Kuwait - A Birthplace

It's been over a week since I left the land of oil and sand. But I thought I should take some time to write out some thoughts of my stay in the country in which I was born.

Kuwait...is different. As soon as you arrive in the modest airport with only a couple of shops and dry feel to its interior design, you can tell you've entered a completely different world. On a basic level the country shares its roots with the other gulf countries - a desert nation who's prosperity can almost entirely be attributed to the discovery of oil reserves in the past couple centuries. The mining of black gold fuels a steady growth of a small population of Arab descendants who remain the native population as well as a larger group of immigrant and ex-patriot population who come to this place for mainly one purpose - money. But it wouldn't be fair, or even accurate, to categorize a country based on its historical economic foundation, or its odd-sided population. The main thing that sets Kuwait apart from many places of the world, and even the gulf nations, is its culture which remains a unique mix of Muslim nationals with North American and Asian influences. One of the first things you'll notice about Kuwait after the sun sets is the lack of bustling activity on the dimly lit streets. Shops are closing early and the local bar, club or pub...well.. they don't exist. Alcohol is illegal here. The laws and rules are derived from the Kuwaiti nationals Muslim background and as a result leaves the place modest and conserved. Many of the nationals are dressed in traditional robe, with the men adorned in their disdashas and the women veiled in black from head to toe, often with only their eyes visable to the rest of the world.

But as times have changed, so too has the flexibility of the people's strict codes. Many of the women, more so the younger generations, are extravagantly dressed underneath their black veils. From complex beadwork to designer clothes and shoes accompanied by a detailed mask of make up and accessories. Ironically enough the mix of fashion and modesty most likely draws more attention from the unaccustomed traveler than would have otherwise. And mixed in with the white and black are the ex-pats from various regions of the world who have come to work and earn. This group makes up the majority of the population yet doesn't experience the same treatment as the nationals. As most ex-pats would tell you, or complain to you, the Kuwaiti's seem to get treated much better by their national system and favored more often than not leaving some of the import workers feeling more than unequal. But Kuwait was never really founded on equality, and I would not be surprised if their doctrines even brought it up. And although its much different than what we are used to in North America, I can, on some level, appreciate a country that sticks to its ideology in the face of globalization that sees a characteristic shift towards liberalism. Don't get me wrong, if people were feeling overly oppressed and lived in fear more than happiness due to a relentless leader (like some other middle-eastern country did in previous years, it starts with an ‘I’ and ends with a ‘RAQ’) then that wouldn’t be admirable at all. But my impression here is that overall people don’t feel forced or oppressed. In fact there is a sense that many of the nationals are proud of their background and traditions and embrace their practices. That being the case, if you asked many of the Kuwaiti women, or men, if they’d rather live in America or Kuwait, I’m sure you wouldn’t get a very strong majority of people declining. The reason I can appreciate the background and rules is because in some aspect it simply seems to work for them. No alcohol means many less headaches caused by people making foolish choices in drunken states. Less alcoholism and drunk driving and the absence of an industry built on booze. And on some level its almost nice to feel that those negative consequences are kept away from the culture here. Of course people cheat and will brew their own alcohol or bootleg, buts it’s still not even close to the same.

Besides the culture I was very taken by the infrastructure. The mix of concrete, sand, glass and marble was impressive. The buildings, especially residential, are much more defined, clean and strong looking. Houses seem to have a little more room to breathe and feel more eternal and significant against the desert sands and Arabian seas. The most extravagant were the buildings owned by important nationals like the Sheiks. Massive mansion like places that include multiple floors which are inhabited by multiple families. It’s a nice change.

So, why was I born here of all places? Well I’m sure the story is longer and even more detailed than I know, but here’s a short version:
My mom was born and raised in Mumbai. Their family was fairly large with 5 siblings consisting of 3 brothers and 2 sisters. My mom was the second oldest of the family and did a lot to take care of her brothers and sisters. Tragically, her older brother died in his late twenties and the family became more dependent on the eldest of the children. To support the family my Mother found out about a job opportunity in Kuwait and took the chance to move out her home, and her country to a new place in order to support everyone back home. My dad had travelled quite a bit through his days in the Navy and through his work as a fire protection engineer. He had also found his way to Kuwait through his job and was working in the city to save up some money. They met, got married, and had 2 kids in Kuwait (Hospital where I was born in picture below).

