What Just Happened?!

myself 'what just happened?' and i still dont have an answer. but this is what i can think of at an internet cafe in bangkok:

im incapable of comprehending my fortune. i have just had a chance to do something most people cant imagine. the trip has been more fun than i can handle. if learned so much about myself and the world around me, i will never be the same person again.

Roarke and i will return dirtier than ever. countless stains and a permanent odor fallows us everywehre. neither of us can wait to shock the States with our re-entry.


(... thanks for fallowing)

Life at Tonsai

Life is fun and easy. the day starts as soon as direct sun hits the bamboo fort roarke and i sleep in. we usually wander down to the beach and buy a cheap (yet delicious) breakfast of fruit musli and yogurt. the rest of our day unfolds itself. i climb, run, and hang out with the awesome people that live here. we are trying to learn all the fun thai tricks that make beach life easier.

i hope everyone has a glorious thankgiving. im excited to celebrate my thanks, because im just begining to understand how fortunate i am.

India/Nepal = great success... now Thailand

wow, i have not been good at keeping up on the blog, so i'll try to give some sort of summary. the national park was phenominal. There were almost no tourists. this was great, becasue the annoying Euro-pop crowd got reall old on the trek. we went on a raft safari, camped in the jungle, and played daily soccer games with the local kids and soldiers. it was an absolute blast. it was capped off with an 18 hour bus ride throught the night. spending 18 consecutive hours on top of a nepali bus is an experience everyone should have. im not sure if its the craziest or just the worst time of the trip, but it is certainly memorable.

we made it back to kathmandu after the first week of november. it was nice to be in a big city that isnt in India. it was hectic and crowded, but was say less dirty than anything in india. we flew from kathmandu straight to bangkok on a comfy 2 hour plane ride. it was really weird to cover such a huge distance so quickly. we spent one night in bangkok, just long enough to get a bus out of the city.

we ended up going to tonsai beach in the south. it is excellent. it truely feels like a tropical paradise. we are surrounded by huge rock formations protruding from the ocean. there is rock climbing and climbers everywhere. it feels like a good place to stay; i think we will. i am running out of money now, but i think i'll be ok. 2-3 months of travelling has taught me how to live cheaply abroad. ive got one month to strech the rest of the money, because a month from today, i'll be on a plane home. crazy, eh?

onward to bardia (narnia?)

the winds have blown again and we are headed to bardia national park. it is waay of the beaten path, and apparently pretty empty. tomorrow we head for an epic bus ride. it leaves at 1pm and gets to the park at 6am the next day. im excited about the night spent on the roof of the bus and elephant rides.

the trek

trek was out of this world. it covered so much ground, watching the ethnic and bio-diversity change was incredible. collin (the canadian friend we picked up in india) roarke and i started in besisahar after another cramped bus ride. as usual, none of us had done our homework. we really didnt know where to go or who to fallow. but after a while we made it out of the town and on to a path winding its way through rice patties. we quickly realized we were not the only people doing the trek, but there were more than enough guest houses and restaurants along the way. we cracked the guidebook and map after the first day of walking hoping to have some sort of idea for day two. we quickly learned that we would be walking through "healthy marijuana fields". the map and the book were not lying. it was some of the most surreal walking i might ever do. we walked for days through rainforest jungle into pine forests and eventually to high mountain terrain with healthy marijuana fields fallowing us through it all. it was also really interesting to walk from villiage to village, watching hindu temples turn into tibetan buddhist prayer walls as we gained elevation and got closer to tibet. but some of the villiage life was bitter-sweet because its hard not to imagine everybody's life without the mass influx of rich white trekkers. i definately learned that the ethics of eco-tourism are more complicated than i realize. that being said, the enire villiage seen was a blast to be a part of.

we budgeted terribly for this part of the trip. everything is so much more expensive when you get off roads. so, we ended up skipping meals to save money. a lot of the walk was hungry, but i think it builds character or something.

