chilly in hotlanta

purple half-koreans

its been some time since i told my girl cindy that id visit her in atlanta. with korea coming up and presidents day guaranteeing her a 3-day teachers weekend, i booked a flight. cindy was one of my first employees way back when we bonded over our dysfunctional half-korean families and an unparalleled ability to get goofy in each others company. shes always been special to me, perhaps best expressed in my consistent (but generally unfamiliar) role as friendship maintainer, despite her periodic attempts of sabotage.

anti-miscegenation laws

experiencing atlantas segregated nightlife and spelunking through the little 5 points and virginia highlands neighborhoods was fun. seeing groups of korean tourists at ebenezer baptist church and the king center was a nice surprise. being unprepared for how several years apart had changed each other and our friendship was... difficult, not priceless. i hate how mastercard has appropriated the several sentences started with gerunds format. anyhow, our convoluted communication routine means im not sure to what extent she also noticed our changed dynamic but we feel different and im apprehensive to see where we go next.

80 degree swing

located 48 km south of the bahamas and just north of hispanola, turks and caicos is 40 islands set amongst the worlds 3rd largest reef. about 15000 'belongers' call them home. they are reportedly descended from 193 slaves whose ship trouvadore wrecked off east caicos in 1841.

abandoned ship

given the delightfully warm temps (fully 80 degrees warmer than where i left) and delicious breezes, it seems bratty to frown while napping under casuarina trees in the porch hammock, tummy full from gorging on fritters made from endangered caribbean queen conch (relax, theyre farmed here). saying anything other than 'its been wonderful' seems awfully spoilt after spending an afternoon fishing off the reef or seeing the shallow water illuminated by millions of glowworms 5 days after a full moon.

siblings

but for some reason this hasnt been the vacation i imagined. despite my sisters inlaws hospitality, i still feel tense being in someone elses home- involuntarily shuffling in and out of their family drama. but it aint all that. i can tell that even in solitude id feel this weird tightness in my torso whose cause i cannot pinpoint. all said its been good to be reunited with zuzu and sissy, to have started and finished a novel (been a while) and to get some color despite my prodigious application of sunscreen because although black dont crack, off-white do.

plans change: europe?!

since moving to seoul this spring has become a question of when not if, ive been trying to sketch out a coherent itinerary for my last months stateside. in addition to some west indian sun next month, im juggling modest work obligations and a wedding in nyc, a long-time-no-see weekend with my seoul sister in atl, and i should visit mommy in seattle before leaving the hemisphere. danggit id also like to go to o'ahu if i can use miles and score free diggs. no surprise it all comes down to time and money.

stop the insanity! this morning my travel buddy krissy called to confirm that she is attending a paris wedding in early may. hmmm... im going to research some options. if anyone has european sightseeing recommendations, available accommodations, or wants to rendezvous/tag along, please let me know!

2007 all asia pass!

cathay pacific airlines has wasted no time to announce their 2007 all asia pass promotion! this is one of the best deals in the travel industry and having taken advantage of it last year, i *highly* recommend it to anyone who is looking to do some travel in asia this year.

for 2007, $1399 buys you access to any (or all) of 23 destinations originating in 3 us cities over a 21-day period:

you can add destinations in india, bangladesh, viet nam, australia or nz for another $300-550 each or extend your travel beyond 21 days for an additional $250-400. summer travel (may 18-aug 19) also incurs a $450 surcharge. note that most flights route through hong kong (a wonderful airport) and you must book your trip through a travel agent.

even tho its more expensive than last year, the added standard fare options of manila, phuket and phnom penh make it well worth it and where else can you travel from the states to multiple locations in asia for this cheap? lemme know if u need any help putting together your itinerary or connecting you with one of the few travel agents who are familiar with this promotion. cathay was voted #1 airline last year for good reason. traveling on a non-usa airline means good food, 1/2-full flights and courteous (and hot) flight attendants. now go plan your adventure!

