Posted by annawoita
As I write to you, I am currently nestled in back at my home in Omaha, and I finally feel like I can think clearly enough to write!
The final few days of our adventure went by in a flash. After traveling to the far West side of Sri Lanka, we had the opportunity to stay at the one of the oldest and most historic (read: somewhat creepy) hotels in the World: The Galle Face hotel. The rooms were massive! Upon entering ours, Jenni and I were confused as to whether or not we had just entered a small apartment. Although the hotel is situated mere feet from the ocean, we had reached the monsoon side of the country and thus relaxing ocean-wading was out of the question, but it still made for a beautiful view and soothing sound.
While in Colombo, we visited Grant McCann-Erickson of Sri Lanka. The company was started by Reggie Candappa, none other than the father of our very own Professor Sriyani Tidball and is still run by her sister, Neela Marikkar. We were able to gain wonderful insight into the advertising realm, including a case study of theirs on the makeover and rebranding of the mobile service, Etisalat, and a full tour of each of the departments. Several members of our group would end up staying behind to intern in various areas at McCann.
As for me, as much as I would love to have interned at a world-renowned company like McCann, my journey was coming to a close. Three weeks had begun to feel like three months due to the amount of activities and travel we were able to pack in, all thanks to Sriyani’s hard work in planning our trip.
Thus, the six of us returning back to the states packed up our (much heavier) luggage on that beloved bus for the last time, and headed off to the airport. However, the excitement of the journey had one last spike for me as I managed to contract (by my own diagnosis) food poisoning from the first airplane ride to London. I guess that’s what I get for bragging about not needing shots or medicine of any kind to travel the world!
Although I may never eat airplane food again, I can honestly say the trip was an amazing success that exceeded all expectations. There is something truly life-altering about traveling the world that came as a great surprise to me. It broadens your understanding of the world, of different cultures, of different people. It often makes you more compassionate, more thankful, and gives you a greater zeal for life when you fully comprehend the endless possibilities this world has to offer you, if only you are willing to take it on. For me, it has given me a small taste of exploration and adventure, a now insatiable thirst to not only see the world but to experience it fully. Needless to say, I am already planning my next adventure.
June 4, 2011
Posted by annawoita
May 27th, 2011
This morning we woke up bright and early to start our day of rock climbing. Not literally scaling the side of walls mind you, although upon appearance of the enormous rock I did wonder what other way we could possibly reach the top! A trip around to the other side of it answered that question for me: what turned out to be well over a thousand steps weaving and winding, climbing straight to the sky. We set off in a line, most of us heaving and huffing not long after we began. Somewhere around step five hundred I was inquiring as to why there was no elevator.
After taking a spiral staircase straight up we were able to enter a small, enclosed area filled with several wall paintings. I thought we had reached the furthest point in our journey, but alas, around the corner were more steps! A little ways up after that came a large staircase with two large paws on either side of them. According to the legends, this is the base of one of the king’s palaces.
The final leg of the journey upward involved a suspended staircase winding around the top of the rock. After quite a few more (very deliberate) steps (while grasping the railing with both hands) we reached the top. And oh what a majestic view it was. It seemed as though we could see forever in all directions – endless landscapes of green, lakes on either side of the mountain (one apparently home to numerous crocodiles.. yikes!) and an enormous statue of Buddha in the distance. Our charter bus below us looked no bigger than a colorful speck in a sea of green.
We also had the privilege of some very kind locals detailing for us the palace itself- where the swimming pool was, the main palace quarters, and what was left of yet even more stairs inside of the palace (I may have secretly been thankful that those had eroded away over the years). We all had a blast resting atop the mountain, reveling in our breathtakingly beautiful surroundings.
But the day wasn’t over yet. After re-boarding the bus after all one thousand + careful steps back down the mountain, we didn’t drive long before six of us took on what I consider to be one of the coolest opportunities of the trip. Exiting the bus, we were greeted with our next mode of transportation back to the hotel. A bit slower and slightly more crowded than the bus, the six of us clamored on to the back of a delightfully friendly elephant by the name of Raja. The first thing I would like to make note of is that elephants are massive! I had a conceptualized idea of how big an elephant is, but I never would have assumed that six of us would have been able to fit comfortably on one’s back. Well, five of us at least, and I got to start off the journey on Raja’s neck, which was also much squishier than I had anticipated. Recently reading the book “Water for Elephants” (a great book by the way.. I highly recommend it) made the experience all the more enjoyable, as I feel like now I have a far better grasp of how the protagonist Marlena felt atop Rosie while performing in the circus. The elephant trainer here also carried a sinister rod similar to the one depicted in the book used by the villain, August. It was as if the book was coming to life.
