer romance reaching its inevitable end, I just knew our time to say goodbye had come.

I find that perhaps six months is too long for me to "travel" in one place. The same thing happened to me during my trip across Europe in 2005. By the time the six month mark approached, I was just looking forward to going home and not enjoying the rest of my trip. I find this happening to me again.

Now I'm currently in London, nursing the wounds of a broken heart from a short-term love affair with Istanbul, though I must say it hasn't been exactly difficult. It definitely helps that London has everything that I missed in Istanbul about New York City. It's absolutely lovely to be able to eat a wide range of foods and have so many different types of things going on around me all at once.

I think it's just too bad that I keep thinking about my return to NYC. London has a character all its own that's making me fall in love with it, but NYC will always be my love. Of course, this doesn't mean that I won't be able to have a brief fling with London either!

Check back for my London blogs to come!

© Connie Hum 2009

Mom's Trip Highlights

Yes, there were some rocky moments in my travels around Turkey with my mom, but there were also some pleasant and even down-right fun moments. Here are the highlights:

• Sharing my love for street mussels in Istanbul with my mom. We ate so many each day because we both knew the opportunity to eat them again was running out with each passing day.
  

• Some silly Canadian woman asked if we were sisters. SISTERS! I was aghast with horror. My mom joyfully spent the rest of the day calling me "little sister."

• A Turkish boy kept asking me out but I kept saying no. When I told my mom what we had been talking about, she said, "Oh, it sounds like he wants to shake you." I guess that's what she's calling it these days.

• Mom and I hitched a ride to Efes from our hotel with a guy on a motorcycle. My mom held on so tight to him that he almost stopped breathing. Before taking off, he said, "Don't kill me!"

• In Göreme, we passed by a trio of old Turkish women, boiling something in a huge cauldron on the side of the road. I asked them what they were doing and they were making boiling honey to make a type of special honey. The mixture was ready and they asked us to help them drain the pot. Every day after that, the old women would say hi to us as we walked passed.

• Penis talk in Cappadocia. Come on, you knew that was going to make the list!
  

© Connie Hum 2009

Reconciliation

I suppose you can say that my mother and I have reconciled our differences. Really, this means we have just dropped the subject and moved on with the rest of our trip. This is usually how we "resolve" our issues. I really hate it because I know that all the bad feelings still remain, just further below the surface. I'd love to really hash it out with my mom, whatever it takes, but she's completely avoiding the topic.

Oh well.

© Connie Hum 2009

Growing Pains

UGH...My trip with my mother has been more difficult than I thought. I don't know why I imagined that all the past problems we've had would magically disappear simply because we were in a different country. Some things never change but I guess I was just wishing and hoping for the best.

There were a few moments where we seemed to be really getting along well together, some even where I felt we were finally connecting (such as when we were walking around Cappadocia and we were able to have a conversation about penises). But most of the time, I wasn't so lucky.

Being with her this past week has been exceptionally emotionally draining. There's only so much disappointment in her eyes that I can see before all my little insecurities and and self-doubt creeps back in and consumes me. It makes me FURIOUS that I've worked so hard to be the best person I can be, to bring myself up and out from all my parents' disappointment just to see it in her eyes every day. I'm not mad at her for the way I feel. I'm mad at myself for allowing her to get to me and for allowing myself to feel small, insignificant and unloved again. This ISN'T me! Self-deprecation doesn't become me.

We've got another week left before she leaves. I hope for the best, but I'm not sure what the best is anymore. Send your good vibes our way, we're going to need it.

Lesson learned: stick to easy topics such as penises when talking to my mom to avoid any future problems.

© Connie Hum 2009

One Lasting Cairo Moment...

One of my last nights in Cairo, I had a redeeming experience that has endeared a small corner of Cairo into my heart forever.

My friend, Ali invited me to his cousin's engagement party, which turned out to be more block party than anything else. A cul-de-sac was emptied of cars and replaced with chairs and giant loudspeakers. By the time we arrived, the DJ was already blaring Arabic music into the night and into the neighbor's bedrooms.

Ali's family was very nice, but I spent the first 20 minutes sitting and hiding in a corner behind the speakers, trying to avoid the subtle stares and curious faces. I watched a few people dance and sing along to the songs before one of Ali's sisters managed to get me to dance with her.

