The story of stuff

My stuff that is... specifically my camera that I like to call "a piece of shit, old camera." Well, the point is, it's been totally redeemed.
The Story:
Stumbling down the mountain, my knees were hurting from having to step from one rock to another. Descending is so much worse than going up, the trails are practically boulder fields. My camera was strapped to the outside of my day pack so I could access it easily. It had a moment of rebellion that sent it leaping from the back of my pack down a ravine. Not just any ravine mind you. A ravine that literally went for over a mile, finally ending at the river far below. The slope was covered in slick dry grass, growing horizontally from the slope. As my camera fell I implored it to resist gravity and return to my hand. "Stop, please stop," i yelled as I watched the blue case tumble down the mountain until it was lost from view. The first thing that came into my mind was the monk who had asked me to send him the pictures of us from the hike we took four days before. Well, there was nothing for me to do except to go after it. I almost followed it, tumbling that is. As I clung to alpine bunch grass, jumping from a tiny outcrop to another. As I began to descend I saw a raven land on a log 100 yards down the ridge. In that moment I thought to myself that maybe the raven saw the camera fall and was curious to see what it was. I decided i was going to go that far. but no further, each leap down meant dragging my body up another five feet so I was cautious about going too far. Well guess what, there was my camera, right below where the raven had landed. It had been stopped in it's attempt for freedom by the errant log. I climbed back up, careful not to send myself or the camera back down the ravine. I made it back to the top, sweaty and tired. But entirely victorious, because thanks to canon for building their earlier digital cameras like rocks. It works, just as before! Wohoo! I still have a camera!

Contemplation

I'm bundled up. Under a Yak skin cap and a Rajistani woolen blanket. I'm finally warm enough to write. India has changed me, I've been thinking about that lately. I spend most of my days walking around, looking around. And not doing much of anything in particular. If you know me well, you know that I am a driven person. If I want something I work as hard as I can to achieve it. Like this trip to India. Well, now I've achieved what I wanted to do, I'm here... now what. Well that is the question that I answer every day. Maybe it's helping the crippled woman who can't walk, sits on a plank with wheels and pushes herself along the road with flip-flops on her hands, over an open sewer. Or lately, it's been teaching Tibetan refugees English and hiking into the mountains, the peaks are over 15,000 feet tall, and it's one of three ranges leading up to the Himalayas. I can't see over these mountains and their nothing but foothills... All I want to do is walk over their steely-grey knife edge ridges and see what's beyond. But sadly it's cold enough here, without buying fake northface down jackets or columbia fleece sweatshirts I'm not prepared. But there is a side that just wants to prepare myself and to wander away into the mountains. This place reminds me more of home than anywhere else I've been. I can identify plants here! It's comforting to me, seriously :D Anyways, India has changed me. Here I'm not focused or driven towards any goal instead I dip and dabble in everything. Some days I meet people, other days I don't either way I do about the same thing. I have no destination, no place to be, I can hop on a bus tonight even, and wake up in another city. This is what has made India an amazing place and what has changed me, if I may so, I'm much more mellow than I ever have been in my 19 years on this planet. I don't think I've ever described myself as mellow before, but that's a new adjective that can be attached to me. At least while I travel here. It's hard to describe, but, when I get back and you see me again. Let me know what you think. India is a wild place.
I just got back from the ridge above McLeod Ganj, I spent last night up there, to celebrate the solstice. It was beautiful, as the sun was setting I realized that I was watching the Sunset over India, but it seemed like an ocean. The smog lies over India like a blanket. No matter where I've been, except here, you can see the pollution framing the sky. It makes for beautiful sunsets though. As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, I was on a ridge swiveling my head between the sunset itself, colors bursting, and the mountains behind me. The steep rocky slopes were exposed, naked with the waning light. I could see veins of other kinds of rock, snaking their way in and out of the rugged surface. Patches of snow stood out like the monks wandering around in the cities markets. I was seated on the throne of the world. And I haven't even begun to talk about the moon. It was an amazing night. The eclipse wasn't visible on this side of the world though. I spent the night sitting around a fire with 8 countries represented, and I was in the minority. The only one to represent the U.S.A. and i honestly try to be the best ambassador that I can be. It was great sitting around a comforting fire on a cold night with people from all over the world and all walks of life. Goodnight!