We rode Raja around for about an hour, taking turns riding on his neck. While Calvin was in front, Raja waded into one of the creeks with al of us still on board, playfully snorting in water in his trunk. At different commands called out by her trainer Raja would strike different poses. One of the poses was called the “elephant salute” in which Raja would pull his trunk up in to form a sort of salute sign. I was reminded once again of the book describing how smart elephants really are.
After being dropped off at the hotel entrance and paying a mere $2000 Rupees (only $20 in American money!) we all scampered back to our hotel rooms to gather our stuff up for the next leg of our adventure. :)
May 28, 2011
Posted by annawoita
I am currently on the bus, packed up and headed off to the next stop in Sri Lanka. The past 24 hours have been jam-packed with some pretty awesome experiences. Yesterday (the 26th) we packed up from our first hotel in Sri Lanka and headed several hours East to some ancient ruins and towering carvings of Buddha. The ruins, which now appear to be mostly scattered piles and walls of old brick, are brought to life through the tales of the tour guides illustrating for us the ornate palace that used to be.
The first spot we came across was easily recognizable as what used to be the bathing quarters of the palace. Filled with what is now grimy, moss-covered murky water is a large stone basin with stairs leading down into the water. The tour guide also pointed out two dragon heads on either side of the stairs whose mouths once emitted water into the basin. The royal bath is now known as the “Kumara Pokuna” and was said to have been built by King Parakamabahu the Great in the 12th Century AD. Remnants of the King’s changing room stand adjacent to the bath.
Several hundred feet away from the bath and riddled with monkey’s everywhere stands the remains of what was once the seven-storied palace of the king called “Vijayotpay”. Crevasses in the walls of the palace indicate where wooden beams used to reside, but because the beams are no longer present suggests that the palace may have been destroyed by fire.
Another several hundred feet away lay remnants of several buildings. One is a temple in which viewers are asked to remove their shoes upon entering. Nearby the temple stands the most well preserved building of all we encountered, with its roof still in tact. The architecture is known as “gedige,” in which no wood is utilized in its formation. Not far from the “gedige” building lies a large rectangular stone, approximately 20 feet long and five feet high and weighing several tons. On it, in squiggles indecipherable to any of us, is the account of King Nissankamalla’s accession to the thrown as well as his contribution to propogating Buddhism, and his connections to other countries.
The last stop we made was to visit the colossal statues of Buddha, all carved out of the side of an enormous rock. Because of the girls’ attire that day, we were unfortunately unable to gain very close access to the Buddha’s. Strict dress codes requiring knees to be covered are present at many of the temples and other holy places. However, we were still able to view the statues from afar, as well as observe a large prayer session of numerous school children in front of the statues.
I was also able to leave the premises with no monkey bites or scratches, and thus consider the day a great success. :)
May 27, 2011
Taken in the Botanical Gardens of Singapore, one of my favorite places of this trip so far.
May 26, 2011
Posted by annawoita
When I arrived in Singapore, I felt as though I was stepping into a utopian world. With meticulously manicured landscaping, streets free of litter and other debris (you aren’t allowed to chew gum or even spit in Singapore!) and our tour guide informing us that “crime” is almost a foreign concept to this country, it seemed to me as though you couldn’t find a better place to live.
But how does a country maintain such a meticulous “stepford wives” perfection? It wasn’t until we started discussing the “unusualness” of the place that I began to appreciate America and all its messy attributes. The first story that we gained word of was about a boy who graffiti painted on local buildings being publicly caned numerous times. The next story was in regards to the Nation’s president. When asked what he would do if local students rallied in protest against the government, he casually replied that he would respond by killing the leaders of the rallies to set an example.
As we were discussing these stories during a taxi ride to one of the ad agencies today, our taxi driver interjected by saying “No! Singapore is perfect!” to which most of the passengers started laughing, assuming he was joking. However, from the tone of his voice to his comments that followed, it appeared to me that he was completely serious in his unwavering faithfulness to his country.