the mountians were certainly the best part of my trek. the scale of the mountains boggles my mind. it was so much fun to spend days walking in valleys looking up at 8000 meter peaks. the altitude was something i had not encountered before either. the day before we hiked through the highest mountain pass in the world, we slept at 14,700 feet (higher than i had ever been before). getting up to 17 and 18 thousand feet and looking at the worlds highest peaks was a magical experience. i tried to run at the pass itself and failed miserably. ive never had lactic acid build up and my breath disappear so quickly. but we were all lucky, the altitude didnt do much besides make us breathe more. 2 people died on the trek while we were walking due to altitude sickness. that reality check enforced the awe that all the mountains here already have.

the hike down the other side was much different. the trail becomes a road. consequently, there are a lot of buses, the food is cheaper, and souvenir vending is a much bigger part of life. with some of the magic of the hike lost on this side, we took a bus back to pokhara yesterday. i thought that indian trains were crazy, they seem boring when compared to nepali bus rides. we rode the roof for 5 hours of bus 4-wheeling yesterday and its crazier words can describe.

all the plan now is to eat lots of food and do laundry. who knows where we are headed? maybe more trekking, maybe elephant and rhino bathing at chitwan national park, the highest bungee jump in asia? i think we'll try for some combo before november 9 when we head to thailand.

finally made it to NEPAL

the final day in rishikesh was great, we visited The Beatles' ashram. it was the ashram that they escaped to in india to research indian philosophy and music, creating the white album. the abandoned ashram was almost spooky at points, but seeing where they stayed was awesome. exploring the meditation hut number 9 also gave some good visuals to a cooky song.

after leaving rishikesh, the fun was over. the 15 hour train towards the nepali boarder was overbooked. this ended up with everyone sleeping on floors, backpacks, and other people. we met up with our funny ashram friend, colin, in Gorakpur. we then needed to catch a 2-3 hour car/taxi ride to the boarder. after circling the downtown area for more than an hour in one taxi, we realized that we needed to change cars. this resulted in an intense jump on the top of a moving taxi, to grab our bags from the roof of the car. none of this was fun, and did not make the taxi driver happy at all. our second car broke down in the middle of the drive after the price of the ride was raised after we had found our seats. getting to the boarder was chaotic (overall, an accurate description of Indian life in general).

getting from the boarder, sunali, to pokhara was an entirely different battle. we got on the public night bus that takes anywhere from 6-15 hours. i cannot remember or imagine a ride as uncomfortable as this bus ride. crowded doesnt begin to explain the bus. people laid on eachother in the asile as i sat pinned against a leading window and a metal pipe. there wasnt enough room for my legs, torsoe, or head. it is a good thing that i have a sense of humor, because it was truly terrible. as always, it is already fun to look back and laugh at the situation.

we (myself, colin, and roarke) arrived in pokhara this morning without anything that resembled sleep. but once arriving in hour hotel, life got better. now i have had a meal, taken a shower and a nap, all is well. we are gearing up/planning for the annapurna circuit trek. it should be phenominal. seeing the annapurna range this morning from the bus took my breath away, so i cannot imagine what it will be like to spend 20 days walking around it.

all is well that ends well. im comfy and happy now, and VERY excited for the trek ahead of us.

Ashram life

For waking up every morning and running a half liter of salt water through your nostrels for 'cleansing', the ashram was was pretty amazing. it was an entirely different pace of life. india seems to be a crazed country full of total chaos, but the ashram was the complete opposite. our daily schedule consisted of:
530 wake up
600 meditation class
645 sing mantras
700 nasal cleansing
715 breathing excersises
830 yoga class
900 breakfast
1030 contemplative walk
1230 lunch
200 tea time
300 lecture and discussion
400 yoga class
630 temple ceremony ( a drum circle basically)
730 dinner
830 meditation
1000 bed

after living in for a month with absolutely no rules, expectations, or obligations, the ashram life was a pleasent break. i was astonished how different the world is when my mind has a chance to calm down a little bit. we were entirely silent from wake up through lunch. total silence is weird. i dont think ive ever deprived myself of speech like that. after a while without communication, i thought in ways i had not before. i am hugely grateful for the new perspective on life that silence/ashram life gave me. i enjoyed the silence so much, i extended my personal silence time through the afternoon and dinner. overall, the ashram was an awesome experience and i met some really cool people there.