the asian travelogue (all together now)

after quitting my job in february 2006, i took advantage of cathay pacifics 'all asia pass' and took three months to visit 11 asian countries. my shoddy memory compelled me to take decent notes about my travels. ample internet cafes along the way didnt hurt neither. it also turns out my meager readership much preferred these postings to my stateside ramblings. so, what follows is a largely chronological (and hopefully easier to navigate) travelogue of my journeys with links to photo albums. i hope they provide some entertaining insight into what was a wonderful fall walkabout.

malaysia
[photo album]
9/13: day 1
9/14: down in da bharu
9/15: jesus: alive, well and asian
9/16: last tango in the muddy confluence
9/18: selamat tinggal malaysia!


taiwan
[photo album]
9/19: global and personal instability tour
9/21: i shagged a model
9/22: taipei: a retrospective


singapore
[no photo album]
9/26: singas so far: lost and found
9/27: onward christian soldiers!





viet nam
[photo album]
9/29: evading a laotian elephant
9/30: half-hearted suicide
10/3: guilt soils compassion
10/4: a quick dip in halong bay
10/5: biking the soaring dragon city
10/6: tam biet and adieu
10/7: saigon samanthas homo hotspots


indonesia
[photo album]
10/11: pura pura pura!
10/12: bali memorial
10/13: some of my best relatives are white
10/14: oh dem bali days


hong kong
[photo album]
10/16: the eagle has landed!
10/17: lust in honkers




thailand
[phuket nation party photo album]
[bangkok photo album]
10/22: gyrating sinewy torsos
10/23: alone or lonesome? part 1: hate the game
10/24: alone or lonesome? part 2: emotional laxitives
10/25: alone or lonesome? part 3: bar dribbles
10/30: sampling bangkok glam
11/13: looking local



cambodia
[photo album]
10/26: cambodge impromptu
10/27: stunning angkor





pakistan
[photo album]
11/2: pakistan: the inauspicious start
11/3: privileged access
11/4: in the mughals garden
11/5: dining with pakistani cowboys
11/6: 3 encounters with fear


korea
[korea 2006 photo album]
[korea 2005 photo album]
11/9: home sweet good enough home
11/11: celebrating 90 years
11/12: content with whats next
11/19: holding my liquor


japan
[tokyo photo album]
[kyoto photo album]
11/24: kyoto colors
11/25: clumsy in tokyo
11/26: the end is nigh

clumsy in tokyo

for a while now ive enjoyed airing the inappropriate opinion that the japanese are the closest thing we have to aliens on earth. of course, as i admire originality and absurdity this is a backward compliment. nows not the time to discuss the contradictory cultural components of hello kitty and kinky sex, but theres plenty else to explain why i am so often confused here in the islands... and me thinks it isnt by accident!

fart discretely

dont forget that despite their pop culture obsession with anything non-japanese (be it western or korean), this is the nation that was forcibly 'opened' by the us navy in 1854 after 200+ years of self-inflicted isolation. even as it ravenously consumes foreign culture i dont get the impression that the japanese want to be anyone else. while here they may be consuming my culture but im made very aware that i am the outsider. this boundary is maintained in part by a seemingly unending number of complex ceremonies for eating to greeting to gift wrapping to bath water saving that every outsider is bound to eventually pervert. once you goof (to everyones embarassment) youve earned the inevitable and insurmountable gaijin (外人 is literally: 'outside person') designation.

its not like koreans are averse to ceremony and im sure that id also misstep in sweden, but japan is where ive felt the most awkward and clumsy even while under the auspices of a native friend. its not just the explicit ceremonies that make me uneasy. its also the goofy expression and high pitched voice of the hotel bellman who delivers any news (be it directions to the atm or disclosing that my bags are lost) with an intonation and facial expression combining rapt fascination, naïveté and surprise!

