Korea bound

I sit here in a small internet place , waiting for 4:30 to roll around so I can get in a taxi and head to the airport. The last couple of days have been truly hectic...last minute flight from Kathmandu, mobbed by touts India style once again, last minute touring around and shopping, more touts, a final goodbye India fight with a rickshaw driver...did I mention the touts? It was really hard to come back to Delhi from Nepal into a swarm of pushy people and the worst air quality I have ever had the privilige of breathing. I have many thoughts on my trip, most of them great, some bad, but they're good too I think, if you know what I mean. It was phenomenal. Soon I'll be out in the streets again, dodging rickshaws and shit, snarling dogs and people grabbing me for money, oh how I'll miss this place!

Ben

The Annapurna Trek

For those of you reading this wondering where to take your next vacation, read my words in earnest (that was for you Adam) Nepal is where you should be. We should be. Try to imagine the purest version of nature that you can, peppered with people that you never knew existed, cultures so far from your own that you'd swear that you were in another world, sounds and radical groove that make you high, pregnant with everything good, in short, the world through retrospective goggles. My trek started as stated with a bus from Pokhara to the base of the mountain. We walked through meadows, streams, waterfalls, valleys, mules, forests, villages and everything else that nature can present. We stayed at teahouses and lodges along the way which was good because above 2000m it gets pretty damn cold from December on. Every night I would curl up to a hot pot of mint or ginger tea, hover over the fireplace with the other travellers chatting about the day and guessing about the next. By the third day we were in and above the clouds which is a pretty amazing thing. It had snowed the night before we arrived, 2900m high, miles from nowhere, the whole time hoping that I didn't really have to go back.

Altitude affects everyone differently, for myself, it affected me particularly harshly. They say that AMS, or altitude sickness, can be fatal at 3000m. I woke up at Ghorepani at about 2 a.m, confused, dizzy, with an extreme headache and with a heart rate like Lance Armstrong doing the tour on cocaine. I managed to get a guy to track down my sherpa and they assured me that everything was okay. I eventually fell asleep and woke up feeling fine. After breakfast we went up about another 300m to max out at 3200m followed by a short descent when it just smacked me like Cochrane when he caught people trying to sneak a smoke outside after gym class. My heart basically failed which caused weakness that I have never felt before. The scariest thing is that we were 2 days walk from anywhere with a phone. We stumbled into Tadapani and a friendly couple fed me garlic soup and gave me a spot next to the kitchen fire. Not even 20 minutes after I got into bed an Australian doctor came into my room and took my pulse, asked some questions and assured me that the worst had passed. The next night when I had regained my strength we drank beer together and mocked the sickness. When you travel through nature you think that nothing can go wrong. The mountains and trees are our friends. In fact, what happened to me is quite rare at such altitudes, but it happens.

These words cannot possibly describe what I have been through over the past 5 days, good and bad, but rest assured that I have recovered and will be heading back to India in the next couple of days and then on to Korea. We finished off the trek in style with a hair-raising ride ON TOP of the bus luggage rack, screaming down the mountain back to Pokhara. Trekking, travelling, Nepal, India and the whole tour has been king. The Himalayas are one of the things that you have got to see for yourself. Trust me on this one friends.

NEPAL

I arrived in Kathmandu yesterday and quickly arranged a trek. I fell in with an Aussie on the trip so we crashed together, he's doing the Everest Base Camp trek next week. I've decided to do a section of the Annapurna trek which is northwest of Kathmandu. Kathmandu is a huge change from India. High altitude, cooler and a lot moe relaxed. I boarded a bus this morning which was supposed to be 6-7 hours. Before leaving we heard reports that Maoists were seizing buses on the highway to Pokhara, where I am now. We passed the checkpoint no problem but instead got held up for 3 hours by a student demonstration. Despite the roadblock the trip was without a doubt the most beautiful ride I have ever taken. I leave for the trek tomorrow and won't be in contact for at least 5 days. peace.

