We have left the beautiful Himalayan mountains and are now back in Delhi. I only have 2 more days left in India and am looking forward to coming home. For me, Delhi is a really difficult place to be. There is so much poverty and sadness all around. At least, I'm sad when I'm here. These people have such a different existence than anything imaginable. They are sleeping on rooftops and street corners, cripples are begging, mothers are begging for food to feed their children, men are pedaling around families of 4 on their bicycles. Even after seeing this every day for the last month, I can't get used to it. I feel like a spoiled American. I have been so blessed in my life and I feel like I should be giving back; doing more than just giving away money. I have totally loved traveling through this country and it only makes me want to see more, but next time I plan to have a purpose. A purpose other than photographing what's around me. I don't know. I'm a bit overwhelmed today. Anyway, these pictures are from Vashisht. One day Ray and I went down to the river and climbed rocks. It was the most incredible view! The sky was blue, the sun was warm, it was so perfect. I just couldn't stop smiling. Absolute beauty. There are also a few pics from when Ray went paragliding the next day. We were even higher up in the mountains in a town called Solange. Also, an incredible view. I was not convinced of the safety of running off the side of a mountain and couldn't really afford it anyway. Ray had an amazing time though. I'm glad he didn't let me talk him out of it!!

Incredible India

Dinner and cards tonight.

View from Vashisht.

This is the view looking out the window of our bus. Notice the water and rocks running down the cliff below.

This is us a little happier to be finishing the journey in day light

Ray and I are SCARED!!

I must say the ride to Manali was as horrifying as I had imagined. We left McLeod Ganj at 8:30pm. It was a very foggy and rainy night. The 10 hour trip actually ended up being a 20 hour trip and it was only a 400km journey!!! It was raining so hard that we had to make a 7 hour stop because there were all kinds of mudslides happening. Anyway, we obviously made it. We are now in a small town 3km outside Manali called Vashisht. It's the most amazing view I've seen yet. We are high up in the Himalaya mountains. The air is cool and fresh. We have a room high on the hill with views of the whole valley. Tonight, as Ray and I were playing cards on the rooftop of some restaurant with thew most incredible view, drinking chai; I was filled filled with complete and utter joy to be where I am.

A Walk in the Clouds

It's a beautiful rainy day in the Himalayas. Today we ventured up the mountain to the small Israeli towns that border McLeod Ganj. We sat at a cafe for several hours drinking chai and coffee while watching the rain pour down. It's the perfect way to end our stay. Tomorrow Ray and I we will leave our fellow traveler behind and head to a town slightly southeast of here, Manali. we will brave the 10 hour night bus ride down the slippery slopes of the mountain, in hopes of a safe arrival! Luckily mom gave us some extra xanax! Keep us in your prayers! Much love!

We are still enjoying McLeod Ganj very much, although I think it's about time to move on. We have been lazy about figuring out where to go next. It's really comfortable here. The food is good and the restaurants are clean. There are a lot of tourist and the whether is great, although a bit rainy. I haven't been able to do any laundry because the air is so damp the clothes wont dry. Who needs clean clothes anyway? Here, it doesn't matter.
We met a Tibetan monk on the bus the other day that invited us over to his house. So we did that yesterday. He lives up the hill in this tiny clay hut with just a bed and a little stove. It was pretty amazing. He made us fresh bread that morning. It was like eating paste, but he kept telling us to eat more, so we did, washing it down with some sweet milk tea. He didn't speak much English, but we were able to understand that he was a 50 year old Tibetan refugee. It took him 3 times before he actually made a successful escape to India. He actually walked here, leaving his wife and son behind to be cared for by his cousin. He was a very sweet man with the the happiest smile I have ever seen. It was a really neat experience. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of him, which I immediately regretted.
Anyway, I only have about 10 more days left on this journey. I'm not sure where the next week will take us, but I will try to write soon and post some more pictures.

Photos-- McLeod Ganj

McLeod Ganj

After 2, 12 hour train rides and a treturous 4 hour bus ride up a windy mountain side, we have finally arrived in the beautful Mcleod Ganj, at the foothills of the Himalaya mountains. The air is cool and clean, the people friendly, and the showers are hot! Mcleod ganj is the home of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetans. The vibe is calm and comforting. There are many tourist here, which is actually nice because we don't get the blatent stares that we did in the desert. We will most likely remain in this area fr the remainder of my time in India. The first pic is us in Bikaner, the second is a shop in Jodhpur, the third is a desert shot outside of Bikaner. The picture of me was taken yesterday outside of our room, here, in Mcleod ganj. I'm not much of a blogger, so check out Ray's blog for more detailed and exciting accounts of our days. www.1bandito.blogspot.com

Bikaner

We are now in the hot and dusty city of Bikaner. We arrived yesterday after a two day stay in the "blue" city of Jodhpur. We haven't explored too much the last few days because the heat is so intense, but we did make it to the "rat temple" today. It was a pretty nasty place. Thousands of mangy rats feeding on sweets and milk. The hot sticky smell of feasting rats was more than I really care to encounter again. But the 30km ride through the desert was pretty beautiful. Tomorrow we hope to take a camel safari if we can get a good price. We will be leaving here the following day and heading back to Delhi to catch an overnight train North. I forgot to bring the memory card reader, so no pics today. I will try tomorrow.