I think I kind of shocked everyone with my belly dancing skills. I was really intimidated by the hip shaking skills that Ali’s family was displaying but I’m happy to say that I (somewhat) held my own and before I knew it, everyone was dancing with me! Grandmothers in burqas held tight to my hands, Ali’s stepmother was shoulder shimmying with me and even the kids were showing me their moves. It was really fun and I couldn’t stop laughing. When we tried to say goodbye, everyone kept making me dance with them so that I wouldn’t leave. I received breath-constricting hugs, dozens of kisses and it ended up taking an hour before I literally snuck out of the party.

I'm really glad that I threw my inhibitions aside and just had a good time dancing with everyone. It was so liberating and fun to NOT think about what people where thinking because everyone had a good time watching the strange little Chinese girl belly dance, including myself.

© Connie Hum 2009

Jipped in Egypt

Ahh...I left Dahab (reluctantly, I might add) and made it to Cairo and Luxor. I tried my best, really I did, to like both Cairo and Luxor, but Egypt certainly doesn't make it easy.

There is always a constant barrage of people trying to get your money. I understand that many people rely on tourists for their livelihood, but really, it was just too much. In Luxor, as soon as I stepped out of the train station, no less than a dozen taxi drivers were trying to steer me towards their car, even as I was speaking on the phone and shaking my head. Finally, I just had to shout, "My friend is coming to get me!"

Cairo was no better. The streets are really, REALLY filthy, full of garbage and other gross things. The people have harrasment down to an art. Luckily, I had a good friend in Cairo to help me out. Once, we were shopping in the bazaar for a dress. After finally finding one that I liked, the guy tried to sell it to me for 280 Egyptian pounds (about $50). My friend told me in Turkish that it was too expensive and we got up to leave. The guy came after us and I ended up buying the dress for 30 EGP ($5.50).

It made making new friends in Egypt quite a difficult task because you never could tell if someone was talking to you on the street because they were genuinely nice or if they were trying to sell you something, or make babies with you. No joke, lots of taxi drivers are happy to offer their assistance if you tell them you have no children when they ask. And they always ask.

I hate to travel with such reservations about the people, but it was really hard not to when everywhere you turn, there's someone trying to take advantage of you. Thank goodness my Egyptian friends were there to help remind me that not everyone is trying to exploit me.

Egypt, you have much to learn from my friends. Travelers, go to Egypt after you make friends with Egyptians!

© Connie Hum 2009

My Little Slice of Heaven

When I decided to come to Egypt, I knew one of the main things I wanted to do was dive in the Red Sea. I was given the suggestion of going to Dahab for this.



Dahab is a small little dive town. It's nothing but dive shops and restaurants, sprinkled with gift shops all along the boardwalk. You pretty much meet everyone in town just by walking the 20 minutes it takes to get from one end of the boardwalk to the other.

There are just as many foreigners in Dahab as there are Egyptians. When asked how long the foreigners have been in Dahab, the shortest duration I encountered was 6 weeks. With plans to return within the next year. People just seem to show up in Dahab and not leave.

Dahab is a very special place indeed and I can certainly attest to the strong desire that pulls you into staying. My original plan was to come to Dahab for only four days. Now I'm working on getting my Advanced Open Water diving certification and have extended my stay another three days, and I'm seriously considering just staying for the remainder of my time in Egypt.


Diving in the Red Sea is a dream come true! The water is amazingly clear, the amount of sea life is incredible and I've already seen an array of awesome and interesting marine animals. I saw two octopi (or is it octopuses?) change color right before my eyes! That was intense! I saw a spotted ray literally floating through the water before landing close to me. I almost forgot to breath, I was just so astounded!

The funny thing is, the town of Dahab really isn't THAT special. There's really nothing to do here besides dive. It's still a pretty awesome thing to do, this being the Red Sea and all, but still... And the flies. They are relentless! In any case, I'm perfectly happy taking my AOW course, doing amazing dives each day and seeing the various fish undersea, lounging my nights away near the surf and keeping company with the cool ocean breeze.