kami-robo fighters

i like a good joke so part of my awkwardness is wondering if im the center of an elaborate comedy... tho sarcasm doesnt work well here. case in point is an exhibit? store? theatre? gym? on the lower level of the slick omotesando hills shopping complex in aoyama near uber trendy harajuku. posters advertise a 2-day event: a kami-robo 'fight' between maoh and blue killer. the space has an elevated boxing ring in one corner, a huge plasma tv and lots of huge colorful robots photographed in the midst of executing 'body' slams in another. two large glass cases contain hundreds of tiny paper replicas of the giant robos. one line of tables is positioned in the middle of the room. in front of each chair is paper, tape, scissors and a felt pen for passers-by to construct their own mini robo. adults solo and in tandem with their kids take their seats with cameras rolling. its kinda exciting!

ms jpo

i love this weird interactive performance art-ish hands-on exhibit thing. im not sure where reality and fantasy start or end but it sums up japan for me. its time for my rendezvous with jpo so i prepare to leave. ok, im getting ready to go now. ok, slight bow. oh! you are superior to me but bowed longer than i did so i bow again! im smiling, shuffling my feet slowly backwards. still smiling, i bow again, casting my eyes downward briefly. thank you so much! i continue to make progressively lighter bows, smiling, shuffling, nodding, see you again soon! ok, last bow i think. thank you! ok, one more bow! shuffle shuffle. goodbye!
more tokyo photos here.

kyoto colors

my dear jpo insisted that we take a couple of days to visit kyoto, japans former capital for over 1000 years. although it was considered a target for the a-bomb it was ultimately spared from ww2 air raids, keeping its impressive retinue of 1600 buddhist temples, 400 shinto shrines, palaces and gardens (many of them designated world heritage treasures) mostly in tact. an hour or two after stumbling back from karaoke we rose with great difficulty, checked out of the b rappongi hotel, stashed my backpack in a tokyo train station locker, and hopped on the shinkansen (bullet train). japan is pricey. the 1.5 hour ride cost 円13,220 ($111) each way! as we chug-a-chugged along i was eager to see some of japan out my window but was too pooped. in a few minutes i succumbed to sleep.

upon reaching kyoto we made our way to the taxi queue and dropped off our bags before embarking on our temple tour. we chose a japanese holiday at the peak of fall colors so nihon tourists were everywhere but we nonetheless caught some impressive sights:

heian jingū (平安神宮)

a few blocks from our inn is a huge torii marking a grand entrance to the heian jingū (平安神宮), a shinto shrine featuring several bright orange buildings with green-tile roofs. built in 1895 to celebrate kyotos millennial bday, the shrine celebrates japans first and last kyoto-based emperors. inside i clumsily mimicked my hostess as she went through the various entrance rituals and later i stifled my desire to photograph a traditional wedding in progress.

kinkaku-ji (金閣寺)

kinkaku-ji (金閣寺 or golden pavilion) is japans most famous temple. part of the larger rokuon-ji temple and set on a serene lake, the pavilion is covered in brilliant gold leaf and topped by a golden fenghuang or chinese phoenix. it was originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for shōgun ashikaga yoshimitsu but was converted into a zen temple after his death. the current structure was rebuilt in 1955 after a nutzo monk burned the place down five years prior. the fall foliage provided a spectacular complement.

the karesansui (枯山水) at ryōan-ji

ryōan-ji (temple of the peaceful dragon) is a unesco world heritage site best known for its karesansui (枯山水 or dry landscape rock garden), which is thought to have been laid down in the late 15th century by general hosokawa katsumoto. the garden measures 30 x 10 meters and includes 15 moss-blanketed rocks interrupting a bed of raked white gravel. japans most famous rocks are positioned so that only 14 are visible from any one angle- its said that only englightenment would reveal the 15th. according to some euro researchers, '...the implicit structure of the garden is designed to appeal to the viewers unconscious visual sensitivity to axial-symmetry skeletons of stimulus shapes.' you dont say? tho gorgeous and serene, meditiation was complicated by the several rows of gawking tourists snapping their visual momentos. check out the gardens website for some pretty amazing engrish.

