Hello,
After a great last week in India I am now ready to write about my final adventures :O)
Let us begin way back when in Jaipur. We exit our hotel and pick up a rickshaw driver to take us around town for the day at the low low price of $200 Rupees ($5 US). At our first stop he introduced us to his other rickshaw driver friend name Sheck who was to take 2 of us in his rickshaw all for the same 200 Rupees ( at this point we should have figured out that this was going to be a scam- but we did not- of course- as always). Sheck was a joyful soul and spoke perfect English. We felt quite fortunate to find Scheck and I would perhaps call him the gem of Jaipur. So, we spent the next 2 days touring around Jaipur with Scheck . We went to 2 palaces the wind palace and the water palace as well as the royal gaitors. We also went to the amber fort ( where I was harassed by men selling pictures and small black elephants decorated with ugly rhinestones- at the low low price of 10 for 100 rupees ( $2.50 US) I bought them even though I hated them- you will all be getting a heinous elephant that somewhat resembles a bowel movement :O) with stones!! Sorry that was way visual.
Oh yeah the best part was when I finally escaped the harassers an Indian man asked me for a sip of the coke in my hand- was he serious? Yes!!! Was there weird orange gue on his lip??? Yes. Did I give him a sip???? Of course. Really people did you think I would give him a sip??? No of course I did not but it was so redic that he asked. Anyways the fort was beautiful as were the palaces.
So, the scam begins when the driver decides top take us to a cloth factory to see how the patterns are made in India. Oh yes, he happens to get commission off of everything we buy at the factory/store and of course if you plant me in front of a pile of scarves, bags and other trinkets I will buy them . Needless to say Sheck is now a rich man.
We spent part of the second day shopping at the bazaar and at night we went to the monkey temple. The monkey temple was great- well it was dark so we did not actually see the temple but we did see the monkeys and they would take peanuts right out of your hand. Envision the monkeys from the movie outbreak trying to wrestle peanuts out of your hand (can you say Rabies?). It was actually pretty funny because there were lots of cows and goats and dogs who also wanted in on the feeding frenzy and one goat actually mounted Chad in an attempt to get those darn peanuts.
Side note: It was raining all day and we had 1 umbrella which meant that on a day when we were all wearing white we had to have one person walk back and forth escorting people through the rain. It was actually pretty funny and I was soaked but giggling so it was worth it.
On the first night we went to a hokey Indian village. It was really fun. I got my palm read by 2 people ( juts to compare) and they said a lot of the same things as other palm readers that I have seen ( such as I am stubborn and I will be wealthy but I need to start a side business). There were also dancers and little boys who could balance on a pole and fling himself in circles. We also rode a camel the food was traditional Rajasthan food and we sat Indian style on the floor behind a little individual table. The servers came around every 2 seconds and forced food onto your plate. I must say it was quite delicious and the night was really fun.
The second night was spent on the hotel roof top with a group of Danish youngsters (they reappear later on in this blog entry).
That final morning in Jaipur Chad and Travis left for Agra and Sarah and took a 3 hour van ride to Pushkar... We made friends with some of the other travelers on the bus- a couple from Salt Lake City- a family from Holland (the father was a yoga instructor and has a guru in India- Bizarro- as he was telling me about the guru the man in front of him whips out a wallet sized photo of that exact guru (apparently people carry around pics of their guru) - what a small world!!
So, we arrive in Puskar and get take to a really far guest house – annoying!!!
After hiking through Pushkar in the heat we find a lovely place called Lakeview hotel- very nice, rooftop café – view of the lake- just perfect. We spent the next few days, drumming, shopping!!!! Riding motor bikes!!!! Hanging out with a gypsy family at their home and taking their sick children to the clinic!!!! Going on an overnight camel safari with those Danish kids (see I told you they would reappear) where our night entertainment was that gypsy family whom we met the day before!!!
I must say that getting to know a gypsy family ( the lowest caste) was a very unique and special learning experience for me. Basically, they spend all day begging on the streets of Pushkar. The kids ask for ingredients to make chippati ( then they sell them back to the store owner to make money). The women approach you and say photo photo so you take a picture and then they say give me money for the photo. If you say no they try to grab you hand and give you a henna tattoo so you feel the need to pay them for that. As a person in town this is how I came to know the gypsies. However, after stopping our motorbikes on the side of the road and going to their home I came to know then much better and really began to sympathize for their plight.
The families live in a Bedouin tent. There were 2 bed cots (no mattress) some animals and about 7 children. The children wore tattered clothing and most were somehow sick- pink eye, boils. However, I must say that aside from their situation they were some of the happiest and sweetest children and I have ever met. As I sat on the cot the oldest daughter Reika gave me a henna tattoo and convinced me to buy some jewelry
As a sign of appreciation for their hospitality we decided to take the sick children to the clinic and some of their conditions were actually quite serious. The boy with boils had to get an antibiotic injection and the rest were given a load of medicine. Although stopping my motor bike on the side of a road and hanging out with a gypsy family was probably not the best idea it really taught me a lot about India culture and the circumstances of many Indian families and the caste system.
Pushkar is a wonderful little town surrounding Pushkar Lake. It is a religious town and upon arrival we were “give”/ forced to pay for through donation a bracelet called the passport to Pushkar. There are a lot of temples here and loads of people who come to the lake to make a Puja (prayer offering). Apparently the lake was created when Shiva dropped a lotus flower and where he dropped it lakes were formed.