McLeod Ganj, The home of Tibetan Refugees

My hands are cold, and typing is quite difficult. But i will do my best to fight off the cold and type away with my chilled ahnds. It is the end of day two here in McLeod Ganj, it is on the very edge of the mountains. I don't think that the range here is the Himalayas but a smaller range that leads up to them. For the record though, they are still huge. I've decided to stay here and volunteer for at least a week. There is need for english teachers and I've begun volunteering in two different conversation classes. Because it is the Dalai Lama's home there are more Tibetans her than Indians, at least that is how it seems. They receive free housing and education from the Indian government because they are refugees. Because of the aid they receive they are amazingly well off here. In fact this town seems to have only two resident beggars, which is saying a lot here in India. Today I went on a hike with a monk that I met in one of the conversation classes. We hiked up to a ridge over looking the town we walked for five hours. It was a serious venture! Ok, sadly I really can't type at all so I'm going to go and try to find somewhere that serves the Tibetan butter tea. The monk that i hiked with told me that he made that for breakfast. It sounds like fat in a mug. Which is perfect when the temperature is hovering just above freezing.

Feeling better

Now i'm feeling a little bit more alive than last night. so away I go. today I took a walk through the bustling city of Amritstar. Indian cities defy the imagination, but comparitively this one is quite small. Nonetheless, I had to dodge horse drawn carts, motorcycles and cars. Not to mention the swarming foot traffic. I was on a mission to find the bus station once more. I did, and I will be scooting out of this city tomorrow about mid day. Off to McLeod Ganj, the residence of the Dali Lama, sadly he isn't home. His website says that he's off on the other side of the country inagurating something rather. The highlight of my day was once again volunteering at the origional hippie fest. Here, upwards of 80,000 meals are served, which means a massive amount of food has to be made, plus served and all the dishes must be cleaned. The Sikh's, believing in the inclusion of all peoples let you walk right into their most holy place and share a meal with them. The temple has few rules, no smoking within one kilometer, shoes must be removed, and feet must be washed. This is easily facilitated by depressions with running water in them. all one has to do is to walk through it. Heads must be covered as well. As long as these rules are followed all are welcome. It feels like a huge hippy fest. I have taken it upon myself to volunteer as much as possible. I've washed dishes, arranged dirty dishes to be brought to the washing stations, washed the floors and made chapatis (Indian flat bread). It has been a blast, and truly the least I can do since I get to eat and stay for free. This place holds a holyness that I've never felt before. From the moment that the sun rises there is a continuous chant/song that is played from inside the Golden Temple, holy men sing, play the tabla and harmonium in an endless litany that can be heard all around the temple. Speakers in India are synonymous with blown out and scratchy. But here the music is kept as background, so wherever one is it can be heard. I, obviously do not understand, but there are a few TV screens with the translations playing across them. The Sikh's believe that "Service to humanity is service to god." Although not unique, never have I seen this idea shared so unconditionally and so selflessly anywhere before. These turbaned people, who cannot cut their hair, and carry daggers beneath their clothes invite anyone to stay in their dorms, use their clean drinking water and eat their food. No one is trying to push anything religious on anyone, but they are inviting everyone to share this beautiful and unique place with them.
The Temple itself is astounding. Go online and look at a picture if you can. Very soon I will have my own pictures on Flickr, but the Golden Temple is really gold. The temple is in the middle of a lake, which is considered to be "nectar" or holy water, on all sides is a two-laned road sized walkway that converges and leads out to the temple. From dawn to about 10 PM people are lined up to walk into the temple with their offerings, drink the holy water and see the book which is like their bible. Each day the book is carried to and from the temple in an elaborate procession. Sitting by the lakeside I've seen the temple in the changing light from dawn to dusk. The surreal Golden temple seems to change form with the light. And the stream of multicolored people seem to feed the temple and make it even grander than it is. This place is yet another wonder that cannot be described.
Just imagine me, smiling, without anything to say as I roll chapatis, wash the floors and hopefully serve people! Which is what I hope to do tonight. This place has a lesson to teach mankind, it is like Martin Luther King's dream come true on the other side of the world. Where anyone, can come and sit together on the floor, in the grand dining halls and eat food that passed through countless hands just to reach one mouth. I am awed by this beautiful example of what humans are capable of!

