In far northern India, precariously rests the gem in the crown of India, the state of Jammu and Kashmir. And in that far northern state lies a remote and sparsely populated region called Ladakh. The name in the Ladakhi language literally is La-Dags, and means 'land of high mountain passes'. Ladakh, one of the last refuges of Mahayana Buddhism in the world, is also called 'Little Tibet' or the 'last Shangri-La'. It lies cradled high in the Himalayas, between the Karakoram and Great Himalayan ranges. So for me, as soon as school was out for the 'summer' and I had endured [View Full Entry]

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It had been three wonderful days so far at Kanha National Park. Morning and evening safaris each day. Langurs (primates) and Chitals (spotted deer) and Barking Deer and Peacocks and Indian Buffalo and Wild Boar and Sambar (Indian Deer) and plenty of incredibly beautiful birds. Like the Indian Blue Jay and the Kingfisher. And we'd had a our moments viewing the beautiful Barasingha or Swamp Deer, a species that is only thriving in this one location in the world. And only thriving due to intensive management to promote its survival. We'd even joined in the tiger frenzy the first mo [View Full Entry]

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Three weeks on the road. Laos, Cambodia and Thailand laid out before me. The plan was to choose just one place in each country and experience it deeply, not flitting about and merely skimming the surface. But after three weeks, incredible though the experience was, deep and abiding as it was, I had still really only skimmed the surface. Of an incredible part of the world. When I took the job in India, for some reason, travel in Asia was not an important part of my decision. Asia had never drawn my attention the way Latin America and Africa and Eastern [View Full Entry]

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The Himalayas! That crowning jewel of a mountain range that rears its lofty peaks like a crown over this incredible country. They push heavenward, the result of intense pressures within the earth as the Indian sub continent drives its way inexorably northward into the Asian continent! Finally, I've met the other trekkers that I knew were somewhere here in Mumbai, hidden amongst the 18,000,000 or so inhabitants! And our little troop of eight, 5 Indians and 3 Americans, is set to head up to Nanda Devi National Park where Nanda Devi, at nearly 26,000 feet of elevation, towers over the prist [View Full Entry]

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The close of our East African safari is in the little Massai village of Engaruka, 60 kilometers down a rutted and dusty dirt road. The sense of isolation is strong. As are the Massai people. They have held to traditional ways of life proudly and belligerently against the onslaught of Western Culture. They are known as fierce warriors who live a pastoral lifestyle, grazing their cattle and goats. They scorn agriculture and do not believe in land ownership. Yet somehow hold to their traditions! The Massai women are noted for their vibrant artistic traditions. We see these traditions in [View Full Entry]

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Its July 15 and I sit peacefully in our campground at Lake Nakuru National Park munching on fresh veggies, avocados and bread. Not knowing at all what to expect because this is Africa! And after a long and rough ride, we're about to go out on our first game drive! For the next two weeks Kenya and Nairobi are ours. I look back already at the dirty and bustling city of Nairobi where I flew in and wandered about. I think back to the visit to the Animal Orphanage at Nairobi National Park where I marveled at the caged but rehabilitating [View Full Entry]

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It's September, school is up and running. The travels of the summer are now pleasant memories. A gentle smile on my face on a rainy monsoon morning as I sip my chai. Or, in the case of the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw, those memories are powerful. Memories that rocked my basic understandings of humankind. I've been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. It is powerful. Perhaps even mind numbing in its power. I've been to Dachau. That horrific work camp where so many victims of Hitler's warped vision were murdered. I've seen row after row of empty bunks in row [View Full Entry]

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Aurangabad More than 2000 years ago, when Buddhism was the prominent religion in India, pilgrims traveling across the sub continent and monks engaged in their ascetic lifestyle, began digging into the cliffs towering over the Waghora River near present day Aurangabad, India. Although today we call their excavations ‘caves’, that word is an incredible misnomer. These prayer halls (chaitya grihas) and monasteries (viharas) are incredible architectural accomplishments, all created by digging into the hard rock of the cliff walls. The details of the ca [View Full Entry]

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Bandra to Dharavi Dharavi - Asia's largest slum! Just a few kilometers from my apartment. One million residents crammed into 432 acres. Tin shacks stacked on tin shacks stacked on tin shacks. Open ditches that try to carry the sewage out of the slum. A constant crush of noise and people and smells. After all the incredible trips I've enjoyed, all the beautiful sites and sights I've seen, why am I joining a tour of Dharavi slum? Well, it wasn't far into the Dharavi tour before I realized why. Yes, its crowded. Yes, the living conditions for some are far [View Full Entry]

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Bhutan. Druk Yul in the local language, Dzongkha. Translated, that is the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon. At one time this hidden country, high in the Himalayas, was considered the Shangri-La, the land beyond the blue horizon of so many fables and myths. Now, this isolated Kingdom is being confronted with incredible choices as they and the 21st Century meet. It is a Kingdom. There is a King. He and his predecessors have been in power for about 100 years. The Kings have been truly benevolent and caring rulers, looking out for what is best for their subjects. Like refusing [View Full Entry]

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