When I was 1 and my brother was 2 the house my parents were building in Armstrong, BC, Canada was just finishing up and we were ready to move to our new home. I’m not sure exactly why my dad chose that small town, but he loves the outdoors and the forest scenery and must have fell in love with the location. In some ways its good we moved, as Canada does seem like a better place to raise 2 young boys. I think the down side was that they had to leave all the friends and family (all my mothers sisters and brothers had by then moved to Kuwait) in order to start fresh. Another big positive – a year or two later Saddam decided it was a good idea to invade Kuwait, rolled his military in and occupied the country. In his wake many people suffered great losses, the lives of family and friends, their homes, their cars, their jobs. An American military base is still situated on the outskirts of the city.

Either way, I’m happy with their choice, and I’m happy I got to visit this important location in the history of my life. Sometimes we need to pause, and look back to remember what should remain important to us so that we can focus our next steps forward.

Future Travels:
- Dubai (just got back from there)
-North India – Dharamshala, Leh

Lessons Learned:
- Know where you started to help you decide where you want to end up.

On the Mind:
- The next step
- Meeting up with Devo
- What to do when I return to Canada

Thoughts on Terror

On this past Saturday, February 13th at 7:00pm an explosive was set off at a popular restaurant in the city of Pune which is located about 2 hours east of Mumbai in India. The explosives were packed into a bag which was left unattended for sometime before a waiter at the German Bakery decided to investigate the bag, tripping the bomb which caused an explosion which resulted in 9 deaths and around 60 injuries. It was reported that the blast was so strong, and the place was populated enough to send body parts flying everywhere. This, was a terrorist attack.

The German Bakery is a local place which is frequented by Pune residents but also tourists as well. It is listed, and highlighted in the Lonely Planet guide to India in 2009. Two weeks ago I was in Pune for a couple days. I had decided to visit the German Bakery for a bite to eat and was headed there, along with 2 other cousins, before we got a call from one of my uncles and turned around to eat at home instead. But we drove by it, and I saw it multiple times.

The place is now different, its not just a site of debris, char and bloodstains, its a site of terror. It always seems that at times like these more questions are generated than answers:

Why would someone kill innocent people to prove a point?

What point was he/she trying to prove?

How can people hate other types of people so much based on race, ethnicity, gender, or cultural background enough to brutely murder members of that group in hopes of instilling fear in the larger group?

But of course these questions have no one answer. They just remind us that some people don't think at all alike. I think out of all the emotional responses an individual can have to this sort of action, the last emotion that should be succum to is fear. I won't allow myself to be affraid to travel to places and to live life avoiding interesting places. I won't be terrorized into a mental submission resulting in the limitation of my freedom or curiosity. No one group based on whatever values and beliefs will ever succeed in their goals, ultimately, through violence and hatred. It seems to be human nature to gravitate towards openness and freedom, towards compassion and integrity. And although we see all to often the times in which positive values are pushed away by negative ones, we should believe in the end product of peace and happiness for all. I believe its true that hatred only breeds more hate. I only hope that such a day comes sooner rather than later.

Lessons Learned:

- Fear is a vacuous black hole of happiness. No one can live happy and fearful. Embrace life and love and dispel hatred and fear.

Back on Track - The Story of a Pagoda

Well I've been away from the blog for around 10 days now. After writing the last one my plans changed and I ended up not heading to Dharamshala and the north and instead stayed around Mumbai and headed to a close isalnd called Monri for a night. I was pretty frustrated with the plan changes, it turned out that it had snowed in the north 2 nights before our departure date which had caused some road closures and may, or may not have made it more difficult for us to get into Dharamsala. It also seemed difficult for us to narrow down an itinerary that would be good for both myself and my cousin who was travelling with me. I think in the end it is for the best as now I'll be heading up north, and even farther than Dharamshala at some point hopefully, with Devin when he arrives. That should allow the climate to warm up a bit and also will give me more of a chance to do more of the active outdoor-roughing-it style travelling that I've been wanting. Another positive is that the change of plans allowed me to move my Kuwait and Dubai visits ahead of schedule. I am currently writing from Kuwait, where I landed on the 15th and will be until the 21st until I then take a short flight over to Dubai until the 28th.





