November 26, 2009 – Day 336 – Benaulim Beach, Goa, India

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a dual-celebration for us. We’re celebrating Thanksgiving and our 8th anniversary! Since we are miles from home, we celebrated in an unusual way. We spent the day on the beach soaking up the sun and warm water of the Arabian Sea. Without a bird in sight, our Thanksgiving feast/anniversary dinner consisted of tuna steak and calamari! It’s hot weather here instead of the usual cool weather we enjoy at home this time of year so we enjoyed a pleasant moonlight stroll along the water’s edge after dinner. What a great way to spend any holiday!

Us!

As close to a bird as it gets

November 21, 2009 – Day 331 – Arambol Beach, Goa, India

After a heart pumping run on the beach this morning, we decided to toss things up with a breakfast of oatmeal with sliced bananas and fresh orange juice. Mmm! There is a huge fruit stand in town that sells everything from green beans and eggplants to fingerling bananas and melons. Everything just seems to taste better here in Goa!

Fishing boats in the morning

November 14, 2009 – Day 323 – Udaipur, India

Today we took it pretty easy since it was another ugly day. We enjoyed a nice view from the rooftop restaurant of our hotel and some good food (chapatti and dal fry all the way–it’s still a bit chilly up here!). We are a bit burned out with India and travelling right now and feeling pretty unmotivated to go about the usual sightseeing and exploring we normally enjoy. But to keep you from going bored to death with us, we promise to go see something tomorrow!

The Palace

October 2-3, 2009 – Day 281-282 – Khajuraho, India

At 6:15AM, we arrived in a tiny town called Setna from which we had to hire a shared jeep taxi to take us the remaining 2 hours to Khujuraho. It was quite a difficult task though we evenutally got someone to take us and another couple we met at the station for Rs. 150/pp (US$3/pp).

It's a parrot, what did you think it was.

October 1, 2009 – Day 280 – Varanasi, India

With nowhere to go and nothing really to do, we spent the day hanging around the quiet ghat between Small Burning ghat (where they burn the bodies of the deceased and the ashes are swept into the river) and Assi ghat. It was a nice place away from the smoke.

Universal bath time

September 29-30, 2009 – Day 278-279 – Varanasi, India

Though we have little of interest to write about, we are experiencing our first days of India and trying to adjust to how different and utterly foreign this place feels, looks, sounds, smells, and even tastes.

Tasty clay pot masala

September 20, 2009 – Day 269 – Pokhara, Nepal

A long and arduous climb into the mountains proved another fruitless effort for the Annapurnas in the distance. It was another day too hazy from the heat to afford a view of the snowy mountains. It took the whole day, several handfuls of “cow rocks” (used to ward off mean spirited water buffalo) and lots of rest breaks but we eventually made it to the top of Sarangot.

On the way up the hill

September 11, 2009 – Day 260 – Everest Base Camp, Tibet side

A full day of driving with only a few stops along the way. Lunch was in a tiny unpleasant town with nothing to offer but a warm, cheap meal. We had traditional Tibetan noodles, a kind of thick noodle soup in a yak broth for about $0.45.

Everest at night

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September 9, 2009 – Day 258 – Lhasa, Tibet

Being in Lhasa is literally being in a whole different world. It is absolutely nothing like China and it is difficult to see just why China insists on maintaining ownership over this small, poor region. The people are so wonderful and even though they do stare, they are honestly curious instead of nosy and will return your glance with a big smile.

In the streets of Lhasa

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September 8, 20009 – Day 257 – Lhasa, Tibet

When talking about a place as colorful and detailed as a Tibetan Buddhist temple, how is it possible to describe the interior without pictures? No photos are allowed inside any Buddhist temple and it makes it difficult to fully paint a picture with enough or the right words.

Monk in the temple

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