Monsoon Diaries by the Numbers

Days traveled: 72

Countries Visited: 12 (Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, India)

FRIENDS

  • # old Friends I ran into: 15 (Manila: Shyama, Saigon: Van, Mae Sot: Geoff, Singapore: BX & Sajni & Lillian, Mumbai: Avanti & Shivani & Nikita Manilal & Mrinal, Hyderabad: Vaibhav & Saraswati, Taipei: Cindy & Edward, Chennai: Jean)
  • # friends I tried but failed to meet with: 9 (Manila: Tiffany Qua, Bangkok: Papkori, Hyderabad: Sonia Sethi, Kuala Lumpur: Harn, Calcutta: Shuli, Goa: David, Mae Sot: Emily Setton, Mamallapuram: Natasha & Holly)
  • # new friends of friends I was referred to and I sought out: 6 (Calcutta: Tanmay, Bangalore: Vineet & Sap, Chennai: Arjun & Supraja, Surabaya: Harn’s park ranger friend at Gunung Bromo)
  • # new friends of friends I was referred to and I successfully met with: 4 (Calcutta: Tanmay, Bangalore: Vineet, Chennai: Arjun & Supraja)
  • # new friends I’ve made on this trip that I eventually reunited with: 5 (Varanasi to Jaipur: Rebecca, Hampi to Bangalore: Natasha & Holly, Hyderabad to Singapore: Nikita Bhalotia, Hampi to Mamallapuram: Jamie)

NIGHTLIFE

  • # times I ate out alone: 7 (Hanoi evening, Singapore lunch, Calcutta dinner, Jodhpur dinner, Bangalore lunch 2x)
  • # hookah sessions: 16 (Manila, Saigon, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore 4x, Jakarta, Bali, Udaipur, Hyderabad 3x, Goa 2x, Bangkok)
  • # nights out: 14 (Manila, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Siemreap 2x, Bangkok, Luang Prabang, Bali, Singapore 2x, Mumbai 2x, Goa, Bangalore)
  • # times dancing: 10 (Manila, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Bali, Singapore, Mumbai 2x, Goa)
  • # dance battles: 14 (Phnom Penh, Bali 2x, Mumbai, Goa 10x)
  • Longest time without dancing: 14 days (from Singapore to Mumbai)
  • Highest density of attractive people: Taipei and Bangalore

THE MEDICINE BAG

  • Amount of Purell/hand sanitizer used: 55ml
  • Amount of Sunscreen used: 7.5 oz.
  • Amount of 33% DEET cream used: 4.5 oz.
  • Amount of Off! and Lemon Eucalyptus spray (insect repellant spray) used: 3 oz.
  • Amount of toothpaste used: 1.5 oz.
  • Amount of dry skin/hand lotion used: 0.25 oz
  • Amount of Immodium used: 14 mg (7 caplets)
  • Amount of Pepto used: 8 mg (8 tablets)
  • Amount of Advil used: 1200 mg (6 gel caplets)
  • Amount of cipro antibiotic used: 1500 mg (3 tablets)
  • Amount of eyedrops used: 0
  • Amount of azithromycin antibiotic used: 0
  • # rolls of toilet paper used: 1/2

HEALTH & CLEANLINESS

  • # stomach troubles: 3 (Vientiane, Udaipur, Bangalore)
  • # fevers: 2 (Vientiane, Mae Sot)
  • # collisions: 2 (motorbike in Saigon, bicycle in Bangalore)
  • # tanning sessions: 2 (Bali, Goa)
  • # sunburns: 3 (Batad, Halong Bay, Bali)
  • # times went swimming: 5 (Halong Bay, Luang Prabang, Bali, Goa, Mamallapuram)
  • Longest without a shower: 3 days
  • Longest without doing laundry: 4 days

THE PROFOUND

  • # moments when I shed a few tears: 2 (Golden Temple at Amritsar, ending my trip in Singapore)
  • # moments when I took a leap of faith: 4 (Halong Bay diving 2x, Luang Prabang swinging, Beng Melea roof jumping)
  • # moments when I had a profound spiritual moment of self-awareness: 2 (Varanasi evening pooja, Golden Temple at Amritsar)
  • # moments when I felt like I was working for National Geographic: 6 (Batad Rice Terraces, Halong Bay, Goan waterfalls, Goan monsoon, Luang Prabang lagoons, Gunung Bromo)

