After spending two days exploring Mumbai and getting used to the city, Monday came around and it was time to get start with Haath Mein Sehat (HMS) Hindi for “Health in Your Hands”- The reason I am in India. We have really hit the ground running with meeting with college professors, students, and NGO's in the area- it has helped me to learn so much about Mumbai and India.
HMS is a student group that started in 2004 at the UC Berkeley campus that focuses its efforts on water, sanitation, and hygienic outreach programs. Right now there are 10 of us working on our project and we are split into 2 teams; Education and Evaluation. I am part of the education team and we are putting together a pilot program that we are going to try out this summer. Our plan involves a sort of networking practice. We are pairing up with college students that HMS has worked with in the past and using them to pair up with 8th graders to establish a mentoring program. The 8th graders are then going to be mentoring 1st graders about the importance of handwashing habits. Our aim is to make an impact on behavior changes- research has shown that the best times of making those changes are at earlier ages and at the start of a new environment. After meeting with the program manager of PSI, a network of education programs in the largest slum of Asia-Darvai, they decided to school to allow us to come into their school and take on our project. Our education model is based on around the fact that it generally takes three weeks to form a new habit so we have created a program that will demonstrate to kids the importance of handwashing in a fun way to help decrease the occurrences of diarrhea, which most people commonly think of it as just a normal part of childhood. The reason why this is so important is because many students become severely dehydrated from diarrhea and miss school or even work which will have an impact on their chances to a better livelihood. Studies have shown that just by using soap for 20 seconds with non filtered water can decrease the amount of diarrheal deaths by 42-50%- so this is why we feel as if we need to make an impact in the schools we are working with.
We have all been working together to make this project work and get through obstacles along the way. One of the slum communities we have worked with, Berhampada, had a devastating fire take a toll on half the neighborhood. Some of the families we have worked with lost almost everything- even members of their family and were relocated into temporary camps where about 200 people live in one room and they must all share one or two bathrooms. It has been a real eye-opener to understand the realities these people must come to face. Since most of the land they live on is not governmentally owned, they do not get any assistance for rebuilding their life back together and are left to figure out a solution to live with. The struggle for survival is strong in many aspects of life here, life gets competitive. With only being here 2 weeks I have seen more poverty than I have ever been exposed to in my entire life- it is sad but realistic. It brings many emotions to the table that you have to come face to face with.
It has been interesting putting our plans into action- all school year our group has been meeting and trying to figure out what we want to accomplish while we were back in Berkeley but now we are here and it is quite a challenge to put it into effect. Everyday we have meetings with some head of a school or college and for the most part they have all been very helpful and excited to have us here and have given us good advice as to how to tweak our ideas to fit in an Indian education system. I've learned so much already about the politics and infrastructure of the slums, the education system, family lifestyle, and just Indian life in general. By the end of the day I find myself completely exhausted- all the new experiences, crowds of people, new environments can really be draining- but all completely worth it.
Although we have been working non-stop, we have also been enjoying our free time non stop as well. Just the other day I realized how much I have come to love Mumbai. I think it was because I am finally gaining a grasp on the completely different pace of life. At first I was so overwhelmed by the amount of people that you are always surrounded by- it has now changed my outlook on the concept of space. The apartment we live in is in the middle of a huge suburb and we have begun to make friends with some of the neighbors- the kids love to play cricket with us which is the most popular sport here in India. Our apartment is like a co-op- all 10 of us live in a 3 bedroom place and we do everything together and for each other in a very democratic manner. It also has a great rooftop area to sit down and unwind at the end of the night (as long as one of the large bats in the air doesn't land on you). Everyday a variety of funny events occur- one day the rickshaw driver (A kind of motorcycle taxi with a backseat) allowed me to drive his vehicle back to my apartment- it was so fun to drive it around! We have been able to get to see some of the nightlife of Mumbai as well and I am learning how to dance to Indian bollywood songs. Where in America it is a faux pas for a man to dance with his arms above his head, in India it is almost mandatory. We also we able to see a Bollywood film in a theater- 3 of our friends were able to translate (though I am trying to pick out some words to understand the dialog. I am very slowly picking up some Hindi.... very slowly. Hindi, however, only gets you so far because many people speak Marathi or Urdu. Its all a learning process- I love figuring out all the little cultural things of the area. The best example is the head bobble every one does to agree with you and that saying yes means shaking your head no... it gets confusing when you ask a taxi to take you somewhere and they shake their head no so you think they wont take you but then they say get in. I started going to the worlds oldest Yoga studio- it was opened 91 years ago and focuses mostly on meditation but also how to focus your life. An 85 year old man sat me down and told me some of the greatest lessons he has learned during the course of his life... it was one of those great moments you never forget about your travels. The food here is so good, it is one of my favorite parts. You can go out for such a great meal for less than $2.50. All the spices, smells, and flavors are really growing on me. There are so many street vendors selling cheap exotic foods so everyday I try to taste something new- luckily my stomach has been liking it. Last weekend a few of us took a train to Goa- it was a 12 hour train ride that quite possibly might be one of the worst conditions I've been on in public transportation ever (well besides that boat ride in the Philippines). I bought the train ticket way late and ended up being stuck 3rd class in the luggage comparmnet that was so packed that you could barely breath.
This has all been one great adventure. It has given me time to think about where I am at in my life and the direction I want to take. I am enjoying my time here and am happy to be a part of Haath Mein Sehaat and I look forward to working with them when I return to the states in the Fall. For now it is back to the planning and preparations for our next meeting. For being just a bunch of college students at Berkeley, I am really impressed at how professional we have made this program- we've even come to the point of deciding whether or not we want to become our own NGO!
Students taking part in our education prgram at SNDT college


