kathmandu nepal

look out dali lama 

few trees, many terraces

himalayan queen

in this local village we were told (after we left) that laurel's outfit indicated that she was either a prostitute or a witch

laurel says:
nepal is an odd place.  visions of pristine mountain ranges, crystal clear skies and fresh mountain air are immediately dashed upon touchdown in kathmandu.  sadly, the nepalese capital is one of the most polluted cities in the world.  the smog is so thick that your eyes burn.  but i guess when you are wedged squarely between china and india, your chances of fresh air are about nil.  kathmandu draws a real mixed bag and we were lucky to be staying at the hotel where seemingly all the characters come to mingle.  we nicknamed the outdoor lobby bar 'cheers.'  at any given time the perfect blend of hardcore trekkers getting ready for everest climbs, jaded expats that have drunk a little too much kathmandu koolaide and western volunteers working at the numerous ngo's in nepal could be found wiling the day away.  at one point we suggested to the owners that they could film a reality tv show there.  turns out they had already been approached and declined the offer.  beyond the incredible people watching, the buddhist temples and traveller-freindly neighborhood of thamel were a very welcome change-up from india.  and for sure one of the highlights of our trip was our 'glamping' experience at the last resort up on the tibet border.  trekking thru the himalayas was an unforgettable experience.  especially with the snow capped peaks of tibet in the background.  we were even able to meet a few of the locals that live in tiny remote villages scattered up in the hills.  their contact with the outside world was so limited that they eagerly asked us to take their pictures and then send them the prints.  it is was a glimpse into a much simpler way of life.  all in all, nepal is an interesting place to visit.  but better catch it now before pollution ruins this beautiful place for good.

nepalese family fermenting millet wine

bodnath stuppa and prayer flags

hindu cremation site and temple

at the foothills with our guide 'prem'

everest here we come

emil says:

when i think of kathmandu nepal i think of eddie murphy at his best in 'golden child' spinning a prayer wheel in a buddhist temple on the other side of the world somewhere in kathmandu. that is to say i think beyond remote, hyper exotic, and at the doorstep to the himalayas.  fuhghed-about-it.  mad traffic, more smog, deforestation aplenty even multiple hours drive away from the capital, thousands of tourist trap stalls selling some wool blend 100% maybe pashmina scarf type thing, fallafel spots that make one gassy, a million tour operators that will take you and your labradoodle to any summit you wish, and more north face mountain trekking extreme sports stores than one finds in marin county california.  its really scary that even kathmandu is overpopulated and overrun.  on a positive note kathmandu is home to the largest buddhist stuppa (buddhist prayer area) in the world, and it truly is at the foothills of the himalayas and thus most everest and annapurna expeditions leave from here, and this makes for some great people watching.  personally i prefer cuzco, peru's version of kathmandu, which is far more authentic architecturally and the vibe a bit more refreshing. kathmandu though was a welcome reprieve from maddening india and it was nice to get our first decent slice of pizza (there are multiple brick oven pizza spots and you can even get whole wheat crust and yes i am still talking about kathmandu nepal). also we did drive 4 hours out of kathmandu to get to a more remote area from which we did several big hikes to see the mountain facades of tibet, and they were tremendous.  i would return to kathmandu only to do some big trek to the basecamp of annapurna or everest or perhaps their summits but as a standalone destination i wouldnt reccommend it.

mountain peaks of tibet

garbage burning and afloat in kathmandu

stuppa at the monkey temple

darbur square in the 'du

old square in patton

thamel district

emil leaves gift of soccer ball

sprawl that is kathmandu

holymoly varanasi

orange really brings out my beard

sunrise laundromat, next please

nice sunrise but how about some grass

bustling riverside of varanasi

our captain nemo of the ganges

emil says:
varanasi is widely considered to be india's holiest city. hindu pilgrims from all over the world come to the riverbanks of the ganges to breathe, pray, meditate, and die. and you can see all these things occurring all at once and at nearly all hours of the day and night.  dead bodies wrapped in beautiful gold saris are laid at the waters edge for purification, in a sort of queue, before being cremated in several designated spots. alongside which children can be seen bathing, clothes being washed, water buffalo swimming, rabid dogs doing their thing, restaurants washing their dishes all within feet of one another.  its a place to be alive and to be dead.  the cremations run continuously, often times 10+ at a time, and by continuously they mean 3,500 years of continuousness. nightly there are prayer ceremonies at the river's edge that thousands passionately attend, with live music that no yoga class can mimick. its surely one of the most holy and intensely unique places i have ever seen. it is also most surely one of the most viciously uncomfortabe places i have seen.  for a place so holy it is mired in so much trash as to be nearly ungodly in my eyes. this is a truly difficult place to describe. maddeningly poor, extremely spiritual, and arrestingly genuine but its not for the faint of heart.  another shout out to the ever-fabulous laurel for getting through the past few harrowing days which saw her be chased by a water buffalo (note: don't wear red sarongs around bulls), chased by a homeless woman (no does not mean no to much of the india's impoverished), grabbed at by numerous pesky folk, as well as her seeing numerous limbs aflame at her feet.

the site of multiple cremations

stop...hammertime!

do you guys see my laundry anywhere?