kyotos kiyomizu-dera temple

currently in the running for the 'new 7 wonders of the world status, the spectacular kiyomizu-dera is a series of buildings first built in 798 (present structures constructed in 1633). the main building juts over a hillside and the otowa-no-taki waterfall and is supported by hundreds of pillars. there is a popular japanese expression (「清水の舞台から飛び降りる」) whose meaning is similar to what we anglophones mean when we reference "taking the plunge." as it went in the old days, if u survived the leap from kiyomizu your wish is granted. 35 of the 234 jumpers during the edo period didnt fare so well.

garden outside nijo castle

finally, nijo castle (二条城) is an impressive 275000 sq meter complex completed in 1626 that features two concentric rings of moats and fortifications. as the kyoto residence of the tokugawa shōgun, gold leaf, elaborate hinoki cypress carvings and extensive frescoes by kano school artists impressed visitors with the shōguns wealth and power. from the painting of clouds and various patterns, it was immediately obvious how much japanese painting influenced art deco. my favorite part of the castle was the uguisubari or 'nightingale floors' which were designed to foil sneak attacks since even the softest step causes nails to rub against the floorboard clamps and emit a beautiful chirping sound! the symphony created by scores of feet walking along the corridors was a delightful reminder of human ingenuity. (listen to a recording here).

geisha in gion district

aside from the temples we also enjoyed kyotos famous pastries and yours truly got to see real geisha (芸者) shuffling along in the citys historic gion district (祇園 or 祇をん). we also walked along a river and saw a few snowy egrets. spent from our temple-hopping we retired to a charming ryokan (旅館), a traditional japanese bed and breakfast that jpo had booked as a very sweet belated birthday gift. our huge compound featured two rooms with tatami mats surrounded by an enclosed porch and washi sliding rice-paper doors. after a several course japanese meal we indulged in the hot communal (tho gender-separate) baths and i exposed my inner yankee tourist self by requesting a photo of me in an incorrectly sported yukata (浴衣 or casual kimono). all said it was a delightful two days outside tokyo.
more kyoto photos here.

holding my liquor

im my grandmothers favorite grandson because of our shared love for liquor. for a woman who cant speak much english, she says 'johnnie walker no rocks" just fine. koreans are drinkers and one must only stroll seouls sidewalks after dark to see salarymen limp in each others arms, or bouncing off the buildings before vomiting or peeing on a nearby tree. yesterday i saw a man near the gyodae subway station talking to a bush.

a couple of nights ago i met josh, a quirky and sincere kyopo (korean american) guy. over boolgogi and beer, he interviewed me about my days at mavin while i peppered him with questions about what it was like to move to korea and become dang near fluent in our mothers tongue. through him i also learned that i could rent a 40 sq ft 'apartment' in a decent area of town for as little as $350/mo, which includes utilities, internet, a shared bathroom and enough floor space for a single bed and dorm-style dresser.

hongdae

yesterday josh invited me to join him and his friends for a night on the town. we started by downing 2 bottles of wine at a sleek, modern wine bar. despite their cruel tests of my shoddy korean, it was fun to be among these very cute and hospitable guys. joshs friend jimmy had impeccable english that was perfected while studying at nycs parsons. his handsome boyfriend had only halting english and a reputation for undiagnosed narcolepsy. their mutual friend was a cute and quiet youngster who lived in the hip apgujeong neighborhood just east of my cousins place. it was fun to watch the three of them interact with josh. they made very korean judgmental expressions and constantly teased his korean. when we left jimmy touched a pimple on joshs face and asked in a deadpan, 'what is that?' i love my people.

drunk (but lovely) korean boys

after wine we drove to bar bliss on itaewons 'homo hill'. most of seouls 100 gay bars/clubs are near here, and despite itaewons reputation as seouls international sleeze district the bar was nice. we joined a few more friends who were seated in comfy chairs set around three cocktail tables. in short order a large bottle of absolut and two carafes of juice arrived. the games began. i was initially confused why we were playing a game called 'the grape' (po-do). it turned out its called 'the wave' (pa-do). like the activity first popularized in u.s. stadiums, u drink, then the guy next to you downs his glass and so on in rapid succession. not a vodka lover, i was relieved when 4 rounds emptied our bottle. i was horrified when it was immediately replaced. i admit that their praises and admonishments held great sway. when i kept up they slapped my back and cited my koreanness. when i groaned they said yankee go home. cultural peer pressure is the worst. with the fourth bottle in play and strange and sadistic games underway i had to get out before i, too, would start talking to trees.