A view from the roof of our apartment


A rainbow appearinng after a monsoon rain


One of the beautiful churches in Goa


This is an Indian beach in Goa...with cows roaming

First Day in Bombay

Wow. India.
Landing this morning was quite intense, immediately I realized the small ideals of personal space here in this country as everyone was jammed packed in line for immigration. I ended up missing my flight in Manila and had to reschedule which meant spending the night in Bangkok. Since I lived there for a month last year I was happy to spend the night because I knew my way around the city being there for the night made me really miss Thailand seeing the monks doing there morning food collections, the temples, the smiles.
I shouldn't have missed that flight in Manila, I had my confirmation number and everything but my ticket was lost in the system. The Philippines is a very laid back country- and I loved that so much about the place except when I needed to figure out what happened to my ticket- it took 4 hours to finally reschedule the flight, but whatever- it all worked out in the end. I am going to miss the Philippines because it was such an adventure and I loved all the aspects about life there. In the Philippines everyone raises their eyebrows to motion hello. At first I thought everyone was flirting, but realized it was just a gesture to great someone. It became extremely catchy and now I keep doing it here in India and everyone just stares. I will also miss in the Philippines how you'd hear people trying to get your attention by going 'pppssssssstttt”.
So my mind was completely overwhelmed when I stepped out of the airport- I felt like I was in a whole different world- the sights, the variety of different smells, the actions of the people. the glares, my stares, and most of all- all the colors. India is everything I pictured it to be- I have been studying this country for about a year now so I am so happy to see everything I've learned in person. I was picked up from the airport from two of the students working on Haath Mein Sehat from the Berkeley campus and taken to our apartment where we will be living for the summer. We live in an area called the Rajasthan Society in a strictly vegetarian building. I spent the first day figuring out the city, sight seeing, learning the trains, and trying to stay grounded from such a culture shock. The trains are the craziest to me right now- you get jammed packed like sardines into a car and people have to push hard to get off at the stop they want-even if the train is still moving. It is going to be a very interesting summer, I can't believe I'm in India!
Picture from the Dhobi Ghats- this is where all the clothes of the city are sent to be washed and cleaned.

This is a view of the infamous Taj hotel and the Gateway of India in South Mumbai

This is a picture from Elephanta Island in South Mumbai from a rock cut cave- These images date back to 5-7 century.

This is where everyone in Mumbai comes to stroll along Marine Drive at night.


Back to the Philippines- Here are some pics I've been meaning to share

This is a sunset in El Nido... Such a beautiful place, it was worth the 10 hour death boat

Snorkeling in the small lagoon, an island off of Palawan with crystal clear waters...