Side Note: My camel safari driver Durmu and I are in love and we have decided to get married. The dowry will be one camel, a big screen TV and a sari for his mother ( mom and dad you better start saving up) I think we are going to have to invite his whole cast but don’t worry the Damami peoples are quite nice and I think the wedding will be fun.
Now, I am heading off toe Delhi and then to Paris, Amsterdam and London to meet Meegan for 9 days. I will be back the 28th. See you then.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I am here in Jaipur the pink city- after a 12 hour bus ride and then a 6 hour bus ride all I can say is OY! However, I did have a bed on both trains so I got some sleep and peed in 3-5 nasty holes in the floor at bus stops ewwwwww. We are now traveling with two guys we met in McCloud Ganj (Dharamasala) from Indiana named Travis and Chad. It’s good because the men here are massive harassers. Last night we went to a local carnival (think of scenes from the movie IT and you can get an idea of how crazy the carnival was) and we were swarmed by young men, families and women who wanted to take pictures and shake our hands. Basically it was like the time Jon and went to a state fair and he paid to see the 2 foot tall woman at the freak show. But, this time we were the 2 foot tall women. awkward!!! I also went on a Ferris wheel which probably would have been illegal in the U.S. but none the less we decided that it was a good idea to use it here why??? hmmmmmm ...
On a safer note (or maybe not so really) I had dinner at a literal hole in the wall. So you see, the old city of Jaipur is surrounded by a pink wall. We had dinner at a place that you entered by walking through a hole in the wall. The restaurant was actually on top of the wall. The dinner was delicious- every kind of masala you could imagine and I am not sick today yahooooo which means that the hole in the wall restaurant was not as dirty as it actually looked (that means 4 stars on the India Zagats rating).
Today we are going to tour around Jaipur in the unnecessarily hot weather and go to a traditional Rajasthan show and village (hokey).
On a safer note (or maybe not so really) I had dinner at a literal hole in the wall. So you see, the old city of Jaipur is surrounded by a pink wall. We had dinner at a place that you entered by walking through a hole in the wall. The restaurant was actually on top of the wall. The dinner was delicious- every kind of masala you could imagine and I am not sick today yahooooo which means that the hole in the wall restaurant was not as dirty as it actually looked (that means 4 stars on the India Zagats rating).
Today we are going to tour around Jaipur in the unnecessarily hot weather and go to a traditional Rajasthan show and village (hokey).
Monday, July 9, 2007
This entry is stolen from my friend Sarah. Some of it may be repetative as I am on the way out and did not get to readd it
FREE TIBET!!
Traveling is still absolutely fantastic. We have continued to receive the royal treatment for the past week! Just so happened that when we went out for drinks with Vikas and his buddies that night, one of his friends is the owner of the major resort line in Manali. So...we were directed to go to Manali and stay in his places. It was amazing! Manali is a little hippie village in the valley between part of the Himalayan mountain range. It's set on a raging river that runs through it and has naturally hot sulfur springs. The people are fantastic! I'd say there are 50% Indian and 50% Isreali who have traveled here and never left! The town is fantastic, so many friendly people who just pull up some chairs, order some Chai and will spend hours chatting with you about your life. We have met so many amazing people. Also, on our second night there, a huge amount of travelers came into town and we met them out at the bar we were at. After chatting for a while we discovered their story....the were part of an NGO called "rickshaw run" where they raise a bunch of money, are given a rickshaw (a tiny local vehicle that doesn't go much faster than a bike) in Calcutta, and are told to find their way to Manali in 2 weeks! They had some hillarious stories about running out of fuel, picking up random locals and driving them around, and running through road blocks in Nepal! It sounds like a real adventure! So we joined up with a couple of English guys we met there and the next day we all decided to go repelling off a massive rock! We hiked up to the top, harnessed ourselves up, and essentially jumped off a 100 ft ledge, just hoping for the best =) Very thrilling indeed. I also had an Indian dress sewn for me, which is very beautiful and makes me fit right in! Actually no...but i do get stopped about every 10 ft and asked if I live in India or how long I have been here and comments about my 'lovely Punjabi dress'! I've also picked up quite a bit of Hindi, so I have the locals tricked into thinking I've been here for years! Really helps with the barganing technique.....
So....after repelling we took music lessons and Jess and I very poorly attempted to learn the India drum. It's sooo much harder than it looks! But met some great locals who were amazing musicians! The next day we went to the village of Nagar, where Roerick used to live (for those of you who don't know...he's a famous Russion painter). We saw his house, a museum of his paintings, and a castle nearby where the Indian Gov used to reside before the British rule. The villages along the way were the best part, so many small little streets and markets all around! That night we got a night bus with our hotel manager and his family to Dahramasala. The bus is crazy...it's a bunch of bunk beds that we lie down on and try to attempt sleep while being thrown back and forth, crashing into each other and our luggage. Quite an experience though! Rathore (our hotel manager) and his family were lovely. We had dinner with them at one of the stops and I gave his children some of the toys I still had from the hospital. They loved them and we had a great time all playing together!