i have no idea.

a couple of us snuck out of the bar and walked down the alley to a sunken club filled with smoke, red light, latino gogo boys and really drunk korean homos. after a short while i was instantly sobered up when a guys cigarette burned my arm. i returned to the bar and saw, with great horror, that the games continued tho jimmys boyfriend was fast asleep. shortly thereafter our posse left the bar and after several minutes waiting in the bitterly cold wee morning hours, we left. koreas the only place i know where its customary for drunks to call a number that sends you a guy who drives you home in your own car, hops out and then hitchhikes home. a better alternative to drunk driving or abandoning your vehicle, no? thanks to josh and his buddies, i had fun and it helped make seoul a bit more three dimensional.
more 2006 korea photos here.
more 2005 korea photos here.

celebrating 90 years

sibling resentments and fears of inconvenience made my family frustratingly unenthused about taking their matriarch somewhere special for her 90th birthday. various reasons nixed tokyo and jeju-do plans. thankfully, in the end 17 of us spanning four generations took her on a (karaoke) norae-bus from daegu to busan. whaddya know we actually enjoyed ourselves. there and back my moms friend instituted a 'sing or else' directive. i did sinatra and greenday.

4 generations

once in beautiful busan we took a coupla hour cruise along the coast and enjoyed a yummy korean-style sashimi lunch. afterwards we stopped at beomoesa ( 범어사 ), a buddhist temple built in 678 (rebuilt in 1592 after japanese invasion and in 1613 after a fire). at its height it was much larger and housed over 1000 monks. it was one of the most impressive ancient korean sites that ive seen.

most importantly my grandmother - who raised 8 children alone through a civil war - had a ball. happy birthday halmuhnee!
more 2006 korea photos here.
more 2005 korea photos here.

3 encounters with fear

nafees
i wandered a few blocks down a dusty road until my path was blocked by an impassable jam of cars, tuktuks, mopeds, humans and animals. i thought the scene might make for a good snapshot. as i pulled out my camera a young man told me to put it away, lest it attract theives. immediately i tried to decode his scam while accepting his extended hand and warm smile. he introduced himself as nafees and asked me where i was from and where i was going. i told him i was american and looking for some lunch. he led me to an open air restaurant of sorts where a bare hand placed yellow rice, chapati and tasty lentil curry onto my plate. i was happy to sit and eat despite assuming that a sales pitch was about to begin. looking up from my food nafees was beaming and proceded to say that he loved meeting foreigners, that he was the youngest of four sons, that his family was poor but he did not seek my charity. finally, he levied his one request: could i please mail him a postcard from the states? most of the other travellers who had made similar commitments had not delivered. i said i would. after lunch i accepted his invitation to visit his familys store. the 'store' was just one very old copy machine in a concrete room not larger than 10 square feet. nafees introduced me to his father, mohammed, whose smile told me that i was simply the most recent of nafees' many guests. he offered me tea, a common pakistani gesture of hospitality, which i should have accepted but i was eager to go as i still didnt fully trust nafees or my softening skepticism. as i left mohammed gave me a small slip of photocopied paper bearing his address. it saddened me that my impulse was to fear and distrust him. as i said thank you and waved goodbye, nafees asked me if i could return tomorrow. i said i would try. i wish i had.

