http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/KathL/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from KathL en-us Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:42:12 +0000 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:42:12 +0000 Friday morning we took a bus to Meerut where my Dad grew up. One of my uncles came to meet us on his bicycle from the bus stop. Slightly confused about how we were supposed to get to the house I followed my dad and his brother over to his bike. Looking around for some sort of transportation I heard my Dad say ldquoOkay letrsquos go Kathleen.rdquo I turned around and saw him standing nex http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Noida/blog-348059.html Although leaving Dharamsala was a bit sad and definitely more emotional than I thought it would be I left excited for the travels ahead of me. My journey to Delhi was safe and uneventful and I was greeted warmly with open arms into my aunt and unclersquos gorgeous house. Itrsquos nice to have a peaceful clean place to call home in the middle of the chaos outside. On Friday my aunt took me http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Noida/blog-346870.html Last week started off with a lecture from a Tibetan Lama on Monday. He explained the main philosophy of Buddhism and the ideas that the Dalai Lama teaches. He was extremely well spoken and had us captivated the entire time. I felt very lucky to be part of the audience and learned a lot in the short time that we had with him. On Tuesday afternoon we visited the Kangra Fort which was about a 20mi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-344301.html On Thursday we signed up for a three day trek. We had heard from other volunteers that it was completely worth it so we thought it was an excellent way to spend our weekend. Friday afternoon we met up with our guides and hiked about 2 hours to a nearby temple. We got there just in time to see a beautiful sunset. The guides then made us chai and cooked us supper which was delicious while we sat http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-340857.html Itrsquos hard to believe itrsquos been over a week since I last wrote. The time is certainly flying by. Sunday was our first day off from work. We had a group outing to a nearby Hindu temple. Anil the program director gave us a short explanation on what we were seeing. Unfortunately I was a little distracted taking pictures and watching the interesting characters walking around to remember w http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-339655.html Dharamsala is gorgeous. Although I did like Delhi I am very happy that I chose to volunteer here. It is very relaxing and tranquil here. The people are so nice and very friendly. I noticed today in the bazaar that CCS volunteers have made quite an impact on the community already. Many shopkeepers asked us if we were CCS volunteers and were happy when we said yes. If we say one Hindi phrase the l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-337676.html Monday October 20 2008I have been here for two full days now and have seen so much and done so much. Irsquom taking as much as India in as possible and loving every bit of it. I have not experienced the angry mass of people the pungent odor or the dirtiness that people talk about. The program and staff have also been amazing so far. They are going above and beyond with every aspect. I contin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-336906.html Saturday October 18 2008Sunday October 19 2008Irsquom here The first thing I noticed walking out of the airport was the constant melody of honks. Indians seem to use some sort of sonar system with their horns instead of just looking in their mirrors when driving. I also noticed that the lines separating lanes are nonexistent to drivers. If the lines separate the road into 2 lanes Indians http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/blog-336501.html While I sit as patiently as possible at the airport I realize that I have done pretty much all that I can do to prepare for this trip. I've read books on India studied Hindi researched provinces I will be visiting and brainstormed ideas to help with my placement. However from what I have heard and read nothing can really prepare you for India. I have a feeling that all of my current expectat http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Jersey/Newark/EWR/blog-335515.html