So....now we are in Dharamasala! This is where the Tibetan government is in exile. The town is a small little city on top of the hill which is approximately 85% Tibetan. The Dalai Lama and his gov is also here which is very exciting! The first day we got here we just milled around town and met a bunch of locals and travelers, getting to know the area. We also saw the major Buddhist temples in town and the Tibetan museum, which tells all about the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the cruelty they have practiced against the Tibetan people. Also many stories of the refugees feeling to India and Nepal, taking months to cross the snowy Himalayan mountains, many dying of cold and others loosing limbs to frostbite. It's really very tragic. The city is also covered in beggars who have lost limbs during their treacherous journey. And there are 2 major orphanages where parents send their children to safety, probably never to see them again. It is all very sad and needs to be stopped. Free Tibet!!!!!!!
So....that was my political rant. We have really met many amazing people here and feel deeply for their plight. Yesterday we went to see the Dalai Lama!! He is such a lovely inspiring man! We went to his talk about unity, world peace, and learning to reduce suffering through coming to terms with his 'self'. He made a great analogy about medicine and religion. Saying that there are many medicines in this world, and each are great for a certain disease. However, you can't use a medication for a headache to treat cancer. Likewise, we can't say that there is one religion that is right for all the world, we just have to accept people for being unique and love them for the differences they possess. He's such an amazing man and I have loved learning more about him and his teachings. I am also reading his book "My Land, My People" which is more about the Tibetans and their struggle to survive despite the opression. After the teachings we went to a Tibetan cooking course. It was great fun! We learned how to make Momos, which are like dumplings. We made spinach and cheese, mixed vegetables, and chocolate ones! They were fantastic! I can't wait to get home and cook them for people! =)
After filling ourselves up on momos, Jess and I met up with 2 American guys we had met the day before and went to the Tibetan orphanage 9km away. We brought toys and stickers for all the kids and had the best time playing with them all afternoon! We mostly played in the 'baby' room, which was about 1.5 years to 5 years. They were so much fun and were so happy to see us! We had the best time there with them, singing and playing. The orphanage has about 3000 children from 1 to 17! Such fantastic people and such a great time! When we got back we went to see a movie called "Playing for Change" about outdoor musicians across the world playing to encourage peace and love everywhere. Really a very well done documentary with musicians from New Orleans, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Nepal and India. The way they could meld people's music together and make them sound unified was really fantastic. Then we saw one of the bands, The Exile Brothers perform at the cafe we were at! It was such an amazing day with so many fantastic activities packed into it!
Dharamasala is an amazing place and we've had such an inspiring time here. Can't wait to tell you guys more about it when I get home! Leaving to Rajastan tonight on another night bus....yipee!!! Supposed to be about 120 degress there! Ah
final thought I just taught a Tibetan man English for an hour and I think it is safe to say that I am the best ESL teacher in all the land.
FREE TIBET!!
Traveling is still absolutely fantastic. We have continued to receive the royal treatment for the past week! Just so happened that when we went out for drinks with Vikas and his buddies that night, one of his friends is the owner of the major resort line in Manali. So...we were directed to go to Manali and stay in his places. It was amazing! Manali is a little hippie village in the valley between part of the Himalayan mountain range. It's set on a raging river that runs through it and has naturally hot sulfur springs. The people are fantastic! I'd say there are 50% Indian and 50% Isreali who have traveled here and never left! The town is fantastic, so many friendly people who just pull up some chairs, order some Chai and will spend hours chatting with you about your life. We have met so many amazing people. Also, on our second night there, a huge amount of travelers came into town and we met them out at the bar we were at. After chatting for a while we discovered their story....the were part of an NGO called "rickshaw run" where they raise a bunch of money, are given a rickshaw (a tiny local vehicle that doesn't go much faster than a bike) in Calcutta, and are told to find their way to Manali in 2 weeks! They had some hillarious stories about running out of fuel, picking up random locals and driving them around, and running through road blocks in Nepal! It sounds like a real adventure! So we joined up with a couple of English guys we met there and the next day we all decided to go repelling off a massive rock! We hiked up to the top, harnessed ourselves up, and essentially jumped off a 100 ft ledge, just hoping for the best =) Very thrilling indeed. I also had an Indian dress sewn for me, which is very beautiful and makes me fit right in! Actually no...but i do get stopped about every 10 ft and asked if I live in India or how long I have been here and comments about my 'lovely Punjabi dress'! I've also picked up quite a bit of Hindi, so I have the locals tricked into thinking I've been here for years! Really helps with the barganing technique.....
So....after repelling we took music lessons and Jess and I very poorly attempted to learn the India drum. It's sooo much harder than it looks! But met some great locals who were amazing musicians! The next day we went to the village of Nagar, where Roerick used to live (for those of you who don't know...he's a famous Russion painter). We saw his house, a museum of his paintings, and a castle nearby where the Indian Gov used to reside before the British rule. The villages along the way were the best part, so many small little streets and markets all around! That night we got a night bus with our hotel manager and his family to Dahramasala. The bus is crazy...it's a bunch of bunk beds that we lie down on and try to attempt sleep while being thrown back and forth, crashing into each other and our luggage. Quite an experience though! Rathore (our hotel manager) and his family were lovely. We had dinner with them at one of the stops and I gave his children some of the toys I still had from the hospital. They loved them and we had a great time all playing together!