Golden Temple

Long story short... I headed north. I'm in Punjab, in Amritstar, and staying in the dorms at the Golden Temple. It is gorgeous, like so many other things in India, but it is also the most spiritual place I have been. I've got a free place to stay and free food. Sikhs' believe in the inclusion of all people. And they've taken that idea to an extreme. Today, I've volunteered in the Kitchen, making Chapatis and Washing dishes. After two hours of washing, I was beat. The magnitude of the food production is so immense, and it is all done by volunteers. Absolutely amazing! I guess i'm too tired to write or something. Because my thoughts feel like snot, slowly dripping through my mind... ya, I'm tired. That was a horrible analogy. Rather than scrapping this though, I would like to say that if you ever come to India. come to the Golden Temple. I am blown away constantly by the hospitality of these complete strangers who wear daggers. They have created a space that feels holy. The energy is just different here, it is serene and calm in a city that is crazy beyond believe. Here anyone can sleep and eat, with no questions asked, just a splash of rice pudding there and a glob of chic-peas here. Tomorrow I plan to volunteer some more, maybe try and serve food or chop veggies. Good night

When in India

I'm not sure why I decided to chain myself to a softly pulsing screen while it slowly sucks my life away, especially since it's my birthday. But here I am, so to give myself a break I'm just going to write. I've been keeping a journal since I've been here to capture all the wild moments that have passed. To be honest, life is a wild moment. The computer that I'm using doesn't read CD's and the attendant is banging the computer to get it to work. Life here is wild, abstract and incongruent. It's like a dungeons and dragons game or a chose your own adventure book. At least it can be that way if I am in the right headspace and am feeling well. Otherwise India threatens to swallow me whole, into the swirling fumes of burning garbage and waterways of sewage. This place is a paradox, like so many things in life. I place where the most barren places yield crops under the watchful eye of even the most weathered people. Here you cannot go anywhere without being assaulted be throngs of people trying to pull you into "my shop," "look here sir," and "today, please!" India takes no prisoners in her reckoning. Either I can bathe in it, laugh as I get hit by motorcycles and errant cows. Or I can walk with my head down, looking out for shit in the road, and trying not to catch anyone's eye. Both are reasonable solutions. But, as a lone traveler, without the support of a friend or partner. I have to be outgoing and try to reach out past the walking pocketbook syndrome of traveling and meet real people. There is so much to see here, in one alleyway there is a plethora of shops that cater to all sorts of needs. Everything is tiny, small hole in the wall shops that cascade into the streets with their multicolored wares. There is no way to describe this place until you have been here. India is beyond the scope of description, and beyond photos. It is like trying to capture the grand canyon. There are a million photos of it, but you have to stand at the brink of the 2,000 foot canyon walls, struck by the angled winter light, glowing amber and beige; to really get the picture. India is like that, I am determined to get in, get dirty, learn as much as I can and have fun! So, first step is to learn Hindi...
Ok, I'm tired, there's a rant for the masses :D Happy Birthday to me!

One month!

I've been here for a month. So much has happened that there is no way I could ever put it into words. Today, for example, I have been wandering around Jaisalmer asking random tourists if they would like to be in a movie... it's a long story. But tomorrow I get to play invader and get to be in a movie... haha, I don't even know how it works, but it does.

here's what I've got:
India is the noisiest country in the world, people yell at each other, but their not angry.
Fireworks happen every night, they aren't bombs... don't be alarmed, even if they are aimed at me. Here in India, there are fireworks that just make loud bangs, like serious explosions. Don't come to India with PTSD
Look both ways when crossing one way streets.
If there are lines in the road, drivers will straddle them, rather than follow them.
Yield to cows, they are bigger and stronger than me
The red stuff that men spit, is pan. It is really hard to chew, and mita pan (sweet pan) is much better. Pan is like a mouth explosion of spices wrapped in a leaf.
No need for roller coasters, just hop on the back of someones motorcycle.
Take sleeper class, 3rd class is nicknamed "jungle class," because it is a free for all to get seats, many people have to just stand.
Watch where you step! need I say more?
Think of night buses as free massages
Carry a flashlight with you at all times.
Don't anger Indian men, they will kick you out of their establishment
Lizard tastes like lizard.
Indians will, and do rip me off, there is no way to avoid it.
Use your right hand! Do it like an Indian... haha
When in doubt, watch an Indian

They guide books don't seem to tell anyone that coming to india will result in a loss of hearing, everything is so loud! I didn't even know that the clock I brought ticked until a week ago. Bring earplugs

And finally! Smile and laugh as much as possible, India is insane, so enjoy it!