The road to Varanasi

From Khajuraho I ended up on a 5 hour bus to a small town called Satna. I was due for a 5 hour wait for the train and had to say goodbye to a happy Dutch couple that I had met on the way. As they were running down the platform to catch their train I was pulled into a tourist office by some friendly dudes, telling me to sit down and relax. No complaints. They order food and beer for me but I had to eat and drink in this tiny dark room in the back because it was an 'office' Around 930, closing time, we picked up a bottle off rum and whisky thereby making my 11 hour sleep on the train to Varanasi a smooth one. Varanasi, the holiest of all cities. Situated along the sacred Ganges and just minutes away from Sarneth, site of Buddhas first sermon. A fascinating place to say the least, I especially had fun strolling the old city along the river, watching the locals bathe in the filth called Ganges. According to some reports the river is absolutely septic. Nonetheless the water is sacred and every day thousands take a morning dip to 'cleanse' themselves. But the most astonishing thing of all was the mass public cremations. Also along the river fires are built up and then bodies routinely brought down to the banks for a dip and then promptly burned in full view, 24/7. I must say that I was uneasy at first but it was a truly thought provoking experience. Next stop - Kathmandu, Nepal.

Khajuraho

100 rupees (2.50$) will buy you about 4 hours of madness here. After a lot of running around I hooked up with a group of 4 French travellers and we got on the bus of all buses to Khajuraho. Packed, perhaps 65 people, ultra insanity. 90km on a road not unlike a trail through the sand dunes. Welcome to India! At least there were no cracks from rocks in the windows like the train from Delhi. This village is the origin of kamasutra and once was a center for Jainism. I will tour the temples and carvings tomorrow before loading up on a 15 hour bus to Varanasi. There are also a lot of yoga centers around and local yogis giving free lessons everywhere. It's a totally rad place to be.

The Agra fiasco and beyond...

Allow me to say a little more about my experience in Agra. If anything it was a great lesson and prepared me to deal with touts for the rest of the trip. His name was Tahil and he pounced on me as soon as I got out of the train station. At first I ignored him and told him to go away but eventually I asked him for a ride to my guesthouse. After much persuasion I agreed to let him tour me around for the day. I was getting really tired and angry about stopping at these shops and told him. He was dissapointed and admitted that he knew but that he was earning money by doing so, even if I didn't buy anything. Still it was a waste of my time and I refused which pissed him off. After spending about an hour in the train station reserving a ticket for the next day I came out to find a friend of his in our car. A black leather jacket greaseball that claimed to have been to Canada, also promising to be my friend til the end. After turning down a beer invitation, I approached Tahil to pay him and got this blank stare from him when I waited for my change. No tip? After a lot of huffing and puffing he starts to claim that he has no change and that I have to get it. It's dark, no shops, A LOT of dudes just standing around glaring at me, finally I get it and fork over a dollar tip. I turn down his offer to drive me to the train station the next morning he shouts and his friend grabs him and then they're gone. The things to see and do here are phenomenal but it's so hard to enjoy them when you have to put up with this kind of nonsense all the time. The rest of the night I tried to just chill and forget about the guy but it kept coming back to me. As I was standing on the platform the next morning and the train was approaching Tahil pops up. He smiles at me and says that he has to get ready. Ready for what? Suddenly men are running alongside the train, scouting out their prey and calling which tourist is theirs to the other 'guides' It occurs to me that the exact same thing happened to me the previous day but it's all good because Tahil and I have settled it. At times I feel both frightened and enlightened, so high one minute and then it just vanishes. I can't complain though. The Taj Mahal truly is a wonder, I can't put it into words so I hope you're satisfied with a picture.