So....now we are in Dharamasala! This is where the Tibetan government is in exile. The town is a small little city on top of the hill which is approximately 85% Tibetan. The Dalai Lama and his gov is also here which is very exciting! The first day we got here we just milled around town and met a bunch of locals and travelers, getting to know the area. We also saw the major Buddhist temples in town and the Tibetan museum, which tells all about the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the cruelty they have practiced against the Tibetan people. Also many stories of the refugees feeling to India and Nepal, taking months to cross the snowy Himalayan mountains, many dying of cold and others loosing limbs to frostbite. It's really very tragic. The city is also covered in beggars who have lost limbs during their treacherous journey. And there are 2 major orphanages where parents send their children to safety, probably never to see them again. It is all very sad and needs to be stopped. Free Tibet!!!!!!!
So....that was my political rant. We have really met many amazing people here and feel deeply for their plight. Yesterday we went to see the Dalai Lama!! He is such a lovely inspiring man! We went to his talk about unity, world peace, and learning to reduce suffering through coming to terms with his 'self'. He made a great analogy about medicine and religion. Saying that there are many medicines in this world, and each are great for a certain disease. However, you can't use a medication for a headache to treat cancer. Likewise, we can't say that there is one religion that is right for all the world, we just have to accept people for being unique and love them for the differences they possess. He's such an amazing man and I have loved learning more about him and his teachings. I am also reading his book "My Land, My People" which is more about the Tibetans and their struggle to survive despite the opression. After the teachings we went to a Tibetan cooking course. It was great fun! We learned how to make Momos, which are like dumplings. We made spinach and cheese, mixed vegetables, and chocolate ones! They were fantastic! I can't wait to get home and cook them for people! =)
After filling ourselves up on momos, Jess and I met up with 2 American guys we had met the day before and went to the Tibetan orphanage 9km away. We brought toys and stickers for all the kids and had the best time playing with them all afternoon! We mostly played in the 'baby' room, which was about 1.5 years to 5 years. They were so much fun and were so happy to see us! We had the best time there with them, singing and playing. The orphanage has about 3000 children from 1 to 17! Such fantastic people and such a great time! When we got back we went to see a movie called "Playing for Change" about outdoor musicians across the world playing to encourage peace and love everywhere. Really a very well done documentary with musicians from New Orleans, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Nepal and India. The way they could meld people's music together and make them sound unified was really fantastic. Then we saw one of the bands, The Exile Brothers perform at the cafe we were at! It was such an amazing day with so many fantastic activities packed into it!
Dharamasala is an amazing place and we've had such an inspiring time here. Can't wait to tell you guys more about it when I get home! Leaving to Rajastan tonight on another night bus....yipee!!! Supposed to be about 120 degress there! Ah
final thought I just taught a Tibetan man English for an hour and I think it is safe to say that I am the best ESL teacher in all the land.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Oh what did I do today hmmmmm......
Well, I saw His Holiness the Dali Lama of course. To be specific I saw the Dali Lama speak listened to the English translation on an FM radio and chatted with a monk while he rested his head on my shoulder.
Oh lets see what else did I do today.....
Why yes I took a Tibetan cooking class and learned how to make momos ( delicious dumplings filled with veggies, spinach or chocloate.)
In a few minutes I am meeting up with a group from the U.S whom we met yesterday to volunteer at an orphange.
Best day ever? Perhaps.
more details to come.
Well, I saw His Holiness the Dali Lama of course. To be specific I saw the Dali Lama speak listened to the English translation on an FM radio and chatted with a monk while he rested his head on my shoulder.
Oh lets see what else did I do today.....
Why yes I took a Tibetan cooking class and learned how to make momos ( delicious dumplings filled with veggies, spinach or chocloate.)
In a few minutes I am meeting up with a group from the U.S whom we met yesterday to volunteer at an orphange.
Best day ever? Perhaps.
more details to come.
Friday, July 6, 2007
When we got here, we got in touch with Shyamolie’s grandmother (my friend Sara who I am traveling with has a friend from college name Shyamolie) who works up here in the government. She had her driver come and pick us up and we went to here house which is about 30 min from the train station. She has been so wonderful to us! She has put us up in her beautiful house, with huge bedrooms, bathrooms, and sitting rooms for each of us! She had to leave on business unfortunately, but has left us with our own driver and cook for 3 days! We feel so pampered here….it’s not like any of the traveling we have done so far! Yesterday we saw all the views and sights with our driver Vikas. We saw the Viceral lodge, where the British rule used to live when they were here…such an amazingly beautiful building on the top of a hill with amazing gardens all around. We also drove to many view spots around the area and went to the State museum. Last night we went out with Vikas and 2 of his friends for dinner, drinks, and cards. It was great fun!
Aftwer that we just shopped in the mall and going to Christ Church, which is the oldest Christian church in India, with old stained glass windows, meant to be very beautiful.
After Shimla we went to Manali which is a cute hippie town loaded with Israelis. We spent three nights in Manali at a really nice hotel – for free!!!!! The hotel is owned by one of the guys we went out to dinner with (friend of Vikas) and we were pampered the whole time :O) basically everything was free food, room service, occasionally a car. We even had this really nice guy who manages the hotel help us plan out every second of every day (P.S. we called him the wrong name the whole time Rachul? Ratul? To whom it may concern, I appoligize for calling you the wrong name. Thank you for all of your help. Love, Jessica and Sara).