garbage disposal unit

i pray for a cleaner river

a moment of peace at sunrise

namaste

laurel says:
“varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together" -mark twain
"filthy.  putrid.  repulsive.  with a dash of ancient and holy" -laurel wolmut
so i know these are not the standard words one would use to describe a holy city, but as the expression goes that we learned from some locals- "tii...this is india."  varanasi is a city blanketed in garbage, coated in cow poo and occupied by feral dogs and monkeys and alas it still remains the holiest city in the country.  i guess for a city that is supposed to be so sacred, i was expecting slightly higher sanitation standards!  for me the complete environmental devastation took away immensely from the spirituality of varanassi.   to my western eyes i find it challenging to comprehend the ganges river as a place of purity and rebirth and then sit by and watch the garbage pile up.  people bathe, cool their herds of water buffalo, drink, wash their clothes and cremate their loved ones all in the same water.  but this has been going on for thousands of years in varanasi.  the level of hindu devotion and passion here is a remarkable and wonderful sight.  and while i did enjoy cruising the ganges river and taking in the evening prayer ceremonies (attended nightly by thousands) i can't wait to get the hell out of dodge.  on to nepal...

site of evening prayers

traffic on the ganges

got toilet paper?

surviving india

your first glimpse of the taj

jama masjid mosque

humayun's tomb

qutb minar complex

lotus temple

a young mother theresa in contemplation 

laurel getting in to character at the mosque

laurel says:

the customary greeting in india is "namaste" which conjures up images of yoga, zen and tranquility.  turns out, that is the only thing peaceful about the subcontinent.  from the second you step foot in delhi, your body is hurled into a state of sensory overload.  your eyes dart back and forth from magnificent ancient works of architecture to pure shanty-towns and squalor.  your nose is repulsed by the scent of excrement, both animal and human.  your skin is immediately roasted from the scorching sun and then dried out by the arid desert breeze.  your mouth burns from the pollution in the air and then delights in an indian feast.   your ears are inundated with the sounds of blaring indian music, omni-present horn honking and the draining sales pitches from seemingly every person you encounter.  would you like a tour guide? henna? rickshaw? boat ride? hand massage?  you tire from saying no, first politely, then more firmly and finally pushed to the point of snapping.  that is one of the reasons i struggle with india so much- i hate the person it makes you become.  you ultimately can't win.  9 out of 10 people that approach you are trying to get something out of you.  (and turns out emil as he smiles at everyone is target numero uno) so naturally your defense mechanisms go into over drive.  if you engage in conversation with someone tying to rip you off, you feel like a sucker.  and if you blow off someone who is genuinely trying to help you then you also feel like a sucker.  it is maddening/frustrating/exhausting just getting thru the day.  a nice hotel room to go back to is the only retreat.  but this is the price one must pay to experience india.  it is by far one of the most unique places on earth and its cultural koolaide is alluring to drink.  our 'golden triangle' itinerary gave us a sampling of the sub continents highlight reel.  there are some fascinating temples, mosques and tombs in delhi.  you just have to go thru a mess of smog, poverty and chaos to get to them.  the taj mahal alone is worth the entire trip in my opinion.  this masoleum lives up to the hype as one of the 7 wonders of the world- a  tall order.  it is even more stunning in person than the photos suggest.  but despite all the money that tourism generates, agra was visibly the poorest place we experienced.  where is all the money going from the 30,000 people who visit the taj daily at $15 a pop?  clearly not to the people.  the contrast is so sharp that it is alarming.  our time in rajasatan, the land of kings, completed our loop.  the forts and palaces in jaipur were simply gorge.  a glimpse of how the indian royals once lived.   one week in india was all that i was willing to sign up for on my first visit.  but i managed to survive so well that emil has talked me in to one last stop.  so we are off to varanassi which i am sure will prove to be the most challenging yet....

spice market where emil bought california almonds

lodi gardens

entrance to the taj

mirror mirror on the wall

honey nothing can come between us

emil says:


'emil dont overanalyze india' i was told by a friend.  some loathe traveling here while others find it inspirational. i'm somewhere in the middle and still trying to analyze why i dont love it or hate it but within the span of 15 minutes usually feel both of those emotions. new delhi is truly a physically overwhelming unpleasant city. air pollution that even exceeds that of beijing, which i surely did not believe to be possible.  23 million souls in delhi and it feels like all of those 23 million are on the streets at all times, unlike china which has built out the infrastructure so feverishly that much of beijing and shanghai just doesnt feel nearly as cramped in comparison. but i know i have to look beyond all the despair, gut wrenching poverty, crushing pollution, and near abominable sanitary conditions of the millions of homeless, sleeping and defecating on the roadside. the harsh economic disparity between rich and poor is like nowhere else i have been. again i know i must think about india as this vibrant emerging super economy with all the intellectual firepower i know it to contain but it really takes effort. the good news is that if we weren't being consistently harassed for handouts or being conned in numerous and unique ways, the people for the most part are just fantastically cool, eager to communicate, and genuinely super kind. the colors, the spices, the chai, the smells (both good and foul), the remarkable history (think history and double it, think ancient squared), the food, and the overall chaotic frenzy are unparalleled. besides japan this has been the most genuine culture we have experienced. the british influence is clearly present but not omnipresent, and there is a fantastic sense of pride in everyone we met thats not brandished with arrogance but rather with dignity and self-respect. the intense character and spirit of this country is at the forefront of anything you see or do. the taj mahal is the single most amazing structure i have laid my eyes upon. the mix of muslim and hindu cultures make for such a unique array of architecture one stands in awe that so many structures even remain standing for 500 years, let alone in such amazing condition (particularly the forts of rajasthan).  we have passed through many countries on the trip and thus far there are a mere handful that i want to come back to (indonesia, japan, ecuador) and with india i'm just not sure yet. i want to love it, i do, but the worlds largest democracy has plenty of work to do.

within the taj complex

white marble facade

we made some friends at the taj

namaste

palace of the winds

amber fort

jaigarh fort

view from the fort

pink sandstone glam shot