Incommunicado

Slowly but surely, we are making our way up into the Indian Himalaya. Our first stop was the picturesque town of Shimla. Favored vacation spot of the British Raj from the late 19th century on. This was also where the entire government moved during the hot months and where meetings were held to discuss Partition and the annexation of Pakistan. The town appears to be tumbling down the mountainside and it's enjoyable to while away the time walking through the pines past crumbling, old homes.

Tomorrow we head North-East into the Kinnaur valley (near the Tibetan border), which is surrounded by many 19,000'+ peaks. For the next couple weeks we'll be trekking amidst spectacular scenery in rural areas and will be out of touch, so don't worry if you don't get a response right away.

More stories + photos to come...

Much More than a Pleasant Surprise

(Friday) We ventured to and through Swarg Ashram (Rishikesh) today out the Southern end of town. Walking along the banks of the Ganges, we turned away from the river towards a locked gate with 3 beautiful river-rock towers. A Sadhu (Holy Man) was there as gatekeeper and wanted 20 Rupee (50 cents) for entry. Not a steep charge, but not being a dyed-in-the-wool Beatles fan, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the money to see the infamous Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Ashram where the Beatles had come back in the 60's for some Transcendental Meditation. Darin IS a big fan, so in we went. I was only mildly interested in the decrepit building that stood before us, and waited patiently as Darin explored every room. It was another HOT afternoon, so I was a little dismayed when he then wanted to walk up the curving driveway to see what else was there, but I followed along without protest. Immediately we came to the first of what we came to call "The Beehives". It was a unique, hive-shaped structure - The first floor comprised of a small room (probably for a desk + chair) and separate bathroom, The second floor was accessed by cantilevered concrete stairs that spiraled up to a dome-roofed meditation room with low, arched door. The resonance of an "Om" in there was fantastic! These structures lined the road heading up and were all in a state of abandon. What hadn't been vandalized, the forest was now taking over. NOW, I was intrigued!

As we continued up, we passed through a second gate where more "Hives" were clustered off to the right amidst some trees. As we roamed around them we realized they just kept GOING. We climbed up onto a platform that fronted about four of them and were rewarded with great views across the Ganges to two bathing/ washing Ghats. A woman's singing floating across was the perfect accompaniment to the moment. To the left, an entire FOREST of "Hives", appearing to stack one on top of the other (See Photo). To the right, forested mountains rose up. It was totally surreal! (I know I say this alot, but it's amazing how many wild experiences you have when you're traveling) As we continued up the hill, new architectural treats would present themselves. All beautiful. All Falling to ruin. The jungle reclaiming them. We spent almost 3 hours exploring, until overheated + dehydrated, we returned to town to rejuvenate.

Here's a "link" to more photos

Getting Back in Shape

It's been 8-1/2 months since we cancelled our gym memberships and have been trying to do it on our own. Being pretty religious 5-day/week gym-goers it was a big change. While still at home packing up to leave, we were able to squeeze in a decent workout many days. When we shifted to living out of the truck, the workout shifted to hiking + walking. Next was Europe. We made time when we could - Sometimes 10 min., sometimes an hour, sometimes nothing, but we were doing a LOT of walking - Between 4 and 10 miles a day. Once we hit India though, everything stopped. You just can't DO much in temps over 110F. You can't even walk much. Many afternoons have been spent just laying naked on our bed under a fan after having taken a cold shower just to stay cool. We try to fit 2-3 of those cold showers into our days now just so we don't get heat exhaustion! I remember all those freezing cold nights sleeping in the truck now and it seems like a million years ago... but I digress. Staying in shape. It's really essential as part of your daily routine while travelling long-term to keep you feeling "normal". Especially when you're eating every meal out and it's not NEARLY as healthy as what you'd be cooking at home.

So now we're in Rishikesh, the Yoga capital of the World. Don't ask if it's a self proclamation, but there are a TON of Yoga studios and Ashrams here. For the past 6 days we've been taking 2 Hatha classes a day (only $1.75/ class!) and after the initial soreness, are beginning to finally feel like we're getting back in shape. We can stretch farther, our backs are no longer constantly aching, and despite the heat, we have more energy. "Praise Krishna!" I suppose they would say here. We're enjoying it so much and it's such a chill scene here that we'll stay a few more days before continuing North.