Bike Ride in Bundi

A good long while ago, Chris and I. With two french friends went on a bike ride. Not an ordinary bike ride. But an Indian one... this means, of course, crazyness. We rented the bikes for a little less than a dollar a day. Calling these bikes clunkers would be a compliment. There is only one kind of bike here, all the bikes are the same, even the new bikes are made the exact same. It is kind of odd to see bikes that look like they;re 20 years old and others with the bubble wrap still attached, all practically identical. Bubblewrapped motorcycles and bikes among other things can be seen cruising around the city. I assume that people just want everything to be as spanking new for as long as possible.
THese bikes have the weirdest and most un ergonomic handlebars, they curve backwards, towards the back of the bike, so that if I took a tight turn the handlebars would jab into my thighs. There are no gears. They deon't exist here.
Anyways, with the bikes between our legs. We were off, at a snail pace, but away we went. Each hill looked like a mountain on these bikes. Later I heard Chris say, "I would say that it was a flat bike ride, but with the bikes that we had, it was hilly." Nonethess, we strained up each and every hill. The moment we were out of the city I was blissed out. it was the first time that I had really gotten away from people since I'd gotten to India. And, more than that, we were on an adventure, we passed a lilypad covered lake which to me seemed too surreal compared to the desert that we had been traversing by buss. An indian guy tried to get us to come to his bar, he rode his motorcycle alongside of us for 10 minutes or so. finally he got the message that we were determined to make it to the far off waterfall (17 kilometers). Very early on in the ride, my waterbottle fell off of my bike and broke. This meant that for the rest of the time. I was carrying a 2 liter bottle upside down. It just made me seem that much goofier. We rode single file because at any moment a camel cart, bus, tractor blaring Indian pop from totally blown out speakers, or some other vihechal would round the bend and put us in eminent danger. But like all good tourists aclimated to the subcontinent, we barely batted an eye when busses would take up the whole road and push us off into the non-existant shoulder.
Climbing a hill, we passed under nothing else than a monolithic wall... Since I've been here, I ahve seen all sorts of massive, magnificent and beautiful buildings, seriously, this country has been dipped, fried and brushed with as mcuh history as the street food is covered in oil. Everywhere you turn there is some building that has been standing for over a thousand years. But, to see a relic of an ancient past, probalby 10 kilometers from Bundi and the old palace and fort. Basically out in the middle of the desert. The first line of defence of course, for the people of the past. Was enough to make everyone of us hop off our bikes, it helped that we were all exhausted as well. Chris found the way up, and I played invader, climbing a tree adjacent to the wall and getting over. The wall was 20 feet tall on the outside edge. A priminent line slicing across the empty desert. We clambored around for ten minutes or so before we left. Finding a wall out in the middle of no where was much crazier to me than a lot of the palaces and forts I had seen before. It felt like it came out of nowhere.
The rest of the ride was nondescript if you don't count the countless times we were almost hit by cars, autorickshaws or other vehicles. The most exciting thing was that people were genuinely excited to see us (and laugh at the 4 foreigners bopping along on bikes). At one point we stopped at a crossroads and a man walked up to me and handed me a beedie, an Indian cigarette, I smoked it in front of him and everyone was laughing and smiling... I guess because I was smoking a beedie, but who knows. Smoking them always gets great reactions from Indians, I ahve taken to carrying them around as a good will guesture. (in india people really don't have much of a sense of space, right now, in the internet cafe, there is a boy who is intently staring at my screen. hopefully he doesn't understand what I'm writing...) Anyways, back to the story, we made it to the waterfall... It was huge! The place was beautiful, and we were alone there for maybe 5 minutes before throngs of people arrived, to bathe and go to the little shrine under the fall itself. Everything is sacred in India, it seems that as far as people are willing to carry paint, plaques or statues. You will find temples to the gods or nature herself.
I swam in the water, the only time I've swam anywhere except for the ocean It was so refreshing after our long bike ride. We climbed up to the top of the waterfall and walked for a little ways until some Indian guys fllowed us with their cellphones, blasting indian pop. They were determined to bother the french women so we quickly descended. Back down where there were buildings(town?), we got some chai and sat down. we were sitting in one row of chairs facing a bunch of Indian men sitting across from us and facing us. They stared at us the whole time that we sat there, and when I pulled out my trail mix to eat some. They guestured that they wanted to see what I had. i gave them a little bit. Which, they didn't seem to enjoy(it's bird food anyways :D)
It was fun! The bike ride just proved to me that there really are people everywhere here. It was a mistake for me to bring camping gear. Better to just throw a blanket down in a vacant corner of the street like the houseless Indian people do. There just are no end to the people. The adventure was a blast, and my first real taste of nature in India.