but now it is time to say good bye to india. roarke and i are headed to nepal tomorrow to do some trekking in the anapurna region with our new ashram friend colin. so we are headed right into the hectic and filthy train life tomorrow as we ride to nepal-india boarder. like always, our hopes are high.

Checking into an ahsram

we have made it to Rishikesh safely. from delhi it took a 4am taxi ride, a 12 hour train, 2 rickshaws, and a 3-4 mile walk. the capital of yoga is pretty impressive. there are ashrams people meditating everywhere. the city that we got to is really buisy. we wanted to find an ashram, but the city had some crazy hectic energy so we didnt sight up for anything immidiately. yesterday we walked up the ganges river. it was really cool. we were walking into the base of the himilayas. we swam with a bunch of kids at a bridge and ran into an american gap year program. the ganges and the himilayas are incredible. after a long walk we ran into a secluded and quiet ashram on the shore of the ganges. after talking with the head of the ashram, we signed up immidiately. im excited about the yoga classes, meditation classes, guided relaxation, breath-awareness class, 6 hours of speech-less silence, and hanging out with olded bearded gurus. we check in tomorrow at 1pm. it is so strict and organized i kind of feel like i am checking into rehab. so good bye for the next week.

Enroute to Rishikesh

38 hours on a train is plenty of time. roarke and i just got to new delhi this morning around 6am, checked into some nasty downtown guest house, and are now wondering around delhi. i have discovered that travelling itself is a fun adventure. i spent probably 10 hours standing at an open doorway on the train and watching the country roll by tree by tree. it was a good place to think. and with nothing else to do, i did a lot of thinking. the only downside of standing/leaning out of the train to breath fresh air was that occasionally i got hit by stuff. once and a while there was a spray of liquid that would hit me at 50-60 miles an hour. i had nothing to do but think, so i came to the conclusion that i was being hit by bathroom liquids for hours. oh well.

rishikesh should be great. as my mom just informed me through here email, it is the yoga capital of the world. so i plan to do some yoga there. apparently you can live at an ashram for a week and live under strict rules and do nothing but yoga/meditation. it sounds cool and i hope it works out. we get on a 5am train to get to rishikesh tomorrow morning. fingers crossed....

Hampi is still the best

Hanging out in Hampi is an unfair amount of fun. i'm having so much fun, i figure that i must be cheating the system somehow. Roarke and i have been able to find i rhythm of life here that is perfect. the last week or so have been great. we have explored all of the temples imagineable, climbed a bunch of rocks, and hung out with a lot of cool people. the last week has been almost entirely climbing and hiking around the huge granite boulders, rice fields, palm trees, and dirt roads. we were able to rent a crash pad from a local guy, allowing us to get a little more aggressive with our climbing. its been really fun, i have definately improved my climbing skills in the last week. in retrospect, it seems like we havent done that much. but, we are having too much fun here to think about stopping. but, i can feel that the time is coming to get back on the road to travel.

currently we are looking for trains to get north. eventually, we would like to end up trekking in nepal by october. but that is too far in advance for us to plan, so we are looking at 40 hour train rides to new delhi. after that loongggggggg ride we would hope to head to the town of rishikesh. we have heard great things from fellow travellers and the source of the ganges river has to be cool.

as our fantastic extended stay in hampi is comming to an end i am excited about all the adventures i have ahead of me. north india and nepal sound awesome and travelling is always a good experience. im always trying to keep in mind how lucky i am to be having fun, staying safe, and staying healthy.