Music Recommendation #1

As we were doing our typical walk home one evening after Yoga from Lakshman Jhula to High Bank, we passed a music store. The song that drifted out was so beautifully haunting and full of yearning that I asked Darin to wait while I went back. A Finnish girl with shaven head and orange robe was sitting there with the shop owner. She turned to me and said "Isn't this amazing!" It truly was. I was transfixed by the music and couldn't even speak until the song was over. The shop owner was a spiritual man, as is most everyone in these holy cities, and he spoke to the girl and I about people's connection to music. About how when a song really moves you it's because you have that song or rhythm inside of you already and your soul is responding to it. Maybe you have this song inside of you too, maybe not, but take a listen and see... Ghazal - "The Rain" - Artists: Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan (Sitar, Vocals), Kayhan Kalhor (Kamancheh), Sandeep Das (Tabla)

The Sacred Ganges

Just a few days ago I witnessed something so powerful and beautiful that I just HAVE to share it... Our first stop out of Delhi was to the holy city of Haridwar. We arrived in the evening and the next day ventured out to the bathing ghats (stepped platforms) on the banks of the Ganges. The main ghat is Har-ki-Pairi (The Footstep of God) which is sacred for the fact that it's where the Ganges exits from the mountains out into the plains + it's power at this point to wash away sins. People make pilgrimages from all over the country to bathe in it's cleansing waters and it's QUITE the scene! I had expected something a bit more serene, but there are people by the 1000's - pilgrims, holy men + beggars mostly (there was hardly another tourist there) and it's got more of a festival-like atmosphere. Many people visit the temple on the hill and we saw many families having their babies heads shaved (Don't ask me!). Sunset though is when the REAL magic happens. Every evening priests perform Ganga Aarti (The River Worship Ceremony) right on the ghats. Music plays on the loudspeakers and priests spin fire while people bathe in the waters. All around me, people were performing their own private rituals before sending out banana-leaf boats filled with flowers and a lighted butter candle onto the river. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of it all and tears began to well up in my eyes. A small girl added a red + yellow smudge to my forehead and I felt at one with the moment and with these people.

Assault on the Senses

For anyone who has never travelled here, India's a little hard to put into words. At least for me, initially, words that make it sound appealing and encourage others to come + experience it themselves. That's because India is a a study in contrasts - Both ugly and beautiful at once. After only 11 days and 3 cities (one of which was Delhi and almost doesn't count), I'm finding it easiest to begin by noting only my sensory impressions.

SIGHT - Brightly colored saris in every shade + design imaginable; Huge, painted Hindu Gods; Gleaming, white temples; Legless beggars; Shantytowns; Sacred cows, moving with the cars down busy city streets; Throngs of people everywhere; Bindi dots; Dung heaps; Glass bangles that sparkle in the sun; Naked holymen painted white, their fierce eyes gleaming; Sunset fire ceremonies on the Ganges

SOUND - Ankle bells tinkling; The chai sellers' call; Horns blaring ceaselessly; Chanting; Bollywood music playing at top volume; Children tirelessly begging for bakshesh (tips); Adults interupting whatever you're doing to tirelessly ask the same string of questions; The Muslim call to prayer drifting through the air; The beating of drums; Laughter

SMELL - Freshly baked chapati; Exotic spices; The noxious aroma of urine; Garbage everywhere; Flower offerings to the Gods; Butter candles; Incense

TASTE - Perfectly ripened Alfonso mangoes; Chana Masala; Uppma with lots of black mustard seeds + ginger; Chai with the PERFECT amount of sugar + cardamom; Mango lassis; Spicy lady fingers (okra); Chai with WAY to much sugar + cardamom; Western food (for a change); Lychees; Samosas

TOUCH - Cool water on hot skin; Cows hair; Grime on my hands that never seems to wash off; The heat of the cleansing flame; A pashmina wool rug; Fine embroidery; Stepping in soft cow dung; Smooth, white marble; My lovers' sweaty kiss

