“Bangladesh is God’s cruelest joke. 120,000,000  impoverished people living in a cyclone-prone country where the average elevation is about 10 meters above sea level.”

First, I know it was wrong to tease yall about a trek to the Himalayas and not provide any pictures. This must have been troubling for those of yall who believe that New Zealand or Colorado has 'real' mountains. Well, the situation is now being rectified, and you can check out my journeys to India and Nepal

Nepal: http://mapvivo.com/journey/8588

India: http://mapvivo.com/journey/8151

This morning we left Calcutta, India, a city that calls to mind the regal settings of the British capital of India and the worst poverty in a country known for slums. This afternoon, we arrived in Bangkok, Thailandg the South Asian leg of our journey, and starting the South-East Asian leg. For me, south-east Asia is a little closer to home, and I’ve been to Vietnam and Laos, so hopefully, this won’t be as trying. So far, its been a freakin' breath of fresh air. Unlike in India, things are not unhealthily dirty, the air is breathable, and the girls know how to dress a little bit better. I'll let yall know more as I encounter it.

I know that it has sounded like I have hated India. And to a certain degree, that’s true. It’s been a rough trip with some parts that I really didn’t like. That said, travel isn’t just about sitting on a beach, imbibing strawberry daiquiris and reading pulpy novels. For me, travel is also about learning, and this trip has been a real learning experience.  In fact, it has been a great time to be in South Asia since there has been a lot of news coming out of the area. I’ve been able to see, first-hand, the news happening, talk to the people living it, and look at how local media has viewed it. Anyways, here’s some of the stuff that I got to see.

Indian Elections

Just after I arrived in India, the results for the month-long voting process in the world’s largest democracy were announced. About 600 million people voted, and the voters continued the Congress party’s (the party of Gandhi and Nehru) rule in the Indian parliament. This affects you because George Bush tried to ignite the US-India relationship by creating a bond with the Congress party and making a deal that we would sell them nuclear energy technology (selling Indians nuclear teachnology was illegal before Bush legalized it). This election is, in some way, a mandate for the improvement in US-India ties. It is also a rejection of the BJP, the Hindu nationalism party.

Nepal’s Government

A couple of years ago, Nepal, then a monarchy, deposed its king and became a monarchy. A year ago this May, they formed a republic, a big step for Nepal. Last Friday was the first anniversary of the new republic, but no one was celebrating. Just recently, the communist prime minister quit the government in protest of some military problems. This has been huge deal here and is kind of rocking Asia’s international scene. I won’t go into it any more.

Cyclone

Cyclone Alia hit Bangladesh and the east of India. There has been huge amounts of flooding, and many have died. I’d heard about it before, but it was interesting to see the local perspective. We haven’t really noticed any major problems in Calcutta, where all the refuges are flooding in. The only problem we have encountered is the cancellation of a light show because of the flooding (how the light show and the cyclone are related are anybody’s guess).

Hindu nationalism

One of the coolest things I saw in Delhi was the world’s largest Hindu temple. It was built a couple of years back to this Swami who preformed miracles as a child, levitating a basket of fish, jumping in a fast river and floating down it for days, standing on one leg and meditating in the Himalayas for seven years straight. But he’s not important. The cool thing about this temple is that it was a monument to Hindu nationalism, the belief that Hinduism and India can save the world and teach the West how things should be done. The temple had an Imax, an animatronics show, and a little boat ride (like the monster pageant ride at Six Flags Atlanta). The boat ride claimed Hindu’s had invented several things several thousands of years ago: the number zero, math, philosophy, democracy, plastic surgery, rocket ships and airplanes. They also claim that if everyone in the world embraces Hinduism, the world’s problems will be solved.