Well...

I'm not particularly eloquent nor prolific. But I am trying my best to give people a taste of what my experience is. I am in Jaisalmer in the Thar desert, on the western side of India. I have been here for a while and i might be here for the rest of my time. 6 days ago, just as I was contemplating where to go next a strange thing happened: I was sitting in the shade of the first fort gate, everything is a monolithe and this was no exception. My backpack was on and I was waiting for 2 friends I had just met. We were planning to go and play frisbee down by the lakeside. The lake itself has massive catfish in it. You can feed them bread and they go crazy! Anyways, I was sitting there, wondering how I was going to get back into the desert.
I just finished a camel safari 2 days before, it was a blast. But I had the idea in my head to truely get out. Out to the nomadic people who wander all winter, moving from place to place with their goats. The other idea was to head north, to Punjab. I hadn't made a decision but I was ready.
A man approached me and began talking, before I knew it he was offering to take me into the desert. For only 300 rupees a day. But for some reason, when a friend of his showed up on a motorcycle he passed me along to him. We exchanged a few brief words and then we were off. On the back of his motorcycle. He took me to his house, which is where I am staying now. I am learning, albeit slowly, the local language: Marwari and Hindi, learning two languages at once sucks, but I can't convince Tara, the man whose family I am staying with, to teach me one or the other. Since the first day, I have been on to many adventures to count. I went to see a gypsy village, took part in the wedding ceremony for his cousin, helped another one of his cousins out on his farm. It included working until 1 in the morning using a giant threshing machine to process the harvest, and we went lizard hunting.
I am safe and in good hands :D I know some people might worry, but everything is fine. Tara took me into his home because as he told me, it was gods will that we met at the time that we did. His family doesn't have much. But enough to share their home with me. it is just like being on exchange again. I am here because I want to sink into the culture and learn what it means to live in this desolate place. As a tourist, hopping from sight to sight, I only could glaze over what was actually happening. Now I am taking the opportunity to really sink in and learn from another culture. I am not commited to anything, but so far everyone in Tara's family has been so kind to me. His youngest son is just starting to get over me, until today, he would cry every time I walked within 20 feet of him...
Who knows how it will pan out. Tara's family are desert people, like everyone else. Tara speaks English because he used to be a camel driver who took people out on safaris. His family has a farm out in the desert, in a town with no electricity where the houses are made from dung, sand and stone. This is the India that I have only seen from a distance, but I hope to live it. I will do my best to keep everyone informed about my adventures. I am even worse at taking pictures. but even so all of my photos are on flickr.com under alexlandt. You can search me out and check the photos out!
Thank you for reading!

