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.

Sunrise over Pushkar

I was planning on uploading more photos, but the internet conection is running very slow. we are still enjoying Pushkar very much. Things here go very slow. I find myself constantly wondering what time it is, but have vowed to not ask that question again! It really doesn't matter! We wake up in the mornings to watch the sunrise on our balcony and we are back up there again to watch it set. I have found a lot of beauty in this city. Yesterday, we got up early and after the sun rose, we walked around the ghats(stairs around the lake). The ghats are where people bathe in the morning and practice their religious ceremony's. All day every day people come here. There is music and prayers coming from loud speakers all over the city. It's so different than anything you could ever imagine in the states. After that,we ate some lunch, went for a swim a an actual swimming pool and did some more shopping. It was a good day. The people here are kind and welcoming. The most difficult part is having to contantly turn your head from children begging. Kids that are Tavian's age! They are so cute I want to give them everything I have! But once you give one some money or fruit, you have about 5 more chasing you down! There are a lot of tourist here, so they probably make out pretty well. It's just the way of life here.
We plan on leaving tomorrow or the next day. We still have not yet decided where we will go. I think we will be in Rajasthan about 10 more days before heading North to the mountains where the air is crisp and cool! I will try to post some more pics when I get a better connection.

YAY! PUSHKAR!!

After 4 days of being sick in Jaipur, Ray and I were finally feeling well enough to make the drive to Pushkar today. We paid top dollar for a taxi, rather than a bus, just in case we needed him to pull over. We were fine though. The heat and smog are really exhausting and our sleeping schedules are still a bit crazy, so we are taking it easy today. We have an awesome room at the Paramount Palace. We have views over looking the city and mountains with lots of windows, so we get a nice breeze. We got the nicest room in the place for about $10. Can't beat that! So far Pushkar is welcoming. There are many westerners here and the locals are not as pushy for our money and attention as the two previous cities, which is nice. The air feels a bit lighter and cleaner and the streets are not so filthy. We plan to be here for a few days. I will post some new pics soon.
namaste.

photos

Photos

We are still in Jaipur due to the fact that I have sicker than I think I have ever been before over the last 36 hours. Now Ray has the same sickness. Hopefully tomorrow we will be on our way. Here are some photos from the past few days.

Jaipur

We arrived in Jaipur yesterday after a 5 hour train ride from New Delhi. It was a pretty amazing ride through very remote country side. Many, many impoverished communities and farms with women bent over plucking weeds and things by hand. The biggest suprise to us was what we have been calling the "pooping fields". Apparently, there is no better place to drop a load in the morning than by the railroad tracks. We must have passed 100 men sqatting out in the open doing their business. The women however were no where in sight.
Apon arriving in Jaipur, we met a friendly rickshaw driver who took us to a nice guest house with AC rooms, our own private bathroom, and a rooftop balcony restaurant. It's costing us each about $4 per night. We enjoyed some DELIIOUS luch and dinner here. A wide variety of curries and veggies, rice, and pita for about $2.50!! After a few hours of rest and food our rickshaw driver took us on the most insane drive through the city!! There are absolutly no traffic lights or rules on the road. Everyone just crams in where ever they can. He took us to this place called the monkey temple. It's a relatively easy climb to the top where we were greeted by hundreds of monkeys all waiting for the mango lady to come up and feed them. From here we could see the whole city. It was really amazing. We also ran into some adorable children who were so excited to see us. They all wanted me to take their pictures and would crack up when I showed it to them. We were like rock stars yesterday. Ray especially. They are all really intrigued my his tattoos. When riding through the streets, kids would come up to our rickshaw wanting high fives and things. I think they probably don't see too many westem folks here. It's very different from Delhi. We will be here for the next day or so and then wil take another 5 hour train to Pushkar, I think. I will write more soon.

We have arrived!

Well, after 23 hours in the airport or on the plane we have finally arrived in New Delhi. It's completely overwhelming the minute you get out of the airport. Luckily, Ray's friend Andy was there to greet us and got us a taxi and took us to the place where he's been staying. We have a little teeny room, with fans and a western toilet!! I still have not tried the eastern style, but it is only my first day. I plan to hold out as long as possible! I can't really describe what it's like to be here. It all feels really surreal. Cows, dogs, millions of bikes and people all sharing the same teeny tiny dirt roads. The air is thick with smog and the smell of piss and curry. It's pretty intense. Tomorrow we are going to take a 5 hour train ride to Jaipur, the "Pink City". We will be in Rajasthan for 2 weeks or so, and then I think we will head north. Internet access seems pretty easy to come by, so I will write as often as possible. This is going to be an amazing adventure!

9 days!

Well, this is my first blog EVER! I'm not so sure how good of a blogger I am, but I'll give it my best efforts. I am creating this blog so my friends and family can follow my travels through India over the next month. Only 9 more days!! Whoo-hoo!! Ray (my travel buddy) arrives tomorrow! We will be leaving Friday July 20th and will spend the following 24 hours in the air or in the airports. Fun times! So for now, I'm running around like crazy trying to get everything in place for the next month I am gone. Off comes the hot pink toe-nail polish and away go the sparkly silver flip-flops! I am ready for some hot, sweaty, trekking with my back-pack and cameras in tow!