21/03: Varanasi
Music: John Holowach's - A Little Something Strange and Wonderful
(updated blog entry)
Arriving in Varanasi, we knew right away that this was the India we had come to see. After a short rickshaw ride, we were dropped off at the foot of the old city. No autos were allowed in the maze of vividly painted stone buildings towering over the narrow streets. Vendors huddled inside their tiny shops all along the road, chewing tobacco and chatting loudly with neighbors....
20/03: Life at the Station
16/03: Morning in Kathmandu
Music By: Gandharbas Culture & Art Organization
We make the cross country trip from Pokhara to Kathmandu without any problems. The drive is foggy and we can't see much further than the edge sheer cliffs to either side of the narrow road.
16/03: Jaipur. Galta Palace
15/03: Jaipur: Kite Festival
The Taj Mahal still in our thoughts, we set off for Jaipur. After waking up very early and rushing to the train station, the train was of course 6 hours late. We waited amongst the locals trying to stay warm in the early morning air. Finally the train arrived, and the 7 hour trip to Jaipur was uneventful. The air was warm and the sky was bright by the time we arrived in Jaipur.
12/03: Agra and the Taj Mahal
Music: John Holowach's - Mary Jane's Addiction
Exiting the railway platform in Agra was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Dozens of bodies were strewn across the station floor, completely covered in wool blankets. There was barely room to walk through the exit.
21/02: Ep10.5- The Keris
(continued from Ep10- Singapore)
In Singapore we had the distinct pleasure to literally wander upon a rare ceremony: the cleansing ritual of the keris- the Malaysian and Indonesian dagger. In an obscure part of the Arab distict there was a crowd of people packed tightly around a single large table filled from end to end with some of the most beautiful blades we've ever seen.
The boat ride to Tioman was pretty awesome. We all jammed in to this tiny little rickety boat and it taxied us to the bigger boat waiting in the harbor. Lot of old westerners w/ kids freaking out on the tiny boat- but we thought it was cool. On the way to Tioman, we cruised by all of these tiny islands on the 2 hour journey. They were mounds maybe 100 to 1000 meters long, swooping up at crazy angles and totally covered in lush jungle, besides the deserted, pristine beaches. Then Pulau Tioman loomed on the horizon....
Leaving Singapore was bittersweet. We were excited to get back on the road, but were sad to leave the comforts Singapore provided us (a HUGE thank you, yet again, to Peggy Stephens for giving us comfortable beds, delicious meals, and a wonderful tour of the city.)
14/02: Ep10- Singapore me a drink
Come with us as Dan hops all around the city (and makes an idiot out of himself).
Dan and I were skeptical. We had just left Kuala Lumpur and were not particularly in the mood for another metropolis, especially one as expensive as this port.
Le Village,
By Justin Trauben
In Kuala Lumpur we stayed in an amazing little hostel in China Town called "Le Village." Part backpacker pitstop, part hippy commune, this place had an amazing mix of backpackers and from all over the world. Everyone hung out in the common area and stayed up late every night exchanging stories over a few drinks. There was one downside to "Le Villiage," a small price to pay. It was infested with enormous, nearly indestructible bed bugs that would nibble away at your flesh while you slept. In this episode, Dan wages war against one such bed bug (watch as it bounces off the wall after Dan's first flick, and returns from the spirit world on numerous occasions).
10/02: The Famous Mr. Low
Our first stop in Malaysia is an island in the north-west called Penang- a short ferry ride from our train stop at Butterworth. The island- and the country in general- is an eclectic mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures all smushed together.
Boarding the Qatar Airways jet bound for home was bittersweet. I had just left my simple, care-free, and adventurous lifestyle to return to various commitments I have back in the US. This, compounded with the fact that Dan and Justin were headed to the beach, made it difficult to accept my departure.
Our flight out of Kathmandu was rather uneventful. I had jockeyed for a window seat and had my face pressed against the glass throughout the turbulent lift-off. We emerged suddenly from the dense clouds and everyone on the other side of the plane gasped.
04/02: One Month Anniversary!
We have officially been in Asia for 1 month. What a wild month it has been! India and Nepal are incredible countries. Life there is so different from anything we had ever been exposed to. We've now just flown to Thailand and will be continuing on to Malaysia tomorrow by train. Over the next few months, we want to tour Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Click that "Read more" more link just below me to, um, read more.
Click that "Read more" more link just below me to, um, read more.
We take a break from the road, set up the camera, and decide to have a bit of fun.