part 2

I'm not sure if I said in the last post that Gangaram invited us to see his cows in the morning and get some fresh milk. And he told us that we were going to have a party the next evening on top of the mountain.
Well, the next morning Chris and I wandered around the outskirts of town looking for his cows. We ended up making it to his gate but since no one was there we thought we'd missed the place. No, it turns out he was just late, by 45 minutes. But if I've learned one thing here, it's that nothing seems to work out the way you imagine it will. When we saw him he was carrying a bag of grain for the cows on his head. I do not understand how the people are so good at carrying things on their hear. I can't do it at all. His mother came shortly after. They let the cows have some milk and then in a flash both were milked in a little over 10 minutes. We both got a cup of milk. It was much less creamy than I imagined. But being cows that have to forage on desert scrub. I guess it isn't too surprising. With a glass of milk for breakfast we headed towards the other mountain top temple. It was time to take on the bigger one. We saw many monkeys and had to battle our way through the throngs of pilgrims, but we made it! At the top we had an even better vista than at the other temple. There was a cafe at the top, that served only chai. So of course we got a steaming cup of burnt chai! At one point I looked up and noticed hundreds of butterflies. they were small and white, and cruising. I've never seen a butterfly migration before, but it was what I assume one looks like. Chris made comment as they were passing how butterflies always seem so light and fragile. But these were flitting their way along, hundreds of feet in the sky.
When we got back into town Chris and I split our ways for a little while. I went to one of the only temples to Brahma in the world. Got pushed and shoved by women in multicolored saris and did a ceremony with a brahmin at the lake in the middle of town.
Chris and I bought some fruit and went back to the mountain top. It was a party... Indian style. We took part in the pooja which was a riot. It was loud and proud! Gangaam played the drums while a friend did most of the chanting. I didn't understand it mcuh but my ears were sure singing from standing in the little room. Gangaram had told us music, and that was it. Shenkar had to walk back down the mountain to get things for dinner., He told me that tonight it would be even better than before, because he'd been preparing the food in his mind since the morning :D Dinner was the same as the night before, but with a couple of added touches. We ate happily and watched the fireworks display from down below. Since I've been in India there have been fireworks almost every night. and their not even bottle rocket status. But full on bombs.

Busses and a story

The night bus was an adventure, 8 hours of the bumpyest ride I ahve ever been on. Chris and I were in the back of the bus and we were catching air while we tried to sleep. I am in Udaipur, which is a beautiful city. We are in a hostel in the tourist quarter of the city. There are more tourists here than Indian people... at least it seems that way.
It is pouring outside, for some reason I have brought the rain wherever I ahve been. When I was in Ecuador a month and a half ago, it was raining on the coast at a time when no rain was supposed to be falling. Then when Becka and I went to L.A. it rained as well. Now in India, it has rained in almost every city I have been too. The local people have been saying things like "this is the first time it has rained like this during the Camel Festival in 25 years." Actaully, the guy in the internet cafe is telling another guy that it never rains in November and December, and yet it is pouring. I'm glad I brought rain gear.
And now for a story, I've been promising one of these for a while. And since it is raining, and I'm exhausted from hiking around the hills yesterday I'll tap away at the keyboard while the rain rolls down the cobblestone streets in sheets.
A week ago or so, Chris and I went to Pushkar to the camel fair. We spent the day wandering around the camel fair gawking at the camels. There were also many horses, and cows that were being traded. One kind of horse, Malawari (spelling?) are beautiful and huge horses, there was one that was going for $120,000 abouts. Anyways, Chris and I decided to hike up a small hill outside of town and check out the temple on top. The hike was more of a walk but when we got to the top it was dark out and we were the only people up there. We walked into the little temple and the Baba( holy man) was in the room with one other guy. We walked in and sat down in front of the little shrine. The other man was named Gangaram, he was very talkative and we passed through the, "what's your name?" and "where are you from?" questions quickly because he spoke quite well. I learned that he was the caretaker of the little shrine. There were crickets everywhere, and well they were hopping into our clothes at various times creating a very animated conversation. I later learned that after the harvest the crickets have no where to live so they come to the cities and inhabit every crack. I have never seen so many crickets. Gangaram invited us to dine with everyone and we had the local dish of bati and dhal. It was very good, and probably the spiciest thing to ever pass my lips. The baba's forehead was covered in sweat. If it was too spicy for an Indian it should have been much to spicy for us. Bati is corn flour made into balls and is quite tasty. The cook Shenkar was a funny guy who spoke almost no english, but the little that he did know was hilarious. He told us some jokes that other tourists have taught him. most were raunchy, and I'm not sure if he totally understood their meaning. After dinner Gangaram invited us to the fair grounds. Shenkar and Gangaram led us to a chai shop where we met some of his friends. At this point it was a party. Gangaram was a people magnet. Soon we had a crowd around us just because of the mix of Indians and Foreigners. He invited some french women to join us and then the stories of broken English and Hindi began. The best part of the whole thing was that Gangaram kept on ordering Chai's for people and then as we were leaving he told me that I was paying for it... haha! I paid, he fed me dinner so I wasn't going to complain.