Here's a "link" to photos

Medical Tourism

(Monday) Just got back from unexpected laser eye surgery for moderate lattice degeneration on both my retinas. I have a major headache and feel a bit shaky, but otherwise O.K. That was only the first half of that particular process. I go back Wednesday to finish it. Strange enough, this all started back in SF about a year and a half ago. On my trip to Latin America I had continual problems with my eyes (mostly infections as a result of dust blowing in them through open bus windows and rubbing on my contacts) and upon return began to investigate the possibilities of laser eye surgery. To go back even FURTHER, I've been wearing contacts since I was 13 and after 21 years have decided enough is ENOUGH! This past year I visited three laser centers who all quoted around $6,000 for the advanced Wavefront technology. The benefits of this sound FANTASTIC - Not only will I be able to see without glasses or contacts, but this can also improve my poor night vision AND there's a chance I may even see better than I have in YEARS because it also corrects astigmatism which tweaks your depth of field. So, what's the problem?! Well, I don't know if you caught that price but it's 6K! Not alot, but nothing to sneeze at AND that's enough money to cover you for an entire YEAR travelling in the third world if you watch your budget.

At that point I already knew I wanted to leave again. So, I gave up the dream. At least for a little while, and then I began hearing about medical tourism to Asia. My ears perked up upon learning that India + Thailand are the forerunners of good, cheap service and that more and more people are opting to pay out-of-pocket instead of paying high deductibles or for services insurance doesn't cover. I began to do my homework and by the time we left SF I had found four doctors, all trained in the West and with encouraging websites.

Check out these links for an idea -
www.tourismofindia.com or www.mediescapes.com

Today was the first of my research appointments and it was another scorcher of a day, clocking in at a whopping 42C/110F! I was just happy to be sitting in an air conditioned office! The technician performed ALL the same tests on ALL the same Bausch & Lomb machines as at home. The doctor was professional and matter-of-fact and put me at ease, but... (You knew there was a BUT, didn't you?!) there was a small problem, or more accurately, MANY small problems... many small holes in my retina. Eight to be exact, caused by a combination of nearsightedness + heredity. Not a huge problem NOW, with the advent of lasers, but I can't proceed with the corrective surgery until getting the holes repaired first. This was all determined after the first doctor sent me downstairs for an immediate appt. with a retinal specialist who made the diagnosis. He asks if I want to proceed with the surgery. Of course! When? How about now? NOW?! Yes. Really?! Yes. Well, O.K. I immediately get more dialating drops put in my eyes and am escorted to the next room to lay down. By that point it was already 8:00PM and I was the last drop-in appt. for the day. This man, who was schooled in San Diego BTW, had a wonderful bedside manner, and because we are only in Delhi in transit, spent the next hour with me, WAY beyond the call of duty. He even gave me his mobile number and said "Don't hesitate to call, it's not like the U.S." Darin + I couldn't believe it! The cost for this? Only $160, and that's for two appts. per eye. The cost for the Wavefront surgery? Only $550, for BOTH EYES! Amazing, Huh?! I'm still planning to follow-up with at least one other research appt., well, to do my research, but I DEFINITELY feel comfortable with Dr. Chaudhary and doing it in India in general.

Can you believe this service? Direct Patient - Doctor - Specialist interface with NO insurance B.S. My U.S. insurance didn't cover vision anyway and corrective surgery is also considered cosmetic. I have to wait a few weeks now for my eyes to fully heal, so we'll travel around in the meantime. Stay tuned for the end of the story...

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Our first journey into the Dutch countryside began with a necessary trip down to Den Haag to apply for our India visas. From there Darin, Ken + I took the train to Leiden and rented bikes. It was a cool, overcast day and we bundled up for the ride. Armed with a fantastic map that showed every road and bike trail, and included symbols for tulip fields and windmills, we headed North. Leiden itself is a pretty University town and we wound our way through, over bridges and down lanes. Once out, the countryside opened up immediately into green fields dotted with wild clumps of daffodils. We encountered our first flower field about half-hour out. Not the tulips I had expected, but hyacinth. If you know flowers, you know how fragrant a small boquet of these can be. Now imagine thousands, MILLIONS. They permeate the air with a cloyingly sweet, heady aroma like nothing I've ever experienced! One field soon opened onto the next, and the next - What a sight! Not only were the hyacinth in full bloom, but daffodils, many kinds of narcissus and lilies too. The tulips were JUST starting, but their single buds rose on tall stems, searching for the sun. We cruised along and, toward dusk, reached the town of Lisse where we were hoping to find a room for the night. After checking at the few places in town and finding them all full, we were directed towards the coastal town of Noordwijk. It was cold and beginning to sprinkle by this point so we cycled hard for the next 45 min. on sore butts and lucked out at the second pension we found in town. Relieved, cold + hungry we dropped our daypacks and headed out in search of dinner. Right now, it doesn't get dark in Holland until after 10:00 PM, which can be a problem when you've arrived in a small town after that point. We were beginning to think we might be out of luck until we found ONE Italian restaurant still open. Not only was it good, but one of the best meals I've had since leaving the States! The porcini/truffle raviolis were washed down with a nice bottle of red. We all slept like babies and awoke refreshed, if not a little sore. It was quite cold when we set out that morning and we weren't very encouraged with the aches and pains, but our moods brightened and hats + gloves started coming of the further we got away from the coast. We were in the fields again and the sun was even peeking from behind the clouds. The array of colors and expanse of the fields delighted us and made us eager to discover what lay around the next bend. Our bodies had all had ENOUGH of that hard seat by late afternoon and we had a long way back, so we looped back toward Leiden and vowed to return in a week and check out the progress of the Tulips.