A guy showing us how to eat Balut- the fertilized chicken or duck egg- he said that you eat it for energy, "like a redbull"

This is the bus getting caught in mud in the jungle on the way from El Nido to Puerto Princesa


This is when we made it to the top of the mountain on the rock climbing trip I thought I was going to die from



Ok... it's time to start working on Water and Sanitation- I might be MIA for a bit- just got a cell phone number here- email me if you need to get in touch

Masayah Ko (I'm enjoying life)

Warning: Mom and Dad, don't read this one.

Jamie and I had a pretty close call with death the other day on a small boat that took us from one island to another. We were traveling from Coron to El Nido and the normally 6-8 hours boat trip took a little over 10 and a half that day. On a small wooden boat we made the trek through open sea by dodging 8 to 10 feet waves, harsh winds, and more rain you could imagine. Walls of water were capsizing onto our boat blasting us in water for more than 3 seconds at a time. It is definitely monsoon season here. I've been on some pretty choppy waters in Lake Erie on my dad's boat growing up but this was by far the scariest boat ride I've ever been on, I am glad I don't have to worry about seasickness. A lot runs through your head when you can't see land and your caught out in a storm on open waters. There was a couple from Russia on the boat with us and surprisingly a guy from San Francisco who was Russian and was able to translate for all of us. They became great people to know over the next few days. That boat ride will be forever burned in my mind as one of the closets calls to death. Sure it was a risk, but what I find more of a risk is avoiding these situations in order to be careful, how much of your life will pass you by from not taking chances?
Anyways, we finally made it to El Nido and it was well worth the trek. El Nido is now by far the most beautiful place I've seen with everything you need to be happy the rest of your life. Despite some rain we got caught in, I had no problem hanging out in bamboo huts on the beach with locals. Before getting to El Nido, we got stuck in Coron for a few too many days because the weather was not good to travel- I can't even imagine making that boat trip if the weather was worse. While in Coron we ended up going back to the Ladyboy bar..... All four nights we were there. It was partly because it was the only nightlife the town offered but also because we befriended the lead singer, Laura, who ended up being somewhat of a famous singer/model in the Philippines. The town of Coron was small and after 4 days we probably knew half the people in the town One night we ended up renting a motorbike(that broke down repeatedly in the jungle) to cruise the island then hang out with some of the workers from our hotel in a nearby hotspring. It was so amazing, everyone down on the Palawan islands have great outlooks on life and it made me put all my petty problems back home into a new perspective.
In El Nido we quickly got to know half the town again and were able to go island hopping through the most beautiful islands I've ever seen- I don't know what could have made this more of paradise. One day the security guards from our place took my to the top of the mountain in El Nido, I thought it was going to be a quick hike but ended up being a free-base rock climbing adventure. We scaled cliffs with drops of 200 feet below us, only hanging on with our hands and supported by a very small ledge- My legs were trembling worse than ever before but the view from the top made it well worth it. I never expected the Philippine's to be such an adventurous place to travel and the strange thing is not too many tourist come here- it must be because the Philippine's are looked down upon because of the kidnappings that have occurred in the past.
The time came to leave that town of paradise and we headed down Palawan to Puerto Princesa with an English guy and French girl who brought nothing but pure entertainment to the trip. We all squeezed in a small van fit for 10 but sat 13 for a 8 hour trip down a muddy path which we got stuck, ran out of gas, and the axle broke- it was a long journey for sure, especially when people are passing gas and the windows are shut. We were crammed in the van with two disturbing men from Australia that made it very obvious they were here on a sex tour... nasty. Puerto Princesa is a larger town and we are here in time for the Barangatan festival where everyone on the island tries to make it here to show off their local specialties. My time in the Philippines has come to an end but will hopefully not be the last time I am here- there is still way more to see but I am very happy with all we've done and all the funny times that came our way. If all my planes leave as scheduled I will arrive in Mumbai tomorrow night around 10pm.