Thus Far... Everthing has been nuts

I am having the time of my life. This is the adventure that I was really needing to do. I am doing too much to be able to describe the day to day things that I have been doing. But I am going to try to tell each "adventure" as best as I can. Everyday is an adventure. Almost every mundane thing you can imagine, like getting something to eat means getting some totally new looking and tasting dish for dirt cheap.
I am in Bundi, soon to leave on a night bus to Udaipur. I have been told that 10 people die every night in India on the roads. This is because the people drive just as crazy as in the day, and many do not have lights. The bus ride here was like being hand washed by the many Indian women I see scrubbing and bashing clothes against rocks to wash them. It was that bumpy.
Chris, a friend from Ashland who I'm traveling with, and I had to dry our clothes inside our room because the monkeys would take them. The owners of the place have two guns to shoot them. The monkeys here have adapted to living amongst the humans, they sleep in the hills around town and come down in the day to forage.
This trip is amazing. There is no real way to convey this experience without actually being here. Many times it feels like a whole new world. Standards just aren't the same here. I am exhausted, I have a bus to catch tonight and we rode 30 kilometers to a waterfall in the desert today.

New Delhi

I am in the hustle and bustle of new Delhi! I flew from Goa to New Delhi last night and today I will catch a train to Rajistan. On the plane I met Stephen, a German who imports Indian crafts to Germany. He took me under his wing and save me from my sure to be crash landing. My original plan was to arrive in New Delhi and catch a train directly to Jaipur. But that proved to be a fools dream. I haven't been planning almost anything on this trip, just trying to wing things and go with the flow. Sitting next to Stephen was a godsend. He has been traveling in India for the past 10 years. He told me that there was no way I was going to make the train and that the office to buy tickets closes at 8. I made it into the office at 5 'till and bought my ticket for 3 PM today.
Stephen took me out to eat and told me amazing stories about India. The street where I am today has actually been widened in the last year. Slowly the vendor crept their shops into the street for the last 30 years and the government came in just this last year and made them all move back. He told me how every time he comes things have changed and it is hard to recognize some things. He is so inspired by this country and the people that it rubbed off on me.
The city is so alive. I ate out on the street this morning for less than a dollar and I feel better than I have felt this whole trip. The first week was hard because I didn't have my stuff and I just couldn't jive with the party vibe of Goa. I spent last night literally in a whole in a wall room, Harry Potter style. There is a bed and a tiny bathroom and that's all. I am going to pack my backpack and catch the metro train into old Delhi, wander around and catch my train. The adventure seems to be just beginning!

Goa isn't India

Hello everyone! I have had quite the adventure with much, much more to come. I have been in Goa, India which is on the bay of Bengal in southern India for 6 days. I've spent most of those six days sitting around acclimating in one pair of clothes. My backpack didn't make it on the flight from Denver to Newark and I only received it yesterday. Now that I have my bag I realize that I've brought way to much stuff. Everyone told me that I wouldn't want to bring much, but really what they were saying was that here, you don't have to bring anything. Everything can be bought in India for almost nothing.
Goa is an international party scene, who would have thought, there are people from all over the world here to party with people from all over the world. I've mostly been relaxing because there is yoga at 8:00 AM every morning which I have been going to daily. Anjuna, which is in the province of Goa is actually known specifically for a certain party spot known as The Hilltop, I have yet to make it up there.
One thing that is absolutely hilarious is that i brought my high powered laser pointer to India thinking it would be all that. It turns out you can buy the exact same ones for a quarter of the price. At night you can see the beams slashing through the sky. Anjuna is full of tourists, there are more tourists than locals it seems. The combination of beach and party has brought people together, Obama should really come and check it out!
Today, I went to the Anjuna market, it is a very famous goods market that happens every Wednesday. Think Oregon Country Fair mixed with Indian subcontinent. It was crazy. In this one market I literally could probably have bought everything I have in my bag. They were selling fake North Face backpacks, Kashmiri shawls, drums, toys, jewelry, clothes, fake antiques among the multitude of colors and smells. I didn't buy a single thing. I have too much stuff already, so why buy something else, and besides, every tourist here has the same Om patterned shirt and Thai wrap-around pants. But don't worry, when i come back to the U.S. I will be sporting every bright color and wacky pattern that I can find here. I'll just buy it all in a few months.
India is really something else, nothing like anything I've ever experienced. I asked for an adventure, and that's what I got. I have had some interesting things happen to me so far. The one that really jumps into my mind is that I've been banned from a restaurant here, basically I ordered a dish with crab. The crab was so small, smaller than anything I've ever been given before. These crabs were seriously had almost no meat on them. So I asked if they could make me something else. There was a little discussion between me and the waiter and they said yes. I didn't even get to pick what they made, they just gave me pasta. So I ate the pasta and when the bill came both things were on the bill. I told the waiter and he got it the crab dish erased but didn't change the total. I was eating with three french guys who don't speak the greatest english, the bill's total didn't add up correctly at that point and they asked the waiter about it before I got a chance to explain what had happened. Before I knew it, this British ex-pat was getting in my face telling me that no one complained before about the food, and began to yell at me. I was trying to explain what had happened but he didn't have any of it. The situation ended with him telling me to fuck off and saying that I had to pay for both dishes. To say the least i was startled, so I just paid for the bill and left. Today I went into the same bar with a new Swiss friend to play chess and the same Ex-pat, I'm assuming he's the owner, got in both of our faces telling us we had to leave... So far I've made more people angry in one week than I have in over a year, and all in the name of adventure.