8 Days Later - Amsterdam and visiting with friends occupied much of our time, so now we only had one day left. Ken had left for Berlin, and now Darin + I were on our own again. It was a warm, sunny morning that we took the train to Haarlem. We quickly rented bikes and headed South, hoping to see the Northern reaches of the fields this time. An hour later we were there and surprised at the amount of bike traffic + flurry of activity in the fields. Many of the people cycling appeared not to be locals, but most all were Dutch. For such a small country, it was nice to see them checking things out too! A week with warming weather HAD made a difference and tulips were now blooming by the BILLIONS in huge fields of varying color. What a feast for the eyes! I learned alot about the industry that afternoon as in one field we witnessed people walking through plucking out the oddballs. In another, teams were cutting by hand as tractors hauled off piles of cut blooms. In another, multiple generations of a family were on tractors sorting through the bulbs being dug up. And the most shocking - A machine that was hand-pushed down the rows to decapitate the blooms! (I never knew that was how they keep the energy in the bulbs) Almost every field had SOMETHING going on, but we eventually came across one VAST field - The largest expanse of flowers we'd seen ALL in full bloom by far! The tulips ranged from pink to red to yellow, coral + white, stripped, low, tall - All laid out in wide bands that stretched for what seemed an infinity. Amazing! Everyone that biked past was stopped in their tracks. We stayed and admired it all until, short on time, we made an all-out push to get back to Haarlem just in time to return our bikes. Totally unforgetable!

Here's a "link" to more photos

Holland Whirlwind

What a unique city this is with it's canals + coffee shops. People are friendly and the vibe is laid back. EVERYONE cycles, in cities + in the countryside and bikes can be rented for only 7.50E at any train station. The weather's similiar to Seattle and provides the perfect climate for Hollands' most famous export - Tulips (See Post "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"). We had a WONDERFUL hostess in our friend Karolina who gave us run of the house and let us spoil her (and indulge ourselves) with home cooked meals every night. Our good friend Captain Ken arrived from SF to join us for our entire 2 weeks here. Two other friends, Rich from NYC and Johan from Sweden joined us for briefer periods. Every day we set off exploring the city and were constantly delighted by the uniqueness of it all. Amsterdam is much quainter and fairytale-like than I had imagined. It's masonry buildings line curving canals, dotted with houseboats and crossed by numerous small bridges (some of them old drawbridges). Many buildings tilt at odd, and sometimes precarious angles due to settling. There is a saying - God created the Earth, but Man created Amsterdam. It is a feat of human engineering to have birthed this city from the sea.

Many cities host a big, annual party - Queen's Day. It officially begins on Friday night, but Saturday is the BIG day. EVERYONE is decked out in orange and the streets are packed with people drinking + dancing. There are many DJ's set up all around town - In plazas + parks, on bridges. The canals are JAM-packed with a constant stream of boats, some of which are larger party boats with their own DJ's holding 30-40 people, and some with just a family with kids. At it's peak, one of the main canal intersections got so jammed that people could walk from boat to boat and cross the canal to buy beers. The music was pumping and people were boogying down all the while - Fantastic! (Check out the photo link) Our party of five cruised around with the masses, doing our fair share to add to the merriment. We found ourselves at dusk dancing in an open church courtyard with with 100's of others as the day passed into night, as it passed into our memories of great travel moments. What TRULY made it special though was spending that time with close friends. We hope for more moments to come...

Photo: Complements of Captain Ken