locals

Weekend in India by Yobel Muchang

3 days | Apr 2019 | Akash the tiger bathing in a watering hole. Photo taken through the thick jungle foliage.

3 days | Apr 2019 | Akash the tiger bathing in a watering hole. Photo taken through the thick jungle foliage.

Quick Thoughts

Not gonna lie, planning a trip to India was quite daunting as I experienced a bit of information overload. I mean weโ€™re talking about a country with 4,000 freaking cities and the seventh largest land mass in the world.

With that said, my goal was to witness Indiaโ€™s wonderfully diverse wildlife and in particular: the bengal tigers. So I narrowed down my options for a weekend getaway and landed on Ranthambhore National Park near Jaipur.

The weekend only afforded me a taste of India, but after surviving a staredown with the King of the Jungle, suffice to say Iโ€™m ready for round two ๐Ÿฏ

Key Highlights

  • Link to my collection of Instagram Stories from the trip!

  • Key highlight was the wildlife safari (obviously). In 1.5 days I took 2,500 photos, mostly of tigers but also got an elusive leopard sighting, tons of langur monkeys, deer, peacocks, mongoose, wild boar, kingfishers, herons, and so on.

  • Galta Ji Monkey Temple - I spent my last afternoon in India hanging out with a bunch of monkeys, quite literally. It was entertaining watching dozens of playful monkeys dive repeatedly into the temple pool and wrestling nonstop with each other. Time well spent.

  • Cows own the roads - I understand cows are considered sacred in the majority-Hindu nation, but itโ€™s still quite the spectacle seeing a single cow able to force the chaotic and uncompromising road to bend the knee.

  • Speaking of roads, do you seek the thrill of rollercoasters but are afraid of heights? Well, driving in India is somewhat of its own adrenaline rush. Iโ€™d be lying if I said there werenโ€™t a few times I closed my eyes and whispered, โ€œJesus take the wheelโ€ while my driver nonchalantly weaved his way between cars, tuk tuks, cows, bikers, pedestrians, and chaos incarnate. But the more time I spent on the roads, the more fascinated I became at the technical prowess and confidence of the drivers (cows excluded). Take a few steps back and youโ€™ll see there are unspoken, hidden rules of the road that once discovered enable you to control the chaos and ride the current. Like a boss.

Things to Know

  • Travel Visa - In typical fashion I booked this trip last minute and almost forgot about the travel visa. Fortunately I successfully applied for a rush e-visa via this website which approved me in 24 hours.

  • I stayed at the Ranthambhore Heritage Haveli hotel which I recommend. They took care of my airport pickup / dropoff, my wildlife safari bookings, and are also located in close proximity to the national park.

  • I flew into Jaipur International Airport in Rajasthan followed by a ~3 hour drive to my hotel near Ranthambore National Park.

  • In total, I booked three safaris: two morning and one afternoon drives. Definitely recommend as youโ€™re not guaranteed optimal weather conditions or tiger sightings.


Birdโ€™s Eye View

www.yobelprize.com www.instagram.com/yobelprize


Trip by the Photos

3 days in Myanmar by Yobel Muchang

3 days | Dec 2018 | Baganโ€™s pagoda landscape view during sunset.

3 days | Dec 2018 | Baganโ€™s pagoda landscape view during sunset.

Quick Thoughts

I had a blast exploring the ancient temples, engaging with friendly & extremely gracious locals, and traversing the enchanted foggy landscape whilst floating in a hot air balloon or zipping around in an electric scooter. Myanmar was magical to its core - I only wish I had more than a weekend to enjoy it. Next time I guess.

Key Highlights

  • Link to my collection of Instagram Stories from the trip!

  • Zipping aimlessly on electric scooters from pagoda to pagoda along the dirt roads. Trust me - best way to travel!

  • Hot air balloon ride over Bagan for sunrise. There arenโ€™t words to describe how breathtaking & surreal it is to be floating silently above a misty landscape with only the sounds of birds to keep you company (and the occasional fire blast keeping you afloat).

  • I lost my phone while riding along the dirt roads. And as anyone would do in the modern age, I panicked. Long story short, some locals came to help without hesitation and we found it! A bit worse for wear, but lesson learned.

Things to Know

  • Make sure to get your travel visa in advance! I realized the hard way of my own naivetรฉ when I almost missed my flight. Donโ€™t be like me: with 45 minutes before the gates closed, scrambling to get on airport wifi, taking passport-sized photos, completing applications online, refreshing my inbox every second for an approval notification like a madman, rushing to find an airport printer to print the visa, and making it with less than 5 minutes to go. WHEW!

  • BaobaBed Hostel Bagan - I ended up staying in a private room, and couldnโ€™t have asked for a more comfortable stay. Plus it was across the street from an e-scooter rental spot which made traversing even easier.

  • Zip around on electric scooters! Itโ€™s dirt cheap but also incredibly fun, especially once you go onto the dirt paths and explore the pagodas on your own.

  • Watching sunset atop pagodas - A popular attraction is climbing up the temples to watch the sunset. Having said that, most of the pagodas are off-limits now due to safety concerns. Luckily I ran into a local who took me to an open one, saved me from missing out on such an incredible view. I pinned the location in my maps (below).

  • Tipping locals - there was a handful of times when a local helped me out. Instead of paying them directly, they instead asked if I wished to purchase their goods (e.g., artwork). I happily obliged, but keep this in mind!


Birdโ€™s Eye View

3 Days in Bagan


Trip by the Photos