Hampi is the best

Getting to Hampi from Goa was super easy once we got on the train. the ride went through some of the most spectacular green rice fields, jungles, and waterfalls i've ever seen. everything on the train was pretty dirty and smelled like sweat and poop, but ive gotten used to the smell a little bit. and i still haven't been sick at all here, so the weird smells are less scary and gross.

Hampi might be one of the greatest places to be in the world. Hampi Bazaar is a small bustling town covered with vendors, restaurants, ancient ruins, elephants, and monkeys. this is where we are currently staying for about $4 dollars a night. 30-40 miles of huge granite boulders, slow moving rivers, and ancient Hindu, Muslim, and Christian ruins surrounds us. We are having an absolute ball. yesterday we wandered through enormous temples with ornate carvings on every granite pillar to a swim spot we found on the river. it has gotten really hot here anytime after about noon. so, swimming is a necessity. then, we found some great boulders to climb in the shade. Hampi has definitely made it worth bringing my climbing shoes in my backpack. i'm still not very good at bouldering, but there is plenty of time and room for practice here. I was also able to go on a run through some banana feilds, satisfying some of my primal needs. I really enjoyed the run and can guarantee more.

I am becoming a bigger part of the 'asian backpacking community here'. its pretty fun. there are a handful of European backpackers that are doing the exact same thing as us. we've met up with two British girls that we originally met in Goa. we've spent the last few days exploring and climbing with them. it is really nice to share our excitement of adventure and love of this place with new friends.

The plan today is to rent bikes, for about 60 cents, and bike around the greater area trying to explore all of the ruins that we can. We did this a little last night as the sun set. it was awesome. the scale of the buildings and the fact that they seem to be everywhere that we go makes this extremely fun to explore.

we are thinking of moving away from the center of the the town, across the river, to a much mellower scene. the guesthouse would be a lot cheaper and there will be a lot less tourist-related vending. also, that is where international bouldering competitions happen. 'The Hampi Boulders' are calling our names.

we have little to now plan to leave this place any time soon. it is too much fun to want to go anywhere else. i figure that the two biggest worries i have are: what curry to eat, and watch out for monkey attacks. the only sort of plan i have is to get to Nepal by october. we'll worry about travel arrangements later, because we are having too much fun to think about anything else.

The last week was great. Getting out of Mumbai was the best thing that could have happened sooner. as soon as roarke and i got to Goa, everything got better. after arriving in the tourist destination, we realized that tourist destinations arent entirely bad. before i left, i wanted to go places where no tourists went. this is a terrible idea. the label 'tourist destination' simply means that people want to go there. there were plenty of places to stay and things to eat. the intensity of our surroundings and my internal stress level decreased immediately.

for the first two nights, we were staying at a hotel near the beach that was out of our price range. the beach was covered in garbage swept up from the ocean and busy with traffic walking up and down it. This was where we first encountered people begging for our money. a friend that helped us find our way explained, "an american is an atm to an indian". this couldnt have been more true. saying 'no thanks, im ok' gets hard when everyone is constantly trying to sell you jewelry and t shirts. with the ups and downs of staying in a tourist spot well understood, we hiked along the undeveloped rocky shore to the north. we discovered a much mellower beach and town. we wandered down to buy some water and quickly decided that we should stay there. the next day we hiked through the small roads with our backpacks to Anjuna.

we stayed at a place called 'Curlie's'. it had a guest house about 300 yards from the beach for about 6 dollars a night and a beachside restaurant in the sand. nobody was there to sell you anything and there was little trash covering the beach. while relaxing in this village, still recovering from the hectic Mumbai days, we couldnt help but befriend people. Everyone wanted to take our picture, talk with us, and invite them to their houses. at first, we were very skeptical that everyone was trying to scam us or kidnap us. after one invitation, we decided that we trusted these people enough for them to pick us up and go to their house for dinner. we rationalized the decision this way: there is no way that it wont be a good story, and we will bring our leatherman multitools (knives). roarke summed up our fear well by questioning the use of the small pocket knives, "they won't be much good when we are in their cages." but dinner went well. we learned a lot of hindi words and customs and watched cricket and bollywood in their house.

