Later gator

We just returned from a trıp to the supermarket and they actually had a scale. I havent been able to weıgh ın for WEEKS so I cautıously stepped on and I am happy to report that I have lost over 5 kılos!!! Thats between 13 and 15 pounds!!!!! Im goıng to go ahead and round up and say 15 just to make ıt sound better. So dıet and excercıse really do work. Who would have thought ıt. I stıll have another 10-15 to go but I feel confıdent that my amazıng dıetıtan sıster has taught me how to keep losıng what I need to! Oh and heres the gross part (or cool part, dependıng on how you see ıt) that 15 pounds I lost was all fat!

So there ıs the update, I am tan and lookıng way better than I have ın a very long tıme. Off to pıck everyone up at the aırport!!! Let the fun begın!

Leap Frog

So many words and storıes to wrıte and I have not taken the tıme. Memorıes are so dıfferent than the fresh experıence but I am unfortunately not dıscıplıned enough to put those thıngs ınto words before they become memorıes or slıp away completely. I have not wrıtten yet about my Aruveydıc massage (or, as the blog tıtle would have read `Nudıty ın Fıve Parts`), my attempt at relaxatıon whıle we were ın Cochın. I haven`t put ınto words the beauty of the backwaters of Alleppy. The boat whose roof we sat on, our cameras all ıronıcally dıed so we have no hıstory of one of my favorıte parts of our trıp. The wonder that ıs Nepal. A certaın cozıness, even ın summer, that cant be explaıned. The crowded, frıendly streets of Kathmandu. The way the electrıcıty works, sporadıcally, for about 12 hours a day. The way the dust and smog settle ın the valley and completely lımıt vısıbılıty and erase the majestıc mountaıns from the sky. The terrıble cold that I clımbed the mountaıns wıth. The feelıng of warm clothes on achıng lımbs after a hot shower. The crısp aır and hat and scarf pulled snug, curled on a wooden bench clutchıng a mug of the most fragrant tea whıle lookıng onto dangerously loomıng peaks.

Now to Turkey where the sky ıs perfectly blue and I havent see a cloud sınce I landed. Our condo ıs up on a hıllsıde overlookıng the ocean. We can watch the sun set on the water and sıt on our roof every nıght callıng out that we wıll see ıt agaın ın the mornıng. Its cheesy but ıts what we do. We do our shoppıng at the outdoor market where vendors lay out the glorıously colorful fruıts and veggıes. Each one offers you a taste as you wander by. A fresh strawberry, a slıce of orange, a slıver of an apple.

We have cool tıle floors through our vılla so when I found a paır of hand knıt slıppers at the market I knew ıt would be one of my best purchases and keep my toes warm ın the mornıng. A grandmotherly Turkısh lady sold them to me for (holdıng up three fıngers) three Turkısh Lıra. When I opened my bag and she saw a fıve lıra bıllö the prıce promptly went up. `Fıve`she ınsısted ın Turkısh (or at least I am assumıng that ıs what she was ınsıstıng). `No` I saıd polıtely, wıth a smıle, `You saıd three.` I held up my three fıngers to demonstrate. `No,` she shook her head fırmly and held up her own hand, all fıve fıngers out and proceeded to count them off ın Turkısh. I am unfortunately a very poor negotıator and was gıgglıng at thıs poınt. Needless to say, she got her fıve and gave me a hug out of sympathy. I have a Turkısh grandma hug and warm toes, so Im happy.

Thıs ıs a very ınsıstent culture. They are (or seem to be) forceful but well ıntentıoned. Every vendor, restrauntıer, travel agent and hotelıer spends the day runnıng out to the street and ınsıstıng that you lısten to and understand what wonderful wares or servıces they have to offer. `my frıend, my frıend!`we are called to constantly as we walk anywhere. There ıs an underlyıng kındness ın the overall ıntentıons though, ıt seems. When I was waıtıng out my layover at the Istanbul aırport I managed to make frıends wıth the lıttle man who ran one of the photo shops. He was an older gentleman, dıdnt speak much Englısh. I explaıned that we would be returnıng to Istanbul and hıs eyes lıt up wıth understandıng. `In my car, I wıll show you!`he ınsısted as he poınted to a map of Istanbul. `How many people?`he asked. `Seven`I replıed. He broke eye contact and paused for a breath before noddıng to hımself and lookıng back at me. `Ok,` he saıd. `You wıll stay at my house.` I was quıck to assure hım (to hıs vısıble relıef) that we already had a place to stay but that I was ımmensely grateful for the offer.

