Covering Some Ground

Hello again! It's been some time since our last entry... We have covered quite a bit of ground since then. We ended up staying in Varanasi for 2 weeks. We made our little room quite homey, complete with flowers to enhance our views over the Ganges River.

 Varanasi was hard to leave, especially when surrounded by such delicacies as huge lassis (yogurt based drink) so thick they had to be eaten with a spoon. The ceramic cups are fun too, cause when you finish the drink you get to smash the cup.

 Nap-time for one of our local Babas (holy man)....

If anything could motivate a big travel move, it would be India's only Surf Ashram.

3 nights, 2 trains, and a rickshaw ride later, we found ourselves in a little paradise. It was more than worth the long trip! The ashram was not only peaceful, clean (yes! clean!), and beautiful, but the people who run it have big hearts. They immediately made us feel at home, fed us home-cooked meals, and got us in the water soon after we arrived. JB caught some waves, and JL definitely perfected a headstand while on a wave. For real! Unfortunately we don't have action shots 'cause in order to get to the beach we had to paddle across a big river. More surfing to come from Central America!

The ashram was also amazing because it was at a beach with NO ONE else on it. Let me repeat: NO ONE. This is amazing for surfing, and unheard of in India. There are always people in India...but in this little sliver of paradise, the only other people there were also from the ashram. Needless to say, it was peaceful, relaxing, and very special.  We were also able to bike around the sweet little village, take out kayaks, play ping pong, and watch some surf videos. This was a pretty hip place...and of course the sunsets were awesome.

We stayed at the Ashram for 3 nights...just enough time to rest up for the big trip back up north. This time it took us 2 rickshaws (a cross between a taxi/motorcycle/buggie), a bus, 2 trains, a taxi, and a bit of walking, but we got ourselves back up north to New Delhi, where we stayed for 3 nights. The first night we were fortunate enough to stay with a wonderful friend, Rohini, who made our time in Delhi easy by welcoming us into her warm home. We hope to see her again before we leave!

From Delhi we took a day trip to the Taj Mahal. Look how Indian we have become!!!

Well, almost. OK fine, here is a real picture of us:

We also visited the Agra Fort, also built by the same man who built the Taj.

It is customary for women to get henna on their arms and feet.  Here is JB with a "simple" design on her hand.

Indian cities are a bit much, and after just a few days we were ready to head north and breathe in some fresh Himalaya air.

We found a great room in the town of McLeod Ganj that overlooks the valley and into the foothills of the Himalayas.  These pictures are taken from our balcony.

McLeod Ganj and Dharmsala (the closest city) are the home of the exiled Tibetan Government and H.H. Dali Lama.  Tibet is currently occupied by China and has endured their own Holocaust in the struggle to remain free and autonomous.  India has received the Tibetan refugees with open arms and support.  We are just steps from the Dali Lama's home and temple here in McLeod Ganj.  The Tibetan population here embodies the compassion and warmth that the Dali Lama stands for.

We encourage you to read more about the Tibetan struggle for freedom.  Free Tibet (Click Me). 

Winter is ending and Spring is showing throughout the country side.

We are looking forward to another 10+ days in the mountains and we will continue to hope for warm and dry weather, so please think good thoughts. We plan to spend our time doing yoga, becomming professional Tibetan cooks, and walking through the woods.

 After our time here we will begin to transition to the next leg of our journey...Central America!  Lots of love!

Breathing easy(ier)

Dear Kolkata,
We really tried. We tried to love you, and have you love us. We even thought we would stay a few weeks, But it didn't work out, did it? Instead you got us sick, and clogged our lungs with smog and our ears with honking, and really tried our patience with the traffic jams... so bad that we had to get out of cabs and walk instead. So we had to leave you... we still had a good time, and appreciate the good that was there. But we are happy to be in Varanasi instead!


Yes, we ended up leaving Kolkata after being there for about a week.. the traffic and pollution was getting to us! However, Kolkata is one of the last places that still has man-pulled rickshaws. One more thing on the road to add to the taxis, cows, goats, people, motorbikes, regular cars, dogs, and bicycles.

We still managed to have some good times in Kolkata, despite both of us getting a bit sick. And naturally we found more great places to eat, and sit around and drink lots of chai, of course. Dosas are one of our favorites.

We also went to volunteer at the Mother Theresa Mission. It turns out that they have so many volunteers in January that we were only give 2 hour shifts working in a home for hospice patients.

Before leaving, we took a motorbike tour of the city. Among many temples, holy ghats (with goat sacrifices), an artist village, the biggest banyon tree in the world, and the flower market...

This picture is so "India!" Heaps of flowers at the market, clothes hanging on a line to dry, a great example of the classic Indian squat, and a cell phone for good measure.

 We also saw Garbage Mountain.Yes, that hill is all garbage.

40,000 people live and work around here, collecting "all" of the garbage from the city and then breaking down what they can, even composting to fertilize the farms below. This is only a small section of the mountain, and apparently there are 4 or 5 of them! Soooo, seeing as how this was a tour "highlight," we decided it was time to leave Kolkata.




Varanasi is another world entirely. It's a city that epitomizes why India is often referred to as the "Land of Contrasts." Chaotic yet calm, very dynamic,and colorful. Somehow it also feels peaceful, even among the dogs, cows, goats, chai stalls, flute players, snake charmers, snack sellers, and babas. It's a holy city on the Ganges River, where Hindus come to be cremated before their ashes are put in the river... the same river where people bath, pray, wash clothes, swim, wash their cows, and brush their teeth. We have spent our days drinking chai while watching locals play cricket next to the river or the kids flying kites, walking up and down the ghats (steps leading down to the Ganges), taking a sunrise boat ride, eating amazing food, and even squeezed in massages for JB's birthday.

B-day boat ride

These are placed in the river as an offering at sunrise and sunset

View from the boat

Samosas and other fried goodies at one of our favorite eateries

Behind the river is the old city, filled with small, winding alleyways that are littered (literally) with temples and small statues built into the walls of buildings. Making your way through the alleys is an experience in itself, winding around cows (and their droppings), motorbikes, kids, vegetable sellers, and banana peels thrown by monkeys.

 Every night along the river there are several huge ceremonies complete with music and singing, and priests offering flowers, incense, and candles. The productions go on for over an hour!

Showing off our Indian flag sweatbands, which we wore for the Republic Day holiday (also JB's birthday!)

We will be in Varanasi until Monday, and then are off on a cross country surf mission. That's right, if surf exists in India, Jeremy will find it. We will travel in style on a train south, and then another train west to Mangalore for a few days, and then head back up north to see the Taj before going up to the mountains. Living the dream....!