The first day ion Manali we went to Vashisht which has some hot springs and cute shops and restaurants. We spent that afternoon lounging at a little restaurant and walking around Manali- can you say shopping!!! For dinner we met up with an English couple we met named Emily and Danny ( we met them on our 10 hour nauseating bus ride to Manali) at our hotel and then headed off to a very western restaurant named Johnson’s where we met some a group of people who had just completed the Rickshaw run. Rickshaw run = this organization gives you a rickshaw and your drive it from Calcutta to Manali it takes 10- 15 days. We had a great time with that crew playing cards and chatting about life.
The following day we went to Naggar with our English couple friends. Naggar is the home of a famous Russian painter Roerick. The views from his home were lovely and it was nice to see his art work but the visit was a bit anti climactic. We also went to a “castle” aka large house made of stones with wood support beams. Upon returning to Manali we took a nap (both of us have been pooped and getting headaches from the altitude- not fun). Later that night we met up with a young India man named Gino (or something like that) and he taught us how to play the Tabla- an India drum. I got some excellent video footage of the event and Sara and I will be performing at Madison square garden on August 1, 2007 (tickets available at ticket master). For dinner we returned to Johnson’s for a fabulous meal and by fabulous I mean I was able to eat lettuce that would not make me ill. Once again we met up with the Rickshaw Run guys and had a peachy time.
The next morning we met up with two of the Rickshaw people- two guys from England Chris and Dave to go rock climbing. After waiting for an hour and after three cups of tea the car drove us to the rock climbing location which actually ended up being a big rock from which we would descend and not climb. We were a bit annoyed but bargained with the instructor down to a price which made us happy enough to change our plans. So, I repelled. It took approximately 3 minutes but was still quite fun. You should all be happy to know that I decided not to paraglide off of the Himalayas and will save that adventure for a country where they will accept my health insurance. We spent that afternoon in old Manali eating pizza and shopping like animals. Unfortunately we discovered the joys of old Manali a little too late because as we left the area we discussed that we could definitely have stayed there for a few more days.
Around 5:30 we boarded a sleeper bus to Dharamasala along with the manager of the hotel and his family. A sleeper bus has beds where luggage would be stored- the beds are quite roomy and you can even sit up. Sara and I shared a bed and had to brace out selves from rolling off the 10 foot drop or out the window.
We arrived in Dharamasala at 2:30 am where we were met by a car set up by our buds in the India government. After an hour of miscommunication we finally arrived at our lovely guest house and went to sleep. zzzzzzzzzzz
P.S. A Buddhist monk just walked into the internet cafe
Aftwer that we just shopped in the mall and going to Christ Church, which is the oldest Christian church in India, with old stained glass windows, meant to be very beautiful.
After Shimla we went to Manali which is a cute hippie town loaded with Israelis. We spent three nights in Manali at a really nice hotel – for free!!!!! The hotel is owned by one of the guys we went out to dinner with (friend of Vikas) and we were pampered the whole time :O) basically everything was free food, room service, occasionally a car. We even had this really nice guy who manages the hotel help us plan out every second of every day (P.S. we called him the wrong name the whole time Rachul? Ratul? To whom it may concern, I appoligize for calling you the wrong name. Thank you for all of your help. Love, Jessica and Sara).
The first day ion Manali we went to Vashisht which has some hot springs and cute shops and restaurants. We spent that afternoon lounging at a little restaurant and walking around Manali- can you say shopping!!! For dinner we met up with an English couple we met named Emily and Danny ( we met them on our 10 hour nauseating bus ride to Manali) at our hotel and then headed off to a very western restaurant named Johnson’s where we met some a group of people who had just completed the Rickshaw run. Rickshaw run = this organization gives you a rickshaw and your drive it from Calcutta to Manali it takes 10- 15 days. We had a great time with that crew playing cards and chatting about life.
The following day we went to Naggar with our English couple friends. Naggar is the home of a famous Russian painter Roerick. The views from his home were lovely and it was nice to see his art work but the visit was a bit anti climactic. We also went to a “castle” aka large house made of stones with wood support beams. Upon returning to Manali we took a nap (both of us have been pooped and getting headaches from the altitude- not fun). Later that night we met up with a young India man named Gino (or something like that) and he taught us how to play the Tabla- an India drum. I got some excellent video footage of the event and Sara and I will be performing at Madison square garden on August 1, 2007 (tickets available at ticket master). For dinner we returned to Johnson’s for a fabulous meal and by fabulous I mean I was able to eat lettuce that would not make me ill. Once again we met up with the Rickshaw Run guys and had a peachy time.
The next morning we met up with two of the Rickshaw people- two guys from England Chris and Dave to go rock climbing. After waiting for an hour and after three cups of tea the car drove us to the rock climbing location which actually ended up being a big rock from which we would descend and not climb. We were a bit annoyed but bargained with the instructor down to a price which made us happy enough to change our plans. So, I repelled. It took approximately 3 minutes but was still quite fun. You should all be happy to know that I decided not to paraglide off of the Himalayas and will save that adventure for a country where they will accept my health insurance. We spent that afternoon in old Manali eating pizza and shopping like animals. Unfortunately we discovered the joys of old Manali a little too late because as we left the area we discussed that we could definitely have stayed there for a few more days.
Around 5:30 we boarded a sleeper bus to Dharamasala along with the manager of the hotel and his family. A sleeper bus has beds where luggage would be stored- the beds are quite roomy and you can even sit up. Sara and I shared a bed and had to brace out selves from rolling off the 10 foot drop or out the window.
