I think I may have been in India too long. I almost changed my dinner plans tonight because I knew that The Office would be on tonight. It’s pretty bad when I’ve memorized pertinent parts of India’s weekly TV schedule.
While checking email here in Alleppey, Kerala I’ve just learned that The Chicago Bears are going to be in The Super Bowl. I remember the last one well… It was 1985/86 and I was in elementary school. Walter Payton was our hero, leading a pack of characters including “The Fridge” and “The Punky QB.” We…
I’ve been getting a handful of bounce-back messages from subscribers, so I hope no one’s missing out. For those non-subscribers, I’ve post-dated a post about New Year’s in it’s appropriate place here. The gallery has been gradually being updated while I’ve been in India and I have photos up through Christmas in the Thar Desert.…
I am still soliciting any advice on Africa, including Egypt and Jordan, for my next leg. You guys know what I like, so let me know if there’s somewhere I just can’t miss. As for animals, giraffes, zebras and hippos are my top 3 so the big cats will just be a plus. At the…
On my first day in Mumbai I spent two hours looking for a hotel. I was only promised two days at the YWCA—surprisingly, the nicest affordable hotel around. Today I spent more than an hour looking for a new hotel but no one would confirm that they would have rooms so I have to shop…
The capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, doesn’t attract many tourists. Sure, there’s some mosques, a few shaking minarets and crumbling city gates but the main attraction is it’s textile museum. Having recently completed a textile design class before leaving on this trip, I naturally wanted to stop in the city for a look around. At first…
January 1st, 2007 I woke up to my alarm with an uneasy stomach and rushed to meet Sui for the bus ride to Mt. Abu. My first meal of the year was a spicy samosa wrapped in old newspaper from a street vendor—not the best thing on an upset stomach but the cleanest-looking option at…
Big events like New Year’s Eve are always hard for me. I usually like sitting back and observing what’s going on around me but days like these require one to actively seek out a good time. I sent Sui, the woman I’ve been meeting up with on and off since Tibet, out into Udaipur to…
With the new year coming up I find myself without a plan. My intentions have always been to follow India with Africa and I still intend to. The only problem is deciding where and how. Most of you know I love planning for trips almost as much at taking them but planning on the road…
Can you believe it? Although I was away for six and a half months during Phase I, by month number five I had a plane ticket home. Now that I’ve finally made it to India mainly by land, I don’t even know which town I’m going to next, let alone which continent. I’m badly in…
After some peaceful time wandering around the crumbling walls of Jaislamer’s yellow fort I’m finally ready to head out into the desert. Sui, whom I met in Lhasa way back in October, has just arrived in town and will be the only person I know in our 3-day, 2-night camel trek group. We’ve crossed paths…
Because I check email every other day I usually don’t call home as much as my mom would like. Using Skype has really helped with the costs, even if I sometimes sound like a robot. When I called home before leaving Delhi my mom had one request: photos of Agra. I hope you can stomach…
Here’s your first look at India through my eyes! The Varanasi galleries are up here! Nepal’s all finished up as well, with the Design gallery up. I ate almost only Western food in Nepal so there’s no food section this time. I know that’s some people’s favorite, sorry to disappoint.
This morning I watched the sun rise against the Taj Mahal and I ate McDonalds for the first time in five months. It was a good day.
Although I spent a month in Nepal I never felt like I really got into the place. It felt to me like a mix between Tibet and Nepal—but not enough of either to fascinate me. After some time recuperating from my trek in Pokhara I was ready to get to India, but had one last…
Day 4: Marpha to Ghasa In the morning shiva apologized for his bravado the night before and was back to his quiet self. He didn’t drink the rest of the trip, probably out of fear of losing his tip. I hadn’t thought about tipping him until other Americans started talking about it. You just don’t…
The second installment of my Jomsom Trek is all ready to go, I finished yesterday. Unfortunately, the internet connections here are not making the photo uploading process easy. Tomorrow morning I leave for Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, before getting out of this country! I’m ready for something new—India. The update will be showing up…
Day 1: Pokhara to Kagbeni Last Friday morning I woke up at 5:30 with a feeling of dread—I was flying to Jomsom to start my seven day trek around part of the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Most people would be really excited to trek in such a beautiful environment and to see Nepali village life. But…
I’m back home! Some other travelers laugh when I refer to my most recent long term (more than 3 days) residence as home, but that’s my life at the moment. In fact, today I’ve been recognized by at least three locals, welcomed back and asked about my trek. This morning I shocked the waiters at…
I’ve been in Pokhara for six days now and it’s time for me to do something. You see, I’ve avoiding the paragliding, the bike rides, the temple hikes and boating here very successfully. In fact, the closest I’ve come to doing something is walking down to the Western resturaunt overlooking the lake for apple pancakes.…