we have just taken 4 or 5 buses to get to a train station in Margao. Margao is terrible and leaving tomorrow morning will be great. we are headed to Hospet and then to Hampi. Hampi should be great. we've heard great things: cheap rooms and food, sacred temples, 'the best sunset in india, rock climbing, and cliff jumping. our hopes are high and we are wishing for the best.

I am here now. Travelling to India went relatively smoothly. After a wild afternoon in Amsterdam, we took a plane to Mumbai. We arrived in monsoon rains that flooded the streets into rivers. Also, there was a big festival for Ganesha (the elephant one). and apparently, nobody works on that day. so, roarke and i were 'helped' by someone who contacted our hotel arrangements and informed us that the reservation was not until the next day. so we got into a strange taxi and drove for about 15 minutes in the flooded streets. This was terrifying, we were not sure how badly we were getting conned. but when we checked in at a new hotel at 1am, we had to pay $100. we fell asleep slowly, not sure of what just happened and i had trouble controlling my nerves. at this point i was genuinly unhappy and scared about what had happend and what could have happend. but the next morning, this morning, was much better.

as the morning light illuminated the world around us, we saw where we where. we looked out of the decrepid hotel building onto the slums of Mumbai. It was undoubtedly surreal. Roarke and i stared out of our dirty window on the sixth floor on a busy 4 lane road and the tarp covered slums. in the first five minutes of staring in awe out the window we saw people driving and walking through the streets with purpose. there was constant movement and bustlying with a few exeptions, a few people pausing to pee against a wall on the sidewalk and someone pooping in the gutter. but odly enough, the high spirits of the young day kept me going. after an interesting omlette sandwich, we called hotel midland (the hotel we were sapossed to stay in) only to discover that we had a succesful reservation the entire time. so, we got picked up and taken to our pre paid room in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. it is outrageous. the smells, the sounds, the colors, the people are unlike anything i've ever incountered. it smells like exhaust, spices, body funk, poop, and rotting food. roarke and i wondered around the bustling city. every tuk tuk (or auto-rickshaw) buzzed by us at speeds that would be frowned upon un the US. We got lots of looks. it is easy to say that were the only white people in this area of Mumbai. i might of seen one when we were walking around, but thats not for sure. after walking around, we returned to the hotel and had some flavourful egg curry on the roof.

tomorrow, we plan to take a minor domestic flight to Goa. apparently it is 'nice' there. i hear it is india 'light'. before i came here i would have frowned un such a tourist destination. but im not now. finding poeple that are also travelling would be nice. it is weird to feel entirely different from everyone around us. the language barrier is prooving to be a bigger deal than i expected. going somewhere that is labelled as a destination for westerners might help with this. my fingers are crossed.

functioning in this environment is much harder than i anticipated. saying totally emotionally stable and sticking to a very fixed budget is prooving to be a challenge. but i feel i will learn how to cope quickly because i have no other choice. missing home, iseasy to do. home is loving and confortable. but i must come to accept that i will not be here forever, and i should enjoy it. I am very lucky to get this chance and determined to enjoy it.

(pardon any errors or typos, internet time is expensive)

Before The Storm

hi, its charlie. i'll be traveling throughout southern asia for the next three and a half months. This trip has been building steam and looming over my head since i got my leave of absence from college last spring. as summer comes to an abrupt end, the culmination of excitement and anxiousness peak. now i am left fidgety and restless. one of the ways that this manifests itself is this blog. 'The Trip' is how i have come to think my newest and greatest adventure. i invite you to fallow me through this trip.