Kaukme Trekking Experience - Kaukme, Burma

Kaukme Trekking Experience - Kaukme, Burma

We were turned off by the thought of the hordes of tourist trekkers in Kalaw and had been told by a friend that Kaukme is a great alternative, and it was. (We used Moe Set as our guide, who was fantastic! Read our review here.) We opted for a 3 day/2 night trek and chose not to use a motor bike for any of it. We walked about 5-6 hours each day, taking several water and snack stops, visiting schools and monasteries, and having lunch in local villages. At night, we stayed in the homes of villagers who cooked our meals and offered us bedding. They never spoke any English, but we always felt welcome in their homes. The hiking is strenuous at times - climbing steep hills on loose dirt and gravel in the midday sun - but if you're in decent shape, you should be fine. The experience is really a great one. Keep in mind, however, that this hike is about the people and seeing village life. You're not likely to be wowed by the views - the landscape looks very similar to many hikes we can do at home - and it's unlikely you'll see much wildlife. In fact, the only animals we saw were a few pigeons, some small birds, a handful of brightly colored butterflies, and swarms of bees. 

We give Kaukme Trekking...4 Happy Travelers!

Moe Set - Trekking Guide - Kaukme, Burma

Moe Set - Trekking Guide - Kaukme, Burma

15000Kyat/day for lodging, guide and all meals

Moe Set may be one of the kindest and purest people you'll ever meet. It was an absolutely pleasure spending 3 days with him, even when we were hot, sore and tired and facing another hill to climb. He's new to the trekking business (he previously studied philosophy at a university in Mandalay and has plans to return), but he's well-liked in the villages and was attentive to our needs throughout the trek, offering us snacks when we needed a boost, encouraging us when we were tired, and suggesting a slower pace when we reached our limits. More than that, he truly loves Burma and his people and has so much to share about his culture, which he happily does. He has big aspirations for his future and really wants to improve the lives of the Shan villagers. This is evident as he speaks passionately about the political and economic issues facing the region, brings extra snacks in his backpack to give to the children of the poorer families, and teaches an impromptu lesson at a village school when a teacher is absent. He really is the kind of person who inspires everyone around him to live more considerately and deliberately. If you are interested in giving your money or time to help in one of the villages, Moe Set is a great guy to ask - he's tapped into the needs of the community and will help direct the funds or point you in the right direction.

asiaboy.myanmar@gmail.com
09-403725869

We give Moe Set...5 Happy Travelers!

Patnem Beach - Potnem, Goa, India

Patnem Beach - Potnem, Goa, India

If we got to do it again, I think we'd skip Palolem and, instead, spend our time at quieter Patnem (sometimes spelled 'Potnem'). Just a short 15 minute walk from Palolem, Potnem has fewer tourists and touts, some nicer (but cheaper) guest houses, and some very comfortable beach front restaurants where you can enjoy your lassi while staring at the sea and surfing the web on free wifi. There are fewer amenities (barber shops, book stores, shipping stores) than in Palolem, but that's nothing a quick walk couldn't fix.

We give Potnem...4 Happy Travelers!

Kudle Beach - Gokarna, Karnataka, India

Kudle Beach - Gokarna, Karnataka, India

Just south of Goa, Gokarna is a quieter beach alternative. But you won't actually want to hang out on Gokarna Beach, which is covered with trash and wild dogs. Instead, make the 20-minute walk to Kudle Beach. The walk will take you through a landscape that looks like cooled lava, through palm and bamboo groves with large black-faced monkeys staring at you, and will finally end on a large beach where lazy cows stand and gaze out to sea. The beach has 4 or 5 beach shack restaurants and a few guest houses offering beach huts, and a handful of beach touts walk the sand, selling sarongs, beach blankets, jewelry and hand drums. It's a great alternative to Goa, but don't expect to find the amenities that come with Arambol/Anjuna/Baga/Palolem beaches. Beyond Kudle another 10 minutes is Om Beach, which we didn't visit, but have heard is also very nice.

We give Kudle Beach...3 Happy Travelers!

Mysore Palace Experience - Mysore, Karnataka, India

Mysore Palace Experience - Mysore, Karnataka, India
This is definitely the main reason you visit Mysore, and it doesn't disappoint. At least, it doesn't disappoint when you visit on a night when the palace is lit up with thousands of white lights. It's a great place to spend an evening, watching visitors and families and enjoying the beautifully lit up palace. We wouldn't really recommend the inside tour of the palace. There are no signs in English, you are hurried through like cattle, and the exhibits are mostly (fairly) recent painting depicting life long ago. The actual historic artifacts are poorly maintained and behind glass, far from where you'll be standing. If you do decide to do the tour, remember to check your camera at the gate to the entrance of the palace grounds. And, while the audio tour is free, it requires a deposit of either a photo ID or $40USD each. Plan ahead!

We give Mysore Palace...3 Happy Travelers!