Trannies and tricycles

Just landed on the island of Busuanga and headed to a town called Coron. We are in the jungle, the air is fresh, and the town is small. Surprising, however, is the amount of transexuals here. My cousin and I found an awesome resort right on the water and then hit the town to go have a drink. We asked someone where to go and they told us to go to this bar called Hard Rock- so we walk in and there are two trannies and a girl performing on stage. To make things more strange, the girl performing was on the same flight from Manila as us, as well as here overweight tranny friend. She/He noticed us right away and wanted us to sing with her onstage. At least here you can tell the trannies right away here, unlike Thailand where I most likely made out with one accidentally at a club. We sat down then noticed that it was blatantly obvious that we were having drinks at a gay bar- big deal. We made quite the scene walking in- it was a local joint and then all of the sudden two white dudes walk in. We ended up staying for way too many drinks- this was way too entertaining to leave. Eventually we ended up talking to these guys that looked like at the table next to us to get the lowdown on island hopping in the area. Someone came around and was selling Balut (its a fertilized duck or chicken egg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg)) We all ended up trying one- I've heard about this 'dish' before and wanted to try it as it was the perfect time- it was in a dark bar so I didn't have to see it, I was a few drinks deep, and I was able to watch Filipinos eat it first. Man, never again. It wasn't that bad, it really just tasted like a hard boiled egg but knowing it was in my mouth still is making my stomach ache. Gotta try everything once though.
Anyways here are some pics of the trip so far.....

This is a viewpoint from one of the islands we made it to.

Viewpoint from our rooftop.

Coral Reefs in the warm clear water.

Jamie sticking a pose

This was a view from the top of on island we hiked

This is a crappy pic of a sunken ship from WW2.


This is us at the top of Taal Volcano

This was on the Pagsanjan River

Bahala na (No worries)

