In These Shoes? I Don't Think So... I'd been crafting and planning for months to get together with my sisters, two women who are as different from me as they are from each other. We form a triangle of genetic dissimilarity. To further illustrate this point, we're spread out across the country and it took weeks of planning to get us together in an exotic location where all of us would be far from our regular routines. Lydia refuses to get into an airplane (there aren't enough Bloody Marys in the world) and we only have a few days each [View Full Entry]

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Colorado Bend State Park Bend, Texas "Fifty percent chance of rain" Ranger Peggy warned us as we checked in to the campground. Knowing Texas weather, we decided our chances were pretty good we wouldn't see any rain at all. Or maybe a brief shower but that would be it. My girlfriend Sativa and I trekked on to the most primitive of campsites, Sativa in her dainty sundress and beach hat, and me in my utility pants and Timberland boots. (No wonder she got all those looks from those guys back at the HQ.) It was about a mile-long hike to the [View Full Entry]

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Back to friendly Thailand and familiar Khao San Road. We had our much-anticipated reunion with Chris and, of course, many beers were had we caught up on the gossip from home. Too many more were had during a crazy night out to Nana Plaza to see the sex shows (!!) with an international group of insane people. What fun! And best of all, the dancers all seemed like they're actually having a good time. Not the desperate, coked-out brand of sex entertainer you see elsewhere but people who are just enjoying themselves and aren't taking work too seriously. I love it! [View Full Entry]

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Someone told us to see Laos now before it's spoiled. Well. I'm glad we're here. The two-day boat ride boat ride from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang was filled with tropical greenery and the wide and muddy Mekong River. But unfortunately was also filled with culturally insensitive 22-year olds. The traditional Laotians find exposed cleavage and thighs offensive, much less bare shoulders. It was also filled with some travel tension between my partner and myself. Which was broken, though, by the trauma of Mike having lost ALL his US cash ($1300). As sad as I am that this occurred, I'm also [View Full Entry]

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Fantastic to see the natural beauty of Thailand: the pale and elegant greenery of the bamboo forest, views of the mountains that border Burma, the rice fields, banana plants and fully-forested hills! Best activity: riding the neck of an elephant, big ears flapping over my legs and holding onto the soft brown head. Next best: river rafting on bamboo platforms then touring a damp and eerie cave. It turned out to be home to a large snake, a massive spider and insects you could put a saddle on and ride. Also numerous smelly bats. Fantastic! The food was terrible but our [View Full Entry]

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Bangkok - We arrived at midnight but the streets are lively until at least 5am. This is good city life unspoiled by a half-assed, slipshod attitude or by people who insist on being asleep by 9pm and up at 5am. I woke up to a whole new Khao San Road! Was my guesthouse moved in the night? The late-night food vendors and street-side cafe tables were replaced by racks of clothes and tables of souvenirs. Wow, we could spend days trying to eat our way around town, tackling Thai soups, noodles, seafood and even RAW shrimp with chili sauce - mmm! [View Full Entry]

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There are just not as many nice things to say about Delhi - I knew I'd hate it. The best part was leaving! On our way to the airport, poor Mike was suffering badly from a hash hangover, brought on by mushing the last of our stash into cookies. (We had to get rid of that stuff somehow.) He was really dragging but I told him that if it meant me hauling him + both our packs singlehandedly to the airport, we were going to make it to our plane outta here! I was a ball of fire! I organized everything [View Full Entry]

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McLeod Gang, described by one American here as "beginner's India", is THE most Tibetan-food-eating, tourist-hotel-staying, happy-hour-drinking place. Not to mention meditation-class-taking and Dalai Lama-spotting. (We saw him in his Land Rover, on his way to speak!) It's absolutely comfy here. The hills around us are big and quiet. Looking down on Dharmsala and the gangetic plain makes me believe I can see all the way to Kanniyakumari and reminds me how high up we are. I finally discovered an equivalent to Indians waking us too early - coming back to the guesthouse late, requiring them to [View Full Entry]

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We loved the food and friendly culture in Kathmandu. We hated the build-up in Pokhara. Now, it's time to get to North India. I'll give the country a clean slate, the north's probably totally different from the south. As soon as we crossed the border, the air changed. Literally. It was full of the aromas of spices that are uniquely Indian. As enjoyable as that could have been, I was suddenly reminded of all the things I forgot I hated. And how much more offensive the people are to my American senses. On our first bus ride, I was caught in [View Full Entry]

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We're back down in much warmer weather now. The scenery is more big hills and valleys along the Dudh Kosi with only the occasional big peak. We agreed not to hike to Hille but instead to go back to Jiri. Thomas and Marina are a day or two behind us but have already decided to go to Hille, choosing the rarely-travelled route. But less-trekked means less comfort. Fewer guesthouses, less food, more loud children running amok before dawn. There could only be all this and more unimagined surprises waiting along that trail. And, hey, we already know the route back to [View Full Entry]

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