We arrived in Dharamasala at 2:30 am where we were met by a car set up by our buds in the India government. After an hour of miscommunication we finally arrived at our lovely guest house and went to sleep. zzzzzzzzzzz
P.S. A Buddhist monk just walked into the internet cafe
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Worst/Best Idea of My Life
Wondering where I have been the last week??? Well, I was trekking in the Himalayas of course. To be more specific I was trekking in the Himalayas walking through grassy nulls and across frozen rivers and up steep mountain terrain hyperventilating the whole way through.
The crew: Jessica from NY
Sara from California – I am traveling with her after the hike around India
Matt, Clayton, and Jen- all from Mississippi- they all go to med school together there
Alia- Roommate from the program from Vermont
Day -2: My CFHI group left aside from Alia, my self and Kate. We headed back to Dehradun and picked up some snacks for the following days.
Day -1: Leave Dehradun and go to Missouri to meet Sara so we can all take a 6 hour ride to the trail head.
Day 0: Meet the Mississippi kids in Uttarkachi and stay at a really nice hostel along with some English guys. We all had a roof top dinner.
Hike Day 1: 2 hour hike mostly uphill- Turns out I have asthma (well not really but I may as well).
Lunch- soggy white bread with cucumbers, tomato and black pepper, juice box (like I was 5) and a squished banana ( same lunch for the rest of the days and secretly I liked it)
Camped a top a mountain overlooking some gorgeous scenery. Played a lot of cards as we had hours before it got dark. The porters (there are 4 of them and 3ish donkeys who carry our stuff) made a scrumptious snack of friend pakora and a delicious dinner of daal, rice, and chapatti ( well the porters made it not the donkeys). I tented with Sara and it stormed like I have never experienced before. Thunder, lighting and rain ahhhhhhh and I could have sworn that we were going to get washed off the mountain top by a flash flood.
Day 2: 6 hour hike. I was in better shape today probably because my lungs were no longer in shock and because it was a much flatter hike. Camped next to a holy lake called Doti Tal. During our free time we played cards, sat by the camp fire, ate food, laughed. Good time had by all
Day 3: 4 hour hike. Camped on top of the most magnificent green mountain covered with yellow flowers. Oh yeah there were plenty of cows and goats and the mountain too. The mountain looked out at even larger snowcapped mountains. It was almost ridiculous when the guide told us to stop hiking that we were sleeping on that mountain because it looked like it was out of a movie and should be illegal. Thankfully it was legal. The porters set up an extra tent for us because of the rain and because it was going to be cold. They also set up a latrine tent for us to go to the bathroom in- akward. So, aside from a short hike which I struggled through (damn altitude) to see some more mountains we spent most of our time in the tent bonding and playing cards. However, for dinner the porters set up a camp fire which was great and quit helpful with drying our shoes.
Day 4: Today’s hike was a lot of up and a medium amount of down. However, we hiked through really beautiful pastures with some crazy looking mammals (cows who were looking at me funny- because their irises are sideways, mountain men who would show up out of nowhere and would scamper by me in sandals, whole families of pilgrims who seemed to be going right past me too). Oh yes I almost forgot. I fell and my knee is purple and bumpy (very attractive). Really though the whole thing was quite dramatic as the grass was wet because it was drizzling and chilly and had I not been so limber and agile I would have for sure slid down the mountain. For this final night we camped on a mountain next to a babbling brook and a home of some nomadic families who had brought their cows to the area to eat some grass. Some of the younger girls tried to befriend us but once again the Hindi/ English barrier was juts too great.
Day 5: The final day yahooooo. Today’s hike would have been steep and slippery if it had not rained. But since it did pour for an hour in the morning it was extremely slippery and steep. Basically we hiked down a dry river bed/ hilly river/ waterfall with minor falls. By the end of the 4.5 hours my knees were poooooping out and I was starting to hallucinate the jeep that was coming to pick us up. But really once we stopped walking though the rocks there were nice organized rocks almost step like that went through towns and past drunk men coming back from a wedding. The day ended with a 5 hour drive to Dehradun and then a 2 hour search for the bus station so we could buy our tickets for the next day.
This morning I woke up at 5:15 to make a 7:30 bus that was to take 6 hours to Chandigarh. The bus was of the local variety and was quite packed by the time we hit hour #3. Thankfully I had a window seat because there was no A/C and it was really quite warm. By the time I got to Chandigarh I pretty much had black streaks all over me from dust that was flying in the window. My contacts were so dry that I may as well have taken them out because things were so blurry. But, I made it (well sort of we did miss our stop and some small English speaking India boy had to help us out) and I did it India style- like a local. I think the most fantastic part of the trip was when some older man started freaking out about our bags being on the seat and got the conductor to make us put our bags on the roof of the bus. Yes, he wanted us to launch our huge bags over our heads and put them on the roof for the remaining 3 hours. So, being the easy going girl I am I sat quietly in my seat and let Sara lift my 300 pound bag on the roof while I pretended that I could not get out of my window seat. Dear Sarah, Thanks. Love, Jessica
Upon arrival in Chandigarh we found our selves surrounded by 15 men all who thought they could help us best to find our hotel. Dear 15 men, Please go away. Love, Jessica and Sarah
Well, we found our hotel and the room is juts fine, TV, A/C … they even gave us towels which is quite rare :O)
We spent the afternoon eating huge amounts of India food and walking around a famous rock garden which was quite beautiful. I think my time at the rock garden may go down as the most famous I will ever be. Basically, there were 10 school girls who wanted to be our BFF and talk about life and take pictures. Also, the guys in the class would constantly flash pictures of us like paparazzi. Little did they know I would have struck a pose if they asked. We also, spent some time at a lake looking at the India families paddle boating and India men trying to ride a mechanical bull. So, that brings you up to date. I am sitting in a really really hot internet café dreaming of going back to my A/C room and getting good nights sleep before I have to wake up at 5 to take another 6 hour train ride. Oh the joys of India!!!!