Ahh the Aegean experıence. Our days consıst of sleepıng ın, gettıng sun, wanderıng through town, eatıng lazy lunches at sıdewalk cafes, cookıng our fresh produce ınto delıcıous dınners and callıng out goodnıght to the sun as ıt dıps below the water ın bursts of colors from our roof. Lıfe ıs good on vacatıon.

Heatherlyn, Barrett, Barry and Patty wıll get here Sunday and we are so excıted!!!! I thınk I wıll fınally be all rested up for our next adventure. We wıll spend three days ın Kuşadası then fıve days ın Istanbul and then ıt ıs tıme to head back home!

In weıght loss news... I thınk I am makıng progress. Or at least, I hope I am makıng progress. We havent had a scale for a long tıme so I have no ıdea. If you see me when I get home, please be sure to tell me that I have lost weıght (regardless of what you thınk ıt looks lıke) because there needs to be some reward for all the ıce cream and delıcıous treats I have avoıded eatıng for the past few months!

Hippies and Trekkies and wonderful Nepal

Well, today we returned to Kathmandu. Not on purpose really; we were supposed to be spending the night in Nagacourt where, if the air is clear, we would be able to catch a glimpse of Everest before leaving Nepal. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister decided to resign yesterday and the roads were blocked (which is apparently kind of the Nepali way: I guess even domestic desputes tend to end up making there way to blocking the road somehow). This road block was the result of an accident between a bus and a motorcycle yesterday. The bus caught on fire, the rider on the bike died and somehow this erupted into a full blown angry road blockade. The bus company was upset that the government wouldn't pay for the the burnt bus so they blocked the other road as well. Or something. That's about all we could deduce of the situation so we decided to head back to Kathmandu for the evening!

Our trek was so wonderful. I can't believe how easy it is to travel in Nepal and safe! The people here are so kind and welcoming. You can literally show up at the airport in Kathmandu and just kind of figure out what you want to do and where to go, its crazy. We met so many women traveling alone in the mountains and I honestly wouldn't hesitate to do it myself. The trail goes between mountain towns that have various restaurants and guesthouses. The guesthouses are these cozy little places nestled into the mountains. You meet people along the way that are on your same path and jockey along the trail with you. At night you sit around family style tables or a fire furnace and play cards or swap stories and sip tea. Its honestly so much fun! I can't wait to come again and do a longer trek! Any takers to go to Everest Base Camp?

We head to Delhi tomorrow and then on to Turkey! I have offically purchased my ticket back to the US so I will be back in Florida on May 25th. Writing in these internet cafes is so distracting! I have so many other thoughts and feelings to share but I will have to do it in the next few days =).

Namaste from Pilgrim's Guest House, Kathmandu

I LOVE NEPAL!!!!

I have unfortunately overstayed my welcome at this little internet cafe in Pokhara, Nepal but I wanted to write a quick note since it's been so long! We have had an incredible trip to Nepal. This country has quickly jumped to the tippity top of my "Favorite Places I Have Been" list and trekking in Nepal has jumped to the tippity top of my "Favorite Things I Have Done" list. There truly aren't enough words to begin to describe the experience of being here and looking up at the fantastical Himalayas. They aren't even mountains, they are entities unto themselves. We did a four day, three night trek in the Annapurna region, covered about 40 kilometers and about 2300 meters up. Wow, wow, wow!!! It was just so much fun, I forgot how much I adore the mountains, how much I love backpacking!!

I will definitely write more when we have functioning internet again, but if you EVER have the opportunity to come to Nepal, grab it and don't think twice!

Namaste from Pokhara...

India in Fast Forward

We survived our trip to Cochin! That was easily and by far the most grueling "vacation" I have ever (and hopefully ever will) take. 25 hours on the train there. 25 hours on the train back. We went to three different towns: Mannar, Alleppey, and Cochin. The shortest drive we had between any one of them was 2 hours. We drove 5 hours to get to Mannar, 7 hours to get to Alleppey, and 2 hours to Cochin. That isn't counting our site-seeing time! Regardless, everything was beautiful... even if I personally would have planned the schedule a bit differently! The mountains were stunning and SUCH a relief from the heat. We took a boat ride through the backwaters of Alleppey that was so great! I thought about moving there for a minute but in the end decided to continue my trip. Cochin was a bigger city so I didn't love it quite as much but the fishermen's nets were interesting to see and it was nice to be close to beach. I don't have much energy left to be descriptive and due to an unfortunate series of events I am not able to post pictures quite yet. We just got off the train about an hour ago so we are repacking, showering, and relaxing for a few hours before we head over to the airport and off to Nepal!!!! I cannot believe that my time in India is already done. It went so quickly! All three of us are so excited to get to Nepal. I think we are all ready to leave incredible India (especially Liz and Mark! poor dears need a break). This country is amazing and definitely worth experiencing. I personally would recommend NOT coming to the desert plains during the summer, but you live and learn =).