the hash smoker
it was approaching midnight and i am at the foot of a small building in the tomb of sufi saint baba shah jamal. i am packed shoulder to shoulder, folded knees to knees, among a handful of foreigners and hundreds of pakistani men who mostly represent lahores poor and uneducated. my knees, in fact, are pressed against two menacing looking guys who entertain themselves by trying to communicate with us in between rolling hash cigarettes. for the five of us in closest proximity, they engage us one by one, saying a word or two in english but several more in urdu and waiting for our reaction. they inevitably laugh at us. their unnerving teasing is no doubt encouraged by our confused nods and smiles. they like the french guy. the japanese guy is silent but smiles. i admit hes charismatic and certainly gets points for his gorgeous shalwar kameez. if they like you they pass a blunt for you to toke. i know my time is coming and im reminded that im not versed in the safe words/behaviors of seasoned travlers. the main guy turns to me. hes suspicious. im not as quick to smile and he can sense my discomfort, which he might interpret as arrogance. despite being here, probably the most culturally unfamiliar and uncomfortable place ive ever been, this scenario feels familiar. i realize that i have often felt this kind of energy from men. he asks me where im from. i say america. he asks me if im a muslim. i say no. his contempt builds. he asks if im a christian. i pause and say not really. his face shows his disgust and im genuinely afraid. the french guy advises me that i should have said yes. i know he means its better to worship jesus (one of islams many prophets) than no god at all.

the moderate
on my flight from lahore to karachi i sat next to a 30-something skinny guy who lived in london for a bit but left because of the discrimination he experienced. after opening with pleasantries our conversation zeroed in on the holy land. we agreed that large swaths on both sides of the palestinian-israeli conflict are uninterested in peace since many hold an unwavering belief that their god gave the holy land to them. yielding even a pebble to the heathen would be to doubt gods promise. unfortunately, two groups who hate each other but operate from a similar mindset just wont work. if jews and muslims battle it out and kill every last one of each other, thats horrible. but what about the billions of us on the periphery who seek a political compromise that delays armageddon, if just for a bit? contemporary weapons suggest were outta luck. this is a silly point to the devout since all non-believers go to hell anyway. add to this sorry mix americas evangelical extremists, who have their own apocalyptic/millenialist traditions. leave it to americas religious wackos to help bring on the contemporary crusades whose carnage will leave but a few true believers wading through an ocean of human blood on their way to heaven to have lots of sex with lots of virgins, make jesus giggle, whatever. honestly, if youre psyched about the apocalypse and consequently do your part to bring it on (from driving like a bitch to planting bombs), i think government should protect me from you. no wonder henry viii burnt millenialists to the stake and chinas government church outlaws apocalytic themes. whats the alternative? people of questionable virtue and intelligence should not be able to use 'because god said so' to administer a nation. our founding fathers (very religious dudes, btw) tried a less extreme approach so that church and state would not mingle. their attempts to separate have failed.

back to airplane dude. this self-described moderate admits that much like the naughty muslim women on our flight who arent wearing the veil, he, too, will not enter heaven because he doesnt rise early enough each morning for prayers. now i doubt his sincerity. if he really believed everything he told me and trusted that waking up an hour earlier meant the difference between heaven and hell, home dude would set his alarm. so beyond those especially wacky... the wackiest of the wacky, are most religious people skeptical about the wisdom of bringing on the apocalypse? lets hope so.
more lahore photos here.

dining with pakistani cowboys

day two got underway just after 9 but we spent the first couple of hours trying to find me a new hotel. i was grateful that ali talked with the proprietors, thus saving me from the inflated tourist rate. eventually we found a comparably-priced place that, given my previous abode, felt like the shangri-la.

an alley in the old city

our next stop was lahores old city, a sprawling maze of fragrant narrow alleys lined with tiny shops selling everything from live fowl to plastic junk from china. looking up i saw two large falcon cages six stories high. despite the lure of the foodstalls, it didnt seem like the safest place for a foreigner to grab a bite. garbage was everywhere and either side of pathways were 8-inch-wide open-air sewer ditches filled with parasites aplenty, im sure. this part of old lahore, punctuated with spectacular architecture painted in bright pink and turquoise, has teemed for one thousand years. according to ali, wealthy lahoreites who once lived here had long since shunned this part of the city. getting lost is inevitable so it was a relief to just proceed with abandon until a couple of hours later, ali took stock of where we were and negotiated a tuktuk back to his car.

men and boys at the wagah border

from the old city we headed to the badshahi mosque. completed in 1674 by the mughals, it is one of the worlds largest with a capacity of 200,000 people. it felt strange to walk barefoot in such an enormous place. despite being a sacred space i felt no reproof from the scores of women in colorful dress who loitered about in the open air plaza with their kids.