The Philippines is such an interesting place to travel- you don't come across many backpackers like you are bombarded with in Thailand. Instead the foreigners you see here, mostly Korean, are here for business ordeals or sadly enough sexual tourism. Prostitution is overwhelmingly apparent and heavily pushed on to anyone walking down the street. Being a male, you can hardly get down the street without someone trying to sell you “beautiful chicks”, viagara, or have massage parlors trying to get you an “extra service”. Here there are not as many tours set up for the visitors like Thailand- yo get where you need to go you really need to ask around how to get from place to place. Although the Philippines is way cheaper that the states, it does not compare to what you can get out of other parts of South East Asia. The Lonely Planet book for the Philippines has there latest edition as 2006- and is heavily outdated and every number you can expect to be out of service or the price to be way off. The only thing that you can trust to be accurate is the map as this is a constantly changing country. Dear Lonely Planet.... Please update that book, if you need someone to redo it, I'm your man. It is really hot here- like upper 80's with just about 100 percent humidity. It makes getting anything done quite a chore and we have come across a lot of rain as it is the beginning of the monsoon season. Luckily language is not as much of a barrier here as everyone speaks English, in fact many people speak English to each other and not their native language of Tagalog.
The traffic is really crazy here, especially in Manila. Fumes of exhaust cake your lungs as you walk down the street and taxis, buses, and jeepneys all come flying down the street. There are not many traffic lights which makes intersections a complete disaster as drivers just push there way through to get to the point the need. You can get anywhere you need to by public transportation- but figuring it out is the tricky part. Manila has two train systems, the MRT and LRT that can take you all around the city for about 15 pesos (about 35 cents). Its very similar to the BART in San Francisco in that sense. Besides that are the jeepneys- a very funny way to get where you need. You just have to read on the side where they are going and flag them down. You climb in the back with about 20 other passengers and pay 7 pesos for the first 4 kilometers and 1 peso for every additional kilometer. It makes getting around pretty cheap, that is if you end up getting to the right destination. We've taken about a dozen of them so far and never have ridden with any other foreigners. Buses are really confusing. There are 3 main stations in Manila but there are no schedules or routes anywhere. To get somewhere you have to do a great deal of asking around to find out the right path to take.
Despite some confusing obstacles, my cousin and I have been able to see and do a lot since we have been here. Hanging out with my cousin Jamie is hilarious- we have been getting ourselves into crazy predicaments and laughing about our ridiculous childhoods. This is definitely a trip that we will be looking back 30 years from now and have stories to tell. After staying in Manila for a few days roaming the city, checking out the nightlife and trying to get a grip on this country, we headed south of the city to a place called Pagsanjan. There is a famous river that was the site for a scene in Apocalypse Now. We took a canoe up the river for an hour and a half as the tour guides paddled strongly against the 17 rapids to get to the end of the river. The guys had to work so hard to get upstream, it was uncomfortable to sit back and enjoy the views when someone else was struggling so hard to get you up the river. At that top was the famous water fall that pounded a strong current of water down 70 feet. On a bamboo raft we were able to be pulled under the falls to view “Devil's Cave” underneath. The river itself had absolutely stunning views, it was wedged between 2 towering walls of jungle and numerous waterfalls on each side. Even though it was raining pretty hard during this rapid ride, we were able to see a whole different side of the Philippines besides what we did in Manila. After the falls we were making our way to Tagaytay to view a volcano but the traffic was so backed up along the way that we ended up getting off the bus in a random town to spend the night. We ended up in an area that had natural hot springs. We were stoked but we ended up at this family resort and we were the only foreigners there. We made quite a scene walking through that resort and everyone was staring at us. Someone we ended up talking to explained to us that not many backpackers come through this area so people were probably wondering what the hell we were up to. Despite the stares we ended up going into the hot springs for a bit, the water was warm and relaxing until we noticed some creatures swimming around and we quickly got out. We woke up the next morning and made out way to Taal Volcano- Its the worlds smallest volcano that has a lake and and island in the center. That makes it and island within a lake within an island within a lake within and island- try figuring that one out. We made the strenuous hike to the top and enjoyed the views at the top after we took numerous boats, buses, and jeepneys to get to the destination.
Now back in Manila we are getting ready to fly to a place called Basuanga so we can make it to Palawan, a group of islands that are known for the most beautiful seascapes in the world. Our flight was scheduled to leave yesterday but we missed our flight and now we are waiting in the airport for out next flight that has already been delayed 4 hours. One thing you need here is patience as everything takes longer than expected and is done on a whole different system that people are used to in the states. I have seen poverty before bu nothing has compared to what I have seen here. Manila can go from the most elite to the poorest of the poor. One night we went to the best clubs in Manila called the Embassy- we took a taxi while everyone else strolled up in a Jaguar or Mercedes. Definitely the richest people went here, but sadly enough not even a mile away is a large slum were hundreds of kids sleep outside and spend the nights begging for change in the street while the women strolled the streets selling their bodies. I can only imagine what India is going to be like.
This next week is going to be quite a vacation- I can't wait to get out of Manila. If I see one more old white dude with a young girl I am going to seriously freak out.

Back on the road.... or plane

Just touched down in Manila, traveling once more. This time I will be gone for 3 months as well, just like I was for Thailand. It has been 13 months since I last left the country and this morning as I was in Hong Kong for a layover I remembered the last time I was here when I just found out that I got accepted to UC Berkeley- it is crazy to realize how much my life has changed since that point and how much I have learned about the world since that moment.
I will be in the Philippine's for 15 days traveling and touring to then fly to Mumbai, India to begin my 8 week water and sanitation project with Haath Mein Sehat, to then return back to Berkeley in late August. It will be quite the summer ahead of me and I am anticipating every single moment. The rush of the semester ending and everything else has pushed me to really want a break.... traveling is my outlet for this. Despite scaring my family (especially my mother), learning by doing is my way of understanding this world.
I arrived in Manila to a storm, grabbed a taxi and met up with my cousin at the hotel he was staying. The weather is very hot and humid, a refreshing change from San Fransisco which has been chilly (almost winter chilly) this past week. Manila reminds me very much of Bangkok in terms of housing, highways, globalization, and organized chaos. We will spend the next day or two in the city until we decide on what path to take next- the Philippines has so much to offer and I can't wait to soak as much of it in as I can in the next 2 weeks. I'd love to stay longer but I'll take what I can get in 15 days :)
Thank you to everyone who has helped me out and supported me for this trip- it is you that make this all possible and you know who you are!!!
I can't wait to show you all what I'm seeing.... man, the world has so much to offer!