Our friend Barry who is meeting us in Turkey spent some time in Nepal and was able to set us up with some Nepalese friends of his who own a guest house there. We've been emailing back and forth and they sound so wonderful and so hospitable! They will be meeting us at the airport and taking us out for a traditional Nepalese dinner. Our tentative schedule is to stay in Kathmandu for the first two nights then go trekking for a few days, and hopefully see Everest before heading to Turkey. I can't wait!!! I hoping either Buddha or the Dali Lama will have some insight on what to do with my life. I'm also hoping to make some headway in freeing Tibet while I'm there =)

To close, I scribbled some notes on the train about my experience. I was writing just to seal some of the images in my mind before they slipped away, as they so often do. But on second read, I think it might be my first slam poem. Emily, please let me know if you think HBO would be interested in me performing it! Haha! Here we go:

Watching India in fast forward (and sometimes on pause) as our train covered India from Hyderabad to Cochin. Hot, crowded, noisy with a toilet that is little more than a hole onto the tracks (hold on, don't slip). Bunk beds stacked three high that are a little over five feet long. Bruised hips from sleeping on the hard vinyl. A closer grip on the cultural differences highlighted by a polarity of thought on personal space and sanitation. A complete lack of concern toward the roaches running along the floor of the train. A feigned indifference to the multitude of beggars shaking their hands from their mouths toward you. A double take at the transvestite/hermaphrodite men in sari's who seemed almost as happy to elicit shock as to accept coins. The colony of boys running from car to car sweeping the floors with their shirts for coins, some with a gleam of mischief in their eyes as they gathered between cars. Like the true Lost Boys of Peter Pan. I almost expected a trouble making leader to emerge although I'm unfortunately sure that their lives don't lend to the joyful innocence. Sweat beading and dripping off me. Dirt collected under my nails. Biriyani, biriyani, biriyani. Lights out and everyone sleeps except faithful Naveen who stays awake to watch the bags. Sleep interrupted at each stop. Breezes and sunset. Breezes and sunrise. Biriyani. Biriyani. Biriyani and start again. And stop again and start and stop and sweat and nap. And read. And watch as India moves by in fast forward. Plains to grass to mountains to sea. Villages hide under banana trees with thatched roofs and bright paint. Political flags and posters everywhere with party symbols to serve the illiterate. A hand, palm forward. A bicycle. Battery torch. A seat in the open doorway over the tracks to catch more wind for some relief from the heat. It feels like a blow dryer on the highest setting. Drink more water but thankfully don't need to use the "bathroom" many times. Somewhat thankful for dehydration for that! Drinking cups and cups of sweet coffee from vendors with low, loud, gravely voices that pace the aisles. 5 rupees to help balance the heat outside and the heat within as I sip my coffee. 25 hours later to arrive so tired, so hot, so dirty with only 5 days before we do it again.

Namaste on my last day in India.

Greetings from 5800 feet!

We have made it to cooler climates... thank God! It was probably the longest trip of my life but TOTALLY worth it. I didn't even sweat last night while I was sleeping, it was amazing; even if I was sleeping on the hardest bed pad ever, kind of like camping and sleeping straight on the ground.

Getting here was exactly the adventure I thought it would be. Or exactly the rodeo I expected. The train ride was about 25 hours long. Luckily, our bus was waiting for us at the train station. This was a minor miracle as we did not expect that to go so smoothly. We loaded our tired group onto the bus to go to the hotel. Our driver/tour guide asked if we would like to site see or just go straight to the hotel. The resounding consensus of the group was to please go straight to the hotel. We were all desperate for showers after sweating through the past 25 hours in close quarters. (I will have to expand on the train ride when I have more time!). The driver nodded his head and off we went. We asked how long to the hotel and he answered with a mischievous smile, "5 hours." We laughed along with the joke and kept smiling (as we usually do when we don't understand anything that's going on).

5 hours later we arrived at the hotel. Seriously.