Sitting on the train soaking up the scenery I felt that positive vibe and hopefulness again only to have it shattered again at Jhansi. Originally Jhansi was to be a transit point to get to Khajaraho. Instead a lying taxi driver takes me across town to the wrong bus stop claiming that there are no buses to Khajaraho today from the train station, as the bus passes in the opposite direction. One wasted trip and argument later I realize that I have missed the last bus out. I angrily approach a fellow traveller and ask him if he has any information about getting out. He doesn't but he strongly recommends that I stay nearby in a village called Orccha. Fuck it. I hail the happiest autorickshaw driver in town and he speeds me out to the village. I've been staying here for 2 days now and really don't want to go. The place is a wonderful break from all the shit. Everywhere you look there are temples and ruins to see, great people and best of all no touts. laid back. I met a guy last night sipping special lassis that has been here for 2 weeks. Everyone seems to be smoking grass and the closest I came to danger was when a cow slyly tried to headbutt my arm this morning. I've been trekking through the ruins and visiting the river and nearby villages all day. Tomorrow I'll try to get to Khajaraho, but I have my doubts. I'll post when I post folks!

Days 4 and 5

Where should I start? To be sure, nothing goes as planned in India. It took me 2 days to finally get out of Delhi, I'm now in Agra. It's great to get away from the bustle of Delhi. I took a great train this morning and wound up getting a smooth talking guide for the day. I was his brother, friend and family until I started to refuse to go to the shops that he pushed on me, therefore killing his commission income. The entire toursit scene is built on this network...any taxi, autorickshaw or rickshaw driver knows where to take a tourist to rake it in. I hope that my posts are not giving you a negative impression. The range of emotions in one day here is hard to define. The computer guy is shutting me down so I have to run,

top 3 scariest experiences:

3. my trip back from the train station at 6 am
2. first autorickshaw ride through Delhi
1. seeing a puppy eating another puppy

Tell you guys ALL about it when I get back,

Cheers

Delhi belly

Day 3 began in earnest with the hopes of getting a full day of touring in Delhi. Quickly changed hotels to one with a view. Saddled up in an auto rickshaw for the day and visited the National Museum, which is a diamond in the rough, Safdarjang and Humayun's tomb, topped off with a gnarly prawn curry, truly gnarly. You can see some pictures from the tombs but the cost for bringing a camera into the museum was nearly 400 rupees (almost 10 USD) so I scratched that. Started out with a tour of the museum which ended abruptly and ended up being guided by a history Ph.D candidate from the University. He knew his stuff but grabbed my arm way too many times...The main streets are mostly beautiful boulevards but the bazaars and alleys near the backpacker area constantly smell like human and cow shit. Actually that's not totally true, sometimes I smell dog shit too. I met a man in the street that tried to tell me about expanding my mind and visiting a guru, instead I bought enough incense off him to kill a neighbour for about 35 cents. gi'er.

Day 3 pictures

First glimpse pictures

Look hard and you can see the Himalayas

Noodle bar in Narita

SAKE!

India

As we entered Indian skies today the air was clear and I got a wicked view of the Himalayas. As we approached Delhi the skies became dim and hazy, fires burned below in the fields and by the time we had landed the sun was gone. Welcome to the madhouse. I thought the room I got in KL was a dive until I settled into my 4$ room in Delhi today. Another reason that Lonely Planet deserves the nickname Lonely Liar, as an angry German man once told me on the Cambodian border. The trip from the airport to the backpacker area was astonishing, my mind, officially blown. After finally securing a taxi we rounded the corner and sideswiped a cow and pulled up to the first red light where the skinniest man alive approached the car for money with his child in his arms. His daughter had her head bandaged and there was enough blood coming from her ear to warrant a trip to a surgeon. My taxi driver and I were having a debate about who smelled worse, me or him, when I realized that every country I visit, the driving gets decidedly worse. A 2 lane road is actually 4 lanes, don't you know that?! Otherwise so far so good. Decent green curry for dinner and a brew on the rooftop bar down the street. My plan is to tour Delhi tomorrow and then head out to Agra, site of Taj Mahal on Sunday. From there it will be on to Varanasi, spiritual center of India and first site of Buddhist teachings and then to Nepal. Still no chance to upload pictures so it might be tough. peace.