badshahi mosque

i had read that the nearby pakistan-india border closing featured a daily show that was not to be missed. driving east towards wagah on potholed roads the incredibly thick dust clouds made the always eerie border town feel even more weird. once there we parked amidst scores of wildly festooned buses that put mtvs 'pimp my ride' to shame. since we were late we waited shoulder to shoulder with scores of men and boys outside the gate. once again the young boys found me interesting and i weighed my desire to engage with them with my desire to keep my new camera. the former won out so i showed my growing brood short video clips from thailand. while ali looked on uncomfortably the boys cheered 'beautiful!'

pimping rides pakistani style

after some shoving and yelling by four soldiers, a few of us were allowed to pass. ali and i rushed the 100 yards to the border ceremony. as each countrys most fit and handsome soldiers tried to out-kick, out-snort and out-pomp the other, the pakistani crowd cheered 'pakistan zind abad!' (long live pakistan!) while the indians hollered back their own nationalist cheer. for two supposed arch enemies, both sides seemed to be having a lot of fun.

gunsmoke

by the time we were back in lahore we were both hungry and tired. all weekend ali had insisted on paying for everything. i told him that it was korean custom for the guest to bring gifts, and since i came empty handed he had to let me take him to a nice dinner. after considerable prodding he relented and chose a hilarious spot in an upscale neighborhood. 'gunsmoke,' which advertises having 'the best chargrilled burgers and steaks south of the border,' (which border? tajikistan?) was built to resemble a wild west saloon whose handsome pakistani cowboys regularly pass by and 'rudely' cast your ashtray of peanut shells onto the floor. whoa.

lahore is an amazing place, but id say that ali and my conversations have been another highlight. the topics range wildly, from the ways young pakistani men 'flirt' with girls (by randomly dialing phone numbers hoping a nice girl picks up to writing their numbers on pieces of paper that they toss to girls riding in passing cars) to the us war on terror. inevitably, at times we catch each other making generalizations about each others nations.

inside the old city

its clear that what ali wants most is for me to leave understanding that pakistan (like everywhere else) is multi-layered. on my end, it saddens me when the friendly lahoreites exuberance fades when i tell them that im american. since disclosing this hasnt threatened my safety i feel an obligation to be honest and i hope to be one more example of an american who shares their disappointment with many of my nations policies. yes, the pervasive poverty and lack of education breeds radicals and terrorists here, but most pakistanis (like everyone else) are kind people who want to be happy.

homes outside the lahore fort

ali talks a lot about terrorism. yesterday, while we were at the fort he pointed to an unremarkable brick building in a poor neighborhood. alerting me to some speakers set on its roof he said it was yet another makeshift mosque in a nation addicted to raising mosques. it seemed comical to me since the huge badshahi mosque was around the corner, but ali got riled up describing how these mosques were typically run by self-appointed, third-rate mullahs who fueled radical and violent activity among their poor and uneducated faithful, thus breeding terrorists that ravage pakistan as well as the west.

damn straight.

its ironic that its the uneducated and impoverished teenage boys that are the demographic for terrorist recruiting, especially since they are the ones who have made the most effort to engage with me via their toothy smiles or by shouting 'hello, how are you?' as they pass on their bicycles. what ive experienced from them is only curiosity, kindness and warmth, even when i can see them politely hiding their disappointment that im american. my experiences here suggest that it takes a lot to antagonize these people. for the most part, if we do we should consider how our compounded actions have conspired against us.
more lahore photos here.

in the mughals garden

the bloody partition of india into predominately muslim and hindu nations also split the fertile region of punjab into pakistani and indian parts. today punjab province boasts over half of pakistans 132 million people with lahore as its cultural, intellectual, artistic and municipal capital.