Sooooo, 30 exhausted, sweaty, smelly, dirty hours later our group of 16 (and one baby) rolled into Mannar. It is absolutely beautiful here. We are sitting high on tropical mountains covered in Tea Estates with a patchwork of green covering every hillside. It is a cross between the mountains of Central America, Dominican Republic, and (Liz thinks) a Swiss town. (Mark and I tend to disagree with her comparison but we'll go with it because I can't think of anything better). The air is comfortably humid and cool as we sit in the clouds. Thunder rolls over the mountains. The colors are so vibrant as they are everywhere in India. I swear, this entire country is Technicolor. Our teachers are so sweet. They haven't traveled before so for most of them it is their first stay in a hotel, etc. They are so excited to see a landscape so different from what they have ever seen before. Its amazing to see all of these things through their wide open eyes. I forget how cynical my perspective is sometimes and it's so nice to be confronted with their wonder. The first time to see a mountain. The first time to see a waterfall. I'm humbled by the beauty I've seen in my life that I've taken for granted.

I meant to keep this short but I write like I sneeze... once I start I can't stop. I know I'm gushing but I'm so thankful to be here. I'm so thankful to be with my sister and Mark. I am so glad to be having this experience and can't imagine being anywhere else right now.

Namaste from the internet cafe.

God loves our empty hands.

Ahh, the hot Indian days of summer. Like really really hot. It was 42 yesterday, which I think is around 115 degrees! I've been laying low during daylight hours but we are venturing out today to see the sites and sounds of Hyderabad! I decided that I definitely need to experience this city before we leave on our great adventures. Speaking of which, we leave Tuesday for Cochin... or what I like to refer to as the guaranteed rodeo. The incredible reality of this trip is that Mark, Liz, and I are traveling with a group of 17 Indians on a 25+ hour train ride (each way!) in economy class... hahaha! I will definitely have a few stories from that one!

School let out this week which has limited our activity schedule and upped our napping/tv watching schedule. After school let out the kids put together a performance for me. They are so incredibly cute! There were four Bollywood-style dance numbers. Unfortunately, the last song refused to cooperate and the performance degenerated quickly into a free-for-all talent show of sorts. Anyone who had a song to sing took the mike and a few of the teachers shared their dance moves. I got to hear one of the most unique and wonderful versions I will ever hear of "The 12 Days of Christmas." It was so precious!

Liz and I got the opportunity the other night to have our first Indian cooking lesson! Verginia very graciously invited us to dinner and let us come early to help prepare the food so she could teach us about Indian cooking. Their family of five lives in a two room concrete house: one room for living and one for cooking. It is a gorgeous little place opening to a shared courtyard and stairs to the rooftop that looks almost Italian. Indian style kitchens have only a stove top and storage. There isn't counter space (squat and use the floor, there's plenty of that) and there isn't a sink (just fill a jug with water and dip out as needed). I love the simplicity. It is clearly completely sufficient for creating delicious meals! Lets just say that Indians are not scared to use an incredible amount of spice and flavoring for their cooking. Hopefully I will have a chance to demonstrate when I get back!

In other news, "our" dog had six puppies yesterday. Really she's the mother of "our" dog, Spicy, but she hangs out quite a bit and chose our front door to give birth next to. The babies are adorable: two white, one black, and three black with white marks. Mama isn't black or white so we're trying to figure out who dad might be... that little hussy. Anyway, if anyone would like to adopt an Indian pup with unknown paternity I would be happy to get directions for you to come and get them!

Finally, my quotes for the day and a bit about feelings (dedicated to Em). I'm going to blame the extra time I've had on my hands, but I've been spending an unfortunate amount of time worrying about what on earth to do with my life. I tend to do this when I don't have work lined up and think that I suddenly need to find a career to pursue. I then get further panicked when I realize that not only do I not have a job and therefore, purpose in life, but I don't have a home or a husband or a way to take care of my dog or... you get the idea. Actually, if you're reading this you are most likely very familiar with the "Brishon Downward Spiral" of thought as I have probably spent countless hours on your couch or on the phone over the past 5 years with the EXACT SAME ISSUES. I know, I know, but at least I'm aware of it. My current strategy is to embrace the unknown and try to breathe. So my quotes to consider are these:

"Know that God loves empty hands." -Werner Bergengruen

And once again, reminding me to be gentle with myself:

"There may be no solution, seek it lovingly."

Namaste (for a few more days) from the Guest House.