ROUGHING IT

  • # times woke up at an ungodly hour and cursed to myself, “FML!”: 9 (Siemreap sunrise, Singapore all-nighter, Amritsar dawn, Borobudur sunrise, Gunung Bromo sunrise, Bangkok 5am arrival, Jodhpur 5am arrival, Udaipur 5am arrival, Singapore 5am arrival)
  • # things lost: 7 (Manila: small Canon camera & rain jacket, Hanoi: Cell Phone, Halong Bay: Watch, Saigon: Hand towel, Bali: Silver bracelets, Singapore: Nikon LCD plastic cover)
  • # times almost lost my Nikon DSLR: 2 (7-Eleven in Kuala Lumpur, Taj Palace Hotel in Mumbai)
  • # things broken: 1 (one pair of convertible pants — the zippers broke in Singapore, thus they remain as shorts)
  • # thieves caught in the act of stealing: 1 (Hanoi with Corinne’s yellow backpack)

MONSOONAL INCIDENTS

  • # times witnessed a heavy rainstorm: 23 (Hanoi 2x, Siemreap, Luang Prabang, Singapore, Varanasi, Mumbai 10x, Goa 6x, Calcutta)
  • # times actually caught in a heavy rainstorm and getting soaked to the bone: 5 (Luang Prabang, Singapore, Goa 2x, Calcutta)

TRANSPORTATION

  • # capital/larger cities where we used public transportation: 10 (Manila, Vientiane, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Yogyakarta, Singapore, Calcutta, Jaipur, Penang, Chennai)
  • # capital/larger cities where we did not use public transportation/public transportion was not available: 9 (Hanoi, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Jakarta, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore)
  • # local buses used: 7 (Manila, Vientiane, Penang, Singapore, Yogyakarta, Jaipur, Chennai)
  • # subways used: 4 (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Calcutta)
  • # skytrains used: 2 (Manila, Kuala Lumpur)
  • # boats used: 1 (Bangkok)
  • # times in an auto-rickshaw: 100+
  • # times I genuinely liked my auto-rickshaw drivers for not ripping me off: 3
  • # times on a motorbike: 2 (Udaipur 2x)
  • # times on a regular bike: 0
  • # times used a personal driver: 6 (Phnom Penh, Siemreap, Surabaya, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Mysore)
  • # planes: 28
  • # long-haul buses: 20
  • # trains: 3
  • Longest transportation: 50.5 hours on 3 buses from Hanoi to Saigon
  • Longest transportation on a single vehicle: 16 hour bus from Udaipur to Mumbai
  • Longest layover: 6 hours in Shanghai
  • Longest delay: 4 hours in Vientiane, waiting for Laos Air flight to Luang Prabang

BRAGGING RIGHTS

  • # new stamps in the passport: 31
  • # sticker one-page visas on arrival: 5 (Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia 2x)
  • # World Heritage Sites SEEN: 10 (Batad Rice Terraces, Angkor Wat temple complex, Hampi, Borobudur, Prambanan, Luang Prabang, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Penang, Mumbai’s Victoria Train Station)
  • # World Heritage Sites MISSED: 6 (Monuments in Hue, Huang Long Citadel in Hanoi, Mumbai’s Elephanta Caves, Churches of Goa, 5 Raitas in Mamallapuram, Jama Mantor in Jaipur)

MONEY

  • Total Traveling Expenses (includes all airfare, trains, buses, public transportation, taxis, and autorickshaws): $3972.45
  • Total Lodging Expenses (includes all hotels, guesthouses, hostels, and paying back friends for their hospitality): $793.99

INTERNET

  • Slowest Internet: Laos
  • Fastest Internet: Thailand
  • Longest time in an internet cafe: 7 hours (Taipei)

THE NIKON

  • # pictures taken: 10,195
  • # pictures deleted: 5,854
  • # pictures kept: 4,341
  • Video taken: 47 minutes

- At time of posting in New York City, it was 78.8 °F -

Humidity: 40% | Wind Speed: 7km/hr | Cloud Cover: n/a

And the Awards Go To...
"kuch bhi ho sakhta hai"

1 Comment

  1. I lost my Nikon DSLR camera in a rickshaw near Juhu Circle on the 27th of July, 2012 (Friday). The camera was kept inside a black color Puma bag.

    Other contents in the bag –

    Nikon battery charger

    A USB phone charger

    A black case for sunglasses

    A few documents in the front pocket including my office i-card which says my name Rachit Gupta and the company i work for i.e. Midas Next Media pvt. ltd.

    I do not have the rickshaw number.. but most probably it was an MH – 02

    If found please please contact me on 9975264675, 9320350911, 9167638876

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