Parkes and Rec. We survived India.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Tashi Deley!

Mt. Everest

Tashi Deley is a greeting in the small villages in the mountains of Nepal past Lukla. It's been a while since I posted and I promise to write more things about India soon but I need to get this post out of the way! For our birthdays this year we booked a trekking trip in the Nepal Himalayas. We didn't have any training, we didn't have many expectations except to hopefully catch a glimpse of Mt. Everest. We certainly didn't expect to get diarrhea (our tummies finally got used to living in Delhi!), we didn't expect to get altitude sickness, we didn't expect a horrendous 7 hour uphill climb on only our 2nd day. But we also didn't expect being held captive of the beauty of the mountains which are like no other place on earth. We also didn't expect such a rewarding feeling of accomplishment at the end of the 7 day trek.

The tiniest runway ever!

Start of our trek. We had no idea what we were in for!

Adrenaline inducing suspension bridge

Not acclimatizing well

Don't talk to me

Nepali children

Our 5 ft. porter carrying 3 loads

Steering clear!

Handsome hiker

Miserable

Uphill

Wilderness

Stupa

Ama Dablam

Om Mani Padme Hum

Tamserku

Nepali cuties

Everest, Nuptse, Ama Dablam (l-r)

Above Namche Bazaar

We made it thanks to Ranjan!

Best birthday! Ok 2nd best birthday.

Why can't people get a one syllable name right???

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Thailand

I wasn't really planning for it but then the opportunity came up and I went to Thailand by myself. Glen was working out of town, flights were cheap, and I got cabin fever. If you've ever traveled alone then you know it can be filled with anxious excitement of the unknown. This same anxiety almost prevented me from going (almost). Sometimes I think I pretend I'm tougher than I really am. I didn't want to be held back by my fears so ahead I went and boy am I glad I did. Once you allow yourself the experience, you will find that there are friends to be made and directions to be found. I only wanted to stay in Bangkok for 2 days but it turned into a week. To which I roamed the city by bus, taxi, tuk tuk, and water ferry. A girl can see only so many temples before she goes nuts. I had scheduled a yoga retreat to Koh Samui but for the 1st time in 6 years southern Thailand got unusually heavy rainfall that required evacuation of foreigners by Navy ships. So I waited it out and thought I might still go....but there was too much destruction and a few people had died. Instead I ended up booking a last minute trip to Koh Phi Phi and met my friend Traci. Traci and I met here in Delhi but sadly (for me) she quit her job and moved back to the U.S. So here I am back at home in Delhi...received with open arms by my honey and black boogers back in my nose....a new experience and a few friends richer! Thank you Thailand for your hospitality, your disciplined society, your cheap, yummy food (minus the insects and random meat items), Singha, your beautiful temples, your cheap internet cafes, your mass transportation system, your dazzling markets, and your calming waters.