The crew: Jessica from NY
Sara from California – I am traveling with her after the hike around India
Matt, Clayton, and Jen- all from Mississippi- they all go to med school together there
Alia- Roommate from the program from Vermont
Day -2: My CFHI group left aside from Alia, my self and Kate. We headed back to Dehradun and picked up some snacks for the following days.
Day -1: Leave Dehradun and go to Missouri to meet Sara so we can all take a 6 hour ride to the trail head.
Day 0: Meet the Mississippi kids in Uttarkachi and stay at a really nice hostel along with some English guys. We all had a roof top dinner.
Hike Day 1: 2 hour hike mostly uphill- Turns out I have asthma (well not really but I may as well).
Lunch- soggy white bread with cucumbers, tomato and black pepper, juice box (like I was 5) and a squished banana ( same lunch for the rest of the days and secretly I liked it)
Camped a top a mountain overlooking some gorgeous scenery. Played a lot of cards as we had hours before it got dark. The porters (there are 4 of them and 3ish donkeys who carry our stuff) made a scrumptious snack of friend pakora and a delicious dinner of daal, rice, and chapatti ( well the porters made it not the donkeys). I tented with Sara and it stormed like I have never experienced before. Thunder, lighting and rain ahhhhhhh and I could have sworn that we were going to get washed off the mountain top by a flash flood.
Day 2: 6 hour hike. I was in better shape today probably because my lungs were no longer in shock and because it was a much flatter hike. Camped next to a holy lake called Doti Tal. During our free time we played cards, sat by the camp fire, ate food, laughed. Good time had by all
Day 3: 4 hour hike. Camped on top of the most magnificent green mountain covered with yellow flowers. Oh yeah there were plenty of cows and goats and the mountain too. The mountain looked out at even larger snowcapped mountains. It was almost ridiculous when the guide told us to stop hiking that we were sleeping on that mountain because it looked like it was out of a movie and should be illegal. Thankfully it was legal. The porters set up an extra tent for us because of the rain and because it was going to be cold. They also set up a latrine tent for us to go to the bathroom in- akward. So, aside from a short hike which I struggled through (damn altitude) to see some more mountains we spent most of our time in the tent bonding and playing cards. However, for dinner the porters set up a camp fire which was great and quit helpful with drying our shoes.
Day 4: Today’s hike was a lot of up and a medium amount of down. However, we hiked through really beautiful pastures with some crazy looking mammals (cows who were looking at me funny- because their irises are sideways, mountain men who would show up out of nowhere and would scamper by me in sandals, whole families of pilgrims who seemed to be going right past me too). Oh yes I almost forgot. I fell and my knee is purple and bumpy (very attractive). Really though the whole thing was quite dramatic as the grass was wet because it was drizzling and chilly and had I not been so limber and agile I would have for sure slid down the mountain. For this final night we camped on a mountain next to a babbling brook and a home of some nomadic families who had brought their cows to the area to eat some grass. Some of the younger girls tried to befriend us but once again the Hindi/ English barrier was juts too great.
Day 5: The final day yahooooo. Today’s hike would have been steep and slippery if it had not rained. But since it did pour for an hour in the morning it was extremely slippery and steep. Basically we hiked down a dry river bed/ hilly river/ waterfall with minor falls. By the end of the 4.5 hours my knees were poooooping out and I was starting to hallucinate the jeep that was coming to pick us up. But really once we stopped walking though the rocks there were nice organized rocks almost step like that went through towns and past drunk men coming back from a wedding. The day ended with a 5 hour drive to Dehradun and then a 2 hour search for the bus station so we could buy our tickets for the next day.
This morning I woke up at 5:15 to make a 7:30 bus that was to take 6 hours to Chandigarh. The bus was of the local variety and was quite packed by the time we hit hour #3. Thankfully I had a window seat because there was no A/C and it was really quite warm. By the time I got to Chandigarh I pretty much had black streaks all over me from dust that was flying in the window. My contacts were so dry that I may as well have taken them out because things were so blurry. But, I made it (well sort of we did miss our stop and some small English speaking India boy had to help us out) and I did it India style- like a local. I think the most fantastic part of the trip was when some older man started freaking out about our bags being on the seat and got the conductor to make us put our bags on the roof of the bus. Yes, he wanted us to launch our huge bags over our heads and put them on the roof for the remaining 3 hours. So, being the easy going girl I am I sat quietly in my seat and let Sara lift my 300 pound bag on the roof while I pretended that I could not get out of my window seat. Dear Sarah, Thanks. Love, Jessica
Upon arrival in Chandigarh we found our selves surrounded by 15 men all who thought they could help us best to find our hotel. Dear 15 men, Please go away. Love, Jessica and Sarah
Well, we found our hotel and the room is juts fine, TV, A/C … they even gave us towels which is quite rare :O)
We spent the afternoon eating huge amounts of India food and walking around a famous rock garden which was quite beautiful. I think my time at the rock garden may go down as the most famous I will ever be. Basically, there were 10 school girls who wanted to be our BFF and talk about life and take pictures. Also, the guys in the class would constantly flash pictures of us like paparazzi. Little did they know I would have struck a pose if they asked. We also, spent some time at a lake looking at the India families paddle boating and India men trying to ride a mechanical bull. So, that brings you up to date. I am sitting in a really really hot internet café dreaming of going back to my A/C room and getting good nights sleep before I have to wake up at 5 to take another 6 hour train ride. Oh the joys of India!!!!