When discussing the bizarre happening with my professor some time later, she made an interesting comment of “Only in America do people talk badly about their country”. While that may be a bit of a stretch in plurality, it has become very apparent to me the differences in government and the way that people view government in the United States versus abroad. While there are positives and negatives to each, I am thankful that I live in a country where criticism is valued instead of stifled, as I feel criticism is a vital part of a nation’s improvement.
May 24, 2011
Posted by annawoita
As I write to you now I am snuggled up in my bed at the Royale Bintang hotel in Kuala Lumpur, on our final night here in Malaysia. I am undoubtedly the most exhausted I have been on the trip thus far, but I guess that is just a tribute to how much fun we have been having. :)
The past few days have been a whirlwind of adventures, it’s hard to even wrap my mind around what all we’ve done already in such a short amount of time! From touring the city’s skyscrapers, to getting lost on our trek to Chinatown, it seems as though there is always some new adventure in store here. The most “impactful” memory I have thus far, however, came rather unexpectedly at what I would still consider my favorite stop of the trip, despite its rather traumatizing experience.
At one of our many stops while touring Kuala Lumpar we visited the Batu caves, some really awesome caves nestled in the side of a mountain, and several hundred (exhausting) stairs up. The climb is definitely worth it, however, because of the natives you encounter along the way. Not the Malaysian people, but monkeys! The stairs are littered with dozens of wild, playful, and audacious monkeys just waiting to snatch anything you might have in your hands from you (they especially love cheeto-like snacks, and wild fruit). They also made for rather entrancing subjects for a bus full of camera-clad photography students. After clicking away for some time, I decided to try to get in a picture with one of my new furry friends. When I reached out to one perched on the fence however, he decided a standard photo was highly overrated, and proceeded to clamor up on to my shoulders! This was all fine and dandy mind you, until his claws started to dig into my arm, and he opened his mouth wide to display a rather alarmingly sharp set of canines which he then proceeded to bite my head with. It all happened so fast that I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on until I saw the look on everyone’s faces around me and began shrieking until he leapt off. As if that wasn’t enough of a heart-attack inducer, we were all then chased off by a much, much larger friend of his who was clearly miffed that I had the audacity to not let his pal eat my head in peace.
Needless to say, it is an experience I will surely never forget as long as I live.
Seen below: Me and my ferocious attacker (looks are deceiving, I swear).
May 22, 2011
On May 16th, 2011 I embarked on a journey a journey to the other side of the world. It only took five plane rides and almost 72 hours to arrive at our final destination of kuala Lumpar, Malaysia. Lesson one: traveling to the other side othe world takes a long, long time. Thus, during one of our many layovers between flights, we had the awesome opportunity of briefly touring London.
If I could describe London in reference to America in the simplest way possible, from what I gathered I would say it is a cleaner, less busy New York City, where they drive on the wrong side of the road, speak eloquently, and have a strong affinity for tea. Perhaps I am over-simplifying, but I can’t give much more detail having only been there for a few hours.
On the bus ride exploring London I took out my new camera (Canon T3i) and began snapping pictures, while having absolutely no idea what I was doing. The settings screen looked like a multitude of jumbled fractions, and having never been much of a math person myself, I chose not to meddle and just to start clicking away. Surprisingly, most of the pictures turned out quite well. One that didn’t turn out very well ended up being one of my favorites of the day (see above). As Calvin put it, “it looks like a picture that has been sitting in a drawer for 40 years, and was finally rediscovered”. Maybe that’s what I like about it.. I’ve always had an affection for the vintage look.
Having the opportunity to see both Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace so soon after the Royal wedding added dramatically to their allure. After all the hype surrounding the wedding of the century with over 3 billion estimated viewers, it was crazy to get to walk the same path that the Duchess of Cambridge walked just a few weeks prior. However, I must say that Buckingham Palace was a bit less palace-like than I had envisioned. From the outside view only, the White House seems more impressive to me. The only thing grandiose about the palace were the numerous statues outside its gates, the endless crowds of camera-clad tourists surrounding, and the fabulous detailing of the gates themselves. Hopefully I can upload more pictures to illustrate later when I have more time.
As for now, while most of America is eating breakfast, I am ready to say goodnight. After a solid 12 hours of sleep last night, I can proudly say that I am jet-lag free, and officially on Kuala Lumpar time (which hopefully you will get to read about tomorrow!). Goodnight, world!
-A
May 20, 2011
April 26, 2010