lahore street

tho the first reliable remarks about lahore were documented by chinese traveller hsuan tsang in 630 ad, legend goes that lahore was named after king lav, the son of the hindu god rama. this cradle of civilization has been home to many peoples, 'starting' with the indus and aryans (whose vedic religion formed the basis for hinduism), alexander the great (whose soldiers legacy is supposedly reflected in the kalash peoples light hair, fair skin and blue eyes), and the bactrians and mauryas (who settled and promoted buddhism). in 711 mohammad bin qasim introduced islam to the heart of the subcontinent. more recent history saw lahore in the hands of the flamboyant mughals during the 16th and 17th centuries, followed by british colonial rule and finally partition and independence by 1947.

lahore fort (shahi qila)

ali and i connected around 11 and started our 2-day grand tour. by now im familiar with crazy and dangerous driving conditions so lahores traffic madness wasnt especially remarkable. actually, after having navigated most cities on foot, bike or moped, i felt downright invincible inside a car driven by a local. ali suggested that we first visit the impressive lahore fort (shahi qila), which had been built, destroyed and rebuilt for centuries before it took its current form by emperor akbar in 1566.

inside the lahore fort (shahi qila)

the massive complex was fairly rundown, but sporadic restoration work was underway on some of the most spectacular sections and it was still impressive to see what faint frescoes and tile work remained despite centuries of exposure. my favorite section was a large hall whose walls and ceilings were once completely adorned with small mirrors. i can only imagine how brilliant it was when illuminated by candles or torch during the night. one side entrances wide, gentle incline was built to accommodate elephants - yet another indication of a different time and place.

white and gold gurdwara of arjan dev

near the forts grand entry is the gurdwara of arjan dev, a special temple for sikhisms 5th guru and an important pilgrimage site for mostly indian sikhs. we didnt enter the temple as busses from india were ushering through loads of devout pilgrims for what was an important sikh holiday. ali pointed to the busses and the preservation of the sikh gurdwara as important goodwill gestures by the pakistani government towards its indian rival.

i was hungry and since infidels like me cant access the giant mosque during prayers, we grabbed lunch. along the way ali chuckled at a sign congratulating north korea on its recent nuclear missile test. pakistan,

lahore museum

whose nuclear program has been called 'the islamic bomb' by the islamophobic west, knows nuclear pariah status well. shortly after we reached the lahore museum, an impressive red brick structure built by the brits that includes one of the worlds finest collections of gandhara and mughal art. inside we enjoyed several exhibits displaying early hindu and buddhist art, beautiful small paintings depicting glamorous mughal life and elaborate weaponry. i especially enjoyed the distinctive ancient shoes and intricate and colorful textiles from pakistans rugged northern areas.

shalimar garden

we ended the day at shalimar gardens where ali was surprised and upset by the parks 800% price gouge targeting foreign visitors (tho it was still only a couple bucks). he felt this fee discrepancy contradicted the muslim tenet of hospitality. although run down today, at its peak i bet the gardens could rival the hanging gardens of babylon! the massive park was enclosed by high walls and featured a series of three huge terraces that were decorated with elaborate formal ponds and dormant fountains. a popular venue for handsomely dressed families, i noticed that most of the children had what looked like black eye liner surrounding their eyes. when i asked ali about their 'makeup' he said it was due to malnutrition. the park also drew small groups of teenage boys who found me an endlessly curious anomaly. while trying to photograph the sun setting behind a garden wall, a couple of them entered my frame. thinking they were the subject of some chinese tourists snapshot one of them snapped his own momento of me via his camera phone. why not? i was the more exotic sight. when i asked ali about the conspicuous absence of young girls to complement the gaggles of boys, his explanation was nonsensical. sure, pakistan is a relatively conservative, muslim nation that frowns on pre-marital co-mingling of the sexes, but i wondered if his evasiveness was rooted in his desire to avoid reinforcing common stereotypes. it reminded me of similar conversations with my mormon friend and made me think about how people respond once theyre weary of being perceived as fringe wackos.

no doubt lahore is the most uncomfortable and unfamiliar place ive been so far. i feel culturally illiterate, phenotypically conspicuous and politically vulnerable here. but thank gawd for it all.
more lahore photos here.