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Joys of the head lamp
Week in review in Than Goan Village
*Lived in hut with 3 friends and 2 small mice. The hut was cottage like and there were mosquito nets around all the beds (sort of looks like my room at home with the princess bed). The mouse was small and annoying but by the end he was my friend and as we left he sat in the corner of my closet like a scared little mouse- I think he was sad to see us go.
*Went to two villages to see patients with Doctor Paul ( looks like frank castanza from seinfeld)- The trips to the villages were very fun. Dr. Paul let us listen to the patinets hearts and lungs but for the most part played with the kids- gave out stickers and taught the hokey pokey ( the chiken dance did not go over very well- I think I lost them at put your backside in ( too racey))
*Sat in the Thank Goan village clinic for 6 hours a day seeing patientes with the good doctor and learning about rural medicine.
*Learned to take blood pressure (I am usally about 10 off-give me time I am still learning)
*Ate my weight in daal ( lentil goulash)- they fed it to us at every meal
*Ate 130 chipatti
*Played volleyball- yes there wa a sand volleyball court and I am so good that I may enter myself in the tournament at jones beach- who wil join me?
*Ate a peach with a worm in it then proceeded to puke it up in front of an old man (ok there was no puke but there was an old man)
*Feared for my life that a snake was going to bite me as I walked to the bathroom in the dark at night- supposedly there are snakes and leopards in the area but I did not see any and my headlamp proved to be quite useful.
*Went on a nature walk to look at the plants used as herbs( note: I once wrote a paper about healing herbs in 8th grade. I then proceeded to translate it into Spanish for spanish class and then used it agin for health class- this nature walk was a tribute to this healing herbs paper which I affectionalty referd to as "herbshea" ( because that is the way it was saved on my computer)- Hershea for eva!
*Learned that I am a slow and sweaty hiker
*Swam in a deliciously cold watering hole with wierd water bugs that everyone swore were harmless
*Played with my very fun groupmates
Now I am back in Dehradun, Half of my group left-stacey-austin and jeff-yesterday to go to Delhi before heading home-tear. Three of us rema- myself- alia and kate- and we are spending the night here before Alia and I head to Missouri to meet up with others to go hiking in uttarkashi area ( you can google it or google Har-Ki-Dun) to see what the hike will look like. So. I will be out of contact untill the 28th unless for some reason there is a computer in the Har- Ki-Dun valley. :O)
*Lived in hut with 3 friends and 2 small mice. The hut was cottage like and there were mosquito nets around all the beds (sort of looks like my room at home with the princess bed). The mouse was small and annoying but by the end he was my friend and as we left he sat in the corner of my closet like a scared little mouse- I think he was sad to see us go.
*Went to two villages to see patients with Doctor Paul ( looks like frank castanza from seinfeld)- The trips to the villages were very fun. Dr. Paul let us listen to the patinets hearts and lungs but for the most part played with the kids- gave out stickers and taught the hokey pokey ( the chiken dance did not go over very well- I think I lost them at put your backside in ( too racey))
*Sat in the Thank Goan village clinic for 6 hours a day seeing patientes with the good doctor and learning about rural medicine.
*Learned to take blood pressure (I am usally about 10 off-give me time I am still learning)
*Ate my weight in daal ( lentil goulash)- they fed it to us at every meal
*Ate 130 chipatti
*Played volleyball- yes there wa a sand volleyball court and I am so good that I may enter myself in the tournament at jones beach- who wil join me?
*Ate a peach with a worm in it then proceeded to puke it up in front of an old man (ok there was no puke but there was an old man)
*Feared for my life that a snake was going to bite me as I walked to the bathroom in the dark at night- supposedly there are snakes and leopards in the area but I did not see any and my headlamp proved to be quite useful.
*Went on a nature walk to look at the plants used as herbs( note: I once wrote a paper about healing herbs in 8th grade. I then proceeded to translate it into Spanish for spanish class and then used it agin for health class- this nature walk was a tribute to this healing herbs paper which I affectionalty referd to as "herbshea" ( because that is the way it was saved on my computer)- Hershea for eva!
*Learned that I am a slow and sweaty hiker
*Swam in a deliciously cold watering hole with wierd water bugs that everyone swore were harmless
*Played with my very fun groupmates
Now I am back in Dehradun, Half of my group left-stacey-austin and jeff-yesterday to go to Delhi before heading home-tear. Three of us rema- myself- alia and kate- and we are spending the night here before Alia and I head to Missouri to meet up with others to go hiking in uttarkashi area ( you can google it or google Har-Ki-Dun) to see what the hike will look like. So. I will be out of contact untill the 28th unless for some reason there is a computer in the Har- Ki-Dun valley. :O)
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