I could certainly see myself doing this for at least another six weeks. If not more... If you don't hear from me, at least you'll know where to find me. I invite you to come look for me. I could probably use a roommate by that time.

© Connie Hum 2009

Bedouin Days

The Bedouin Village, located just outside of Petra is a dirty, smelly town full of donkeys, camels and bare-footed children kicking up storm clouds of dirt and dust as they run through the streets. Amidst all the grime and chaos, live the legendary Bedouin.

I had the unique privilege of spending three days with the Bedouin, receiving first-hand experience of their long-standing culture and way of life. The highlight, besides sleeping in a cave in the middle of Petra's mountain range, was undoubtedly the night I spent inside the home of a Bedouin family to share a home-cooked dinner with them. The family was incredibly generous and kind. Although the family seemed to be of little means, they fed me a feast of lentil soup and a dish of "upside-down chicken" served in a massive platter over a heaping mound of aromatic rice.

Bedouin chicken dinner

The family and I ate out of the massive platter together, topping each spoonful of rice and chicken with a saucy tahini vegetable salad. The meal was absolutely delicious.

I felt a little guilty for eating this family's food but they kept insisting that I eat as much as I could and I soon felt guilty for not graciously accepting their hospitality by eating more!

The children were a lovely bunch. We couldn't communicate well as my knowledge of Arabic is severely limited to salaam and shookran (hello and thank you), just as their English was limited in kind, but we took many pictures, walked around hand in hand and played with their neighbor's camels. The children took a wild fancy to my stick-straight hair and couldn't keep their hands out of it all night.

Everything seemed to fascinate them about me

The kids even took me to meet their neighbor next door. And his camel!

I was nervous the camel would spit on me

My days here were an eye-opener to the Bedouin lifestyle and I am forever grateful to all those who shared their lives with me and helped to make my Bedouin days so memorable.

The sparse interior of a Bedouin cave located in the middle of Petra's mountains

© Connie Hum 2009

The Dead Sea Experience

Upon arriving into Amman, one of the first things I did was go to the Dead Sea with some friends. The five of us jumped into the car on an unbelievably hot day and drove less than an hour to the Dead Sea.

I knew that the Dead Sea had a high salt concentration but I didn't know just how salty it was going to be! You literally just float! I tried to stand a few times but my legs just kept bobbing up to the surface. It was a strange feeling but very cool. I also didn't know that the Dead Sea was the lowest point on Earth and that you could literally see Israel across the Sea.

My friends and I also benefited from the Dead Sea mud which is purported to have special minerals to improve your skin. We lathered ourselves up and baked in the glaring sun. You could practically see the sulfuric smell wafting off our bodies like the way smells are portrayed in old cartoons.

The caked mud was a bit difficult to get off and I had the misfortune of accidentally splashing some Dead Sea water into my eyes (painful beyond belief). After some scrubbing and rubbing, the mud finally came off to reveal smooth, radiant skin!

It was a great day and a special treat to have been to the Dead Sea. I hope that one day I will return again and be extra careful not to get any of the sea water in my eyes.

© Connie Hum 2009

What I'll Miss About Istanbul

I'm sure there a many great things that I will miss about living in Istanbul but here's a list of the top things I will miss most.

1. Calling everyone I know "canım" (literal translation: my life)
2. Crossing the First Bridge at night and seeing the gorgeous Istanbul skyline reflecting off the Bosphorus
   
3. Hearing the morning call to prayer and realizing that it's time to go home and go to sleep
4. Türkçe arkadaşlarım
5. Drinking Turkish çay in the afternoons
6. Eating street mussels on the way home after a night out in Tünel
7. Taking people to my "secret" cafe and enjoying the view
8. Playing and laughing with Mina and Melda
9. Seeing people's faces when I speak Turkish to them for the first time
10. "Ciao bella, ciao ciao ciao!"
11. Eating heaping bowlfuls of mantı (Turkish stuffed pasta with yogurt sauce)
    
12. Riding the ferries across the Bosphorus
13. People watching along Istiklal Caddesi and its side streets
    
14. Eating home-cooked Turkish food every day
    
15. Everything about Istanbul, plain and simple
    

© Connie Hum 2009

The Sweetest Thing

© Connie Hum 2009