First Impressions

India is a whole different world. Here's some of my first impressions.

1. The head wobble is awesome body language, everyone wags their head from side to side when they are in agreement or to say "yes"?
2. It seems to be a habit of drivers to drive across the median rather than in their lane.
3. Indian public restrooms smell like Indian food...
4. Everyone wants to be "my friend" and sell me whatever they possibly can.
5. Indian people are genuinely friendly and nice if you can get past their first attempt to sell you stuff.

So far I am loving the adventure. Without going to much into detail, traveling was hectic as always. It took 2 days to get here, over 20 hours on a plane. Today is my first day in India. I am in a very touristy area which is nice for my transition time. My backpack disapeared somewhere between Colorado and Mumbai, so I don't have my stuff.
I met a Japanese traveler and we are sharing a house together for about $8 a night. He doesn't speak much english and I don't speak japanese, nonetheless we are enjoying each others company.

Love to Everyone!

More blog posts to come!

Why India!?

Many people have asked me, "Why India?" To be honest, I have answered this question a hundred different ways. But, I have boiled it all down to a few reasons.

1. Why not!? My goal is to go on the wildest adventure possible, and well India is pretty wild if all the tales hold true.

2. After taking Tom Ward's Permaculture Course I want to go to a place that needs it most. India has been devastated by the use of agrochemicals and much of their water is dependent on snow melt from the Himalayas. With climate change, depletion of their aquifers and loss of topsoil combined with one of the fastest growing populations India is in need of another agricultural revolution.

3. I've decided that I want to be a an Adventurer as my profession. So this will be my introduction into a new way of living :D

4. My knowledge of India is extremely polarized. I know of the Taj Mahal, and I also know about the slums, it is also a place that I is romanticized in my mind. I am going there to make my own conclusions and see the world in a totally new light.

What I Think

I wrote this over 2 years ago, before I went to Ecuador on Foreign Exchange. I think this sums up many feelings that I still believe in.

"One of my personal goals while I'm away is to learn as much as I can about the world throught the lense of an Ecuadorian. I have grown up in Ashland, so no matter the situation I can only at it through one lense. That of a sixteen year old born and raised in Ashland. Lets get serious, Ashland is a small insulated bubble completely separate from what goes on around the world. So my logic is that by living in Ecuador for 10 to 11 months will allow me to have two perspectives on life. This will give me a greater scope of understanding and allow me to make better decisions on a more global level. In this global world where we interact with people on all corners of the planet it is necessary to have a global consciousness. This concsiousness must transcend government, cultural and language barriers.

The only way we can kill another human being is when we demonize them and take away their humanity. If everyone thought of everyone else as human, just the same as their brother, sister or neighbor, than maybe there would be no more wars. It's a tough concept and a lofty ideal but that is my reason for having a blog. Through my eyes hopefully anyone who would like to know more about Ecuador and how an American boy will live there will be able to get all their information in one place."