The past 10 days has been somewhat of a roller coster with moods and sites and thoughts. Two of the more important highlights were visiting a magnificant meditation centre and seeing the hospital where I was born in Kuwait. The meditation centre is on Manori island and called the Global Pagoda & Vipasana Meditation Center. The Pagoda itself is a spectacular dome-like structure that has an impressive volume and is supported by no internal supports. Once you step inside its a shock to see so much open and available space. The place is used for regular mediation sessions where groups of people take part in sessions on the massive polished hardwood floors. The site is one of many which practices Visassana Meditation in particular, which you can find more about that type of meditation here. The site also offers 10 day silent meditation retreats. Its now on my to-do list.

I haven't looked too in depth into the Visassana type of meditation, but I know one of the important aspects, which is most likely true of most meditation practices, is the freeing of oneself from external desires and material things. I've always found myself questioning the true value of all of my possessions and the mentality behind the ever-stronger growing sense that more and more people in the world seemingly have to have more things and to have them bigger, better, faster or more precious than the next person. I've never had a tremendous desire to expand my list of possessions, but at the same time I can catch myself in the moment when I fall victim to the variable capitalistic mentality. And at its core its not simply capitalistic its also tied in with simple human nature. We evolve, we adapt to gain traits which are better than the previous generation. We want to push forward and not be left behind. It seems that our culture has only magnified these seemingly innate desires. At times I will want things like a better car, or a nice big house, or even something smaller like a nice jacket or new hiking equipment. These are material things which we think can bring us some end result, which subconsciously we are somehow convinced boils down to a happier life for ourselves or our loved ones. But that equation is a fallacy isnt it? How many stories have we heard about how money and power actually lead to a more empty and stressful life. Or even worse, a corrupted life.

I'll end with a point, if I really have one other than just the observation. What I think I want to try to instill in myself is a shift from desiring material items, to placing a higher value on sentiment. And by that I mean that I don't want to be caught up in the race to have the biggest, fastest or more rare/precious item. I want the value to come from the meaning of the item, which remains immortal of the vessel. In this sense, a simple stone found on my journey to the Himilayas will hold more value to me than a rolex bought 40% off online. So, dear friends, if your next gift from me is something like an old used matchbox with a handful of matches and a worn out flint-strip, don't be suprised. But more importantly, don't trust your immediate sense of dissatisfaction, because you can be assured that it will come with a story, with a history, with a meaning that cannot be engraved or told throught the amount it glitters. And I promise, it will make you smile.

Future Travels:
-Kuwait (until the 21)
-Dubai (until the 28)
- Mumbai on the 28th to meet Devin

Lessons Learned:
- Don't spend your life living for things, in the end you'll eventually need to leave it all behind

On the Mind:
-Meditation/ Inner Peace
- Materialism

Mumbai Round 2 - An Intermission

I've been sick the last few days following my return from Goa. My sore throat turned into a mild cough with some head congestion. Today I feel much better and am seemingly on the road to recovery. As such I've just been lying low in and around Mumbai and sorting out future travels.

Tomorrow I'm off to Delhi via plane and then up into the far north to Dharamshala. I'm more than excited to get out of the city and find some time to explore the mountain ranges. This is what Wikipedia has to say about Dharamshala:

""Dharamshala" (Devanagari: धर्मशाला; ITRANS: Dharmashaalaa; IAST: Dharmaśālā) is a Hindi word (derived from Sanskrit) that is a compound of dharma (धर्म) and shālā (शाला). An approximate translation into English would be 'spiritual dwelling' or, more loosely, 'sanctuary'. Rendering a precise literal translation into English is problematic due to the vast and conceptually rich semantic field of the word dharma^[1].

View looking over McLeod Ganj, Lower Dharamsala & the Beas River. Sketch by Alfred Hallett, c. 1980

Dharamsala is the closest one can get to Tibet while still in India. This quaint hill station is home to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political head of the Tibetan Buddhists. Once a British hill station, Dharamsala received an influx of Tibetan refugees after the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959. Today, Dharamsala is a popular destination for Indian and foreign tourists, particularly those seeking spiritual salvation."

