Basketball at Midnight

I have returned to the USA and have employed myself doing manual labor for my parents – building a retaining wall.  I filled out my absentee ballot and mailed it in, and so my civil obligations have all been met.  Aside from that, there is a lot of relaxation and decompression from my year abroad. [...]

After an arguably mediocre stay in the tourist bastions of Rajastan and Uttar Pradesh, I’ve been a bit reflective about how relaxed and enjoyable my weeks in the not-really-Indian parts of North India have been. You heard about me in Tibetan Leh and the non-hassley but very Hindu Rishikesh and trek to Gaumukh. [...]

It was a long, tedious, and sometimes difficult journey, but I made it to Sikkim. My final marathon busride of the adventure is over. I don’t think I have a ride more than 4 hours long for the rest of my stay. For those counting, that ‘rest of my stay’ is six [...]

I found solace on the top of the bus today.
It was four hours from Dumre to Kathmandu, where I am right now.  I feel like Cat Stevens.
To backtrack, I left Pokhara for Kathmandu yesterday, but an accident left traffic stopped on both sides.  Near the scene of the accident, I found some tea and a [...]

I have returned to the foothills of the Himalayas, this time in Nepal.  Some of the highest peaks in the world (the Annapurna Range) loom over Pokhara, the current city, and waking up on the roof of the night bus to see the sun rising against them was fairly amazing.
On the roof, yes- that is [...]

I’m leaving Rishikesh.
I know, you never thought I would.  A relaxing, climatically lovely city on a sacred river.  No rickshaws, no hassles, several friends, and a plethora of generally friendly people.
But it’s true, I’m off.  I leave tonight on a night bus to Delhi, and then will take a night train to about as close [...]

October 5, 3:20 am : I woke up.  It would be wholly unfair to say that I had to drag myself out of bed.  It was surprisingly easy.  I picked up a card Nicky put under my door sometime shortly after midnight and packed it into my daypack.  By 4:00 am, I was out of the guesthouse and walking across the [...]

This is to let you know that I have moved on to the foot of the Himalayas, in Rishikesh, “Yoga Capital of the World.”  It is also on the Ganga, and for some reason has drawn many different Ashrams, which you can think of as an encampment of meditation and philosophy led by a spiritual [...]