Camel Trekking - Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

Camel Trekking - Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

There's nothing like riding a camel while it trots down a steep hill on soft, slippery sand. And we say that in both a wonderful and an awful way. This experience will vary from person to person, but the same problems that plague India will visit you on this experience. It's a great idea, in theory, but there are very few systems in place and your plans are changed for you often….usually resulting in an increased rate for you. Don't expect rolling sand dunes on this experience. And don't expect to be in the remote desert, free from light and noise pollution. The short 1.5 hour ride sometimes takes you on asphalt highways and sometimes through a landscape of wild pigs chewing on tumble weeds. We found the "guides" to be friendly and knowledgeable, and excellent cooks for our dinner. However, it's difficult to get complete transparency when you're booking your trip, so expect some disappointments along the way. With that said, when was the last time you road a camel at all, let alone into the desert for a night under the stars? 

We give Camel Trekking in Pushkar...3 Happy Travelers!

Keshava Temple - outside Mysore, Karnataka, India

Keshava Temple - outside Mysore, Karnataka, India

Meh. It's old and interesting and alluringly clean and quiet but, if you're traveling in India for an extended amount of time, you'll see enough temples that it's not necessary to go out of your way (1.5 hours outside Mysore) to see them. And, if you're in India for a short while, it's unlikely you want to spend half a day getting to and from somewhere. The temple itself is beautiful so, if you find yourself going that direction, stop and check it out. Otherwise, spend your afternoon at Cafe Coffee Day instead, sucking down an iced "coffee."

We give Keshava Temple...2 Happy Backpackers.

Aslam, Rickshaw Driver/Tour Guide - Mysore, Karnataka, India

Aslam, Rickshaw Driver/Tour Guide - Mysore, Karnataka, India

Sweetest guy ever. Hire him to drive you around Mysore. Ask to meet his family (take treats!). Sit back and listen to this funny, genuine young man and leave Mysore feeling like you've made a friend. Call him! 96 86 506 548

We give Aslam...5 Happy Travelers!

Kerala Kathakali Centre - Fort Cochin, Kerala, India

Kerala Kathakali Centre (Kathakali Mandapam) - $6/person - Fort Cochin, Kerala, India

Kathakali is the traditional performing art of Kerala, and we knew we wanted to see a performance while in Fort Cochin. The show can drag on a bit long - you start at 5pm watching the makeup application for 1 hour, followed by a 1.5 hour show. If I did it again, I would skip the first half hour of makeup application and come for only the 2nd half of the tutorial, which was actually really interesting. And, if they were taking feedback on how to make the show better, I would definitely suggest shortening it to 1 hour. Still, we'd never seen anything like it, and found it all fascinating, especially since it's unlikely a group of Keralans are going to bust out in spontaneous traditional dance in front of us any time soon. The actors are clearly dedicated to their art, which is admirable in itself, but work very hard to put on an authentic show for their nearly entirely foreign audience. Learning about the different kinds of makeup used and about the tiny movements that depict various emotions was also really interesting. However, if they could cut the drum solos down, that wouldn't bother me either.

We give Kerala Kathakali Centre...4 Happy Travelers!

Alleppey Backwater Experience - Alleppey, Kerala, India

Alleppey Backwater Experience

Any backpacker in South India at least considers doing the backwaters, and the easiest and cheapest place to do this is in Alleppey. When we were in Alleppey, we chose not to rent an overnight houseboat (knowing that we would be back in Kerala in a few months to visit friends and that we would get the houseboat experience then), but we did hire a canoe and a driver/guide for an entire day to explore the area and it was a great experience. Alleppey (and the entire region, really) is a maze of backwaters and canals, some large and some small. People live along the water and entire on it completely to live. Their rice paddies are flooded (intentionally) by the water in these canals, they ride in water taxis and ferries to get to school, they eat the fish and mussels from these waters, they bathe in and wash their dishes here…they rely on it completely. Because the houseboats are so big, they can't enter some of the smaller canals, which is where an abundance of village life takes place. Our canoe was able to enter even the smallest backwaters, and we loved the experience. 

We give the Alleppey Backwater Experience...4 Happy Travelers!

Raju's Canoe Service - Alleppey, Kerala, India

Raju's Canoe Service, $6/hour - Alleppey, Kerala, India

We knew we'd be coming back to Alleppey again with some friends, so decided to skip the houseboat experience until we were with them. However, we still wanted to spend some time on the backwaters so, on the request of Macy at Palmy Lake Resort, we booked Raju for a 5 hour canoe trip. He arrived in the morning and began to lead us along a small canal to his canoe. From the moment we met Raju, he was friendly and informative, stopping to identify flowers and birds for us. Though his English isn't great, he knows enough to make his point, and isn't afraid to stumble through the words if it means you'll learn something or be entertained. In the canoe, we saw locals going about their lives, using the backwaters as their lifeblood. Raju explained it all to us; the work people do, how the children get to school, how much fresh fish costs, how to turn mussel shells into paint. He told us all the things we wanted to know, usually before we asked the question, and often times before we knew there was a question to ask. He was a fantastic guide. One of the benefits of doing a canoe trip vs. a house boat trip is that you're able to access the very small canals, which is where daily life happens on the water, something really special to see. Raju took us to a tea shop on the water, where they had a pet sea eagle that we were allowed to hold. We also unloaded out of the canoe and walked back to a small village (where there were no tourists) to see another glimpse of every day life on the backwaters. He told us how the water is treated and "purified" in the canals and even let Tom help paddle the canoe for awhile. Raju never ceased to be cheerful, kind and informative and we highly recommend his services (and hope you'll tip generously).

We give Raju...5 Happy Travelers!