It sounds like an amazing place, I can't wait. But before I think too much on my stay there I have to make the journey there first, which I'm sure will include some interesting experiences. We may head to Agra to see the Taj Mahal before heading north, otherwise we may come back down to see it on our way home.

Lot's of things on the mind lately, I'm going to need some time to isolate and write some things out and hopefully sketch a little. I'll be sure to post soon!

Future Travels:
-Delhi -> Dharamshala -> Agra
-Dubai (tickets booked for the 20th)
-Kuwait (ticket booked for 24th)

Key Lessons:
-Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance (I may have missed a P somewhere in there...)

On the Mind:
-Mountains
-Time away from people
-Jobs

Goa - Days 2-4

Well Goa has been truly a great experience. I've been basking in some sun and recieved a few more dark shades to my skin tone. Unfortuantely, following a night out with some family I woke up with a sore throat which has now progressed into a mild upper respiratory thing. I suspect a virus, but probably not a flu. It definetly put a damper on my day today as I did managed to go to the beach but instead of purusing the colourful markets in the afternoon I hydrated, slept and ate some tomato soup (Does that sound about right Dr. Mikhail?). This afternoon we took a trip to my Aunt property where her house is still under construction. It looks like its going to be very nice and it made me further excited for future visits with friends.

Another setback has been a delay in my cousin recieving a visa to enter Dubai. We were supposed to go on the 10th but they say he won't get it on time. So the two options are to go without him or to head north to Delhi first and then swing by Dubai after. I'd rather go to Dubai first, apparently there is some festival going on, we'll see what happens.

Anyway, nothing to exciting on this update, but I'll recoup and have some more spicy entries in the future. Sorry about not posting pictures, I have a whole lot. Over 2000 I believe as I filled up my 8GB card just about an hour ago. Good thing I bought 2 16GB ones as well :). I heart my camera.

Future Travels:
-Delhi/Dubai/Kuwait?

Key Lessons:
- Soup is stil the #1 medicine for being sick. That... and a backrub. Seriously there is research on that, check it out.

On the Mind:
-Real Estate
-Fitness (lack thereof)
-Freedom - I could just stay here... why not?

Goa - Day 1

First off - I'd like to acknowledge that my last post was not very positive and would like to hopefully raise some spirits with the following post.

GOA!...wow. What an amazing place. We took a midnight train from Mumbai down south into Goa. It was weird walking through the Mumbai terminal as I instantly recognized it from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Although there was no Jai-ho (I may have spelt that wrong) ringin in the background there was certainly a level of hustle and business even into the night. The train was a good experience free of any troubles. I actually really enjoyed watching the dark scenary roll by while listening to some favorite tunes and snapping night photos of streaking lights in the distance. 8 hours after leaving the big city we soon approached the scattered towns amidst the denser tropical forests as the sun came up. I took Papi's advice and avoided the morning Chai at the Goa station terminal.

Goa itself is becoming very busy. In the early 1960's it was just being discovered and popularized by forieners. Now, the place, unfortuantely for the locals, is being shaped by the influx of thousands of tourists every month. The once pristine and unpopulated beaces of Baga in the north part of Goa now are packed full of sun decks and portly american and european tourists eager to pay a couple hundred rupees for a head massage. I didn't love the busy atmosphere, but it was a very nice beach. I took the opportunity to part ways with the relatives and head out onto a nearby outcropping of rock cliffs. To my surprise, as I rounded a distant corner I found a small, secluded beach with an acompanying restaurant bar attached. Jackpot. Probably one of the nicest scenes I have every stumbled upon. I made a promise to come back and bring some friends a long.

On that note, I have good news. Auntie Pam is in the process of builiding a house out here. I think there was talk about it having a Jaccuzzi? The future looks happy.....really, really happy. Hopefully you can expect an invite to the Indian Paradise sometime in the near future.

Future Travels:
- Goa until the 6th
- Dubai on the 9th

Key Lessons:
- Get off the beaten path and take a risk! - you never know what treasures await.

On The Mind:
- Environment - Impact of tourism
- Future travels with Friends (Devo on the 28th!)