http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/LoriMichelle/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from LoriMichelle en-us Mon, 20 May 2013 02:42:43 +0000 Mon, 20 May 2013 02:42:43 +0000 During my time in northern India other travellers told me that the north and south are so different. Really every state in India is different. They all have their own language their own governing bodies their own ethnic culture. This makes travel within India even for native Indians particularly challenging of course it39s also what makes this diverse country so fascinating Can you http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Chennai/blog-652705.html Some people may think it39s pointless to travel to the Himalayas in monsoon season. The rain the landslides the fog the veiled views blah blah blah. Well all those things may be true but you also get hill towns with almost no other tourists guesthouses with rates cut in half and just possibly a glimpse of those mighty mountain tops...if you39re patient and a little luckyWe left V http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/West-Bengal/Darjeeling/blog-634556.html Varanasi is a town that makes you feel like you are stepping back in time. It is possibly one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world its history dates back to 1400 BC and is one of the holiest places in India. Hindu pilgrims come here to wash away a lifetime of sins in the Ganges. It is a particularly auspicious place to die as Hindus believe dying here offers moksha or liberation fro http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Varanasi/blog-632344.html India is not an easy country to love. It is dirty smelly crowded hot and noisy. It39s difficult to know who you can trust because many locals steer you in the wrong direction toward hotels or shops where they will get commission. Animals that in the US are considered unclean roam the streets with the chaotic traffic roves of pedestrians and slumbering homeless. Sanitation and trash c http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/Delhi/blog-630185.html If you just want to read about my impressions of Laos skip down about a dozen paragraphs...I wrote quite a bit about our adventurous journey travelling into Laos mostly just to maintain my own memory of those 3 days...but my descriptions of Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng are here eventuallyAhhh Laos. We had not planned on going to Laos when starting this trip. We thought it would be too diff http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-486953.html When I told people at home that I was planning to travel to Vietnam most people responded with Why or They hate Americans. With a little bit of personal experience on the matter now under my belt I would like to respond in 3 words...Vietnam is AwesomeVietnam is incredible. It is tiny thatch roof hut villages. It is modern thriving cities bustling with money making business men and wom http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/blog-484725.html FANTASY deserted beach. crystal clear water. ice cold beer. guitar music playing softly in the background. mountainous island in the distance. REALITY Gili AirI had never heard of the Gili Islands before researching this trip but the second I saw a picture of these 3 tiny islands off the coast of Lombok i knew i had to come here. You all need to google GILI ISLANDS immediately and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Bali/blog-478187.html Bali is everything I wanted it to be more than I expected it to be and just plain AMAZING. It is the foreign paradise island you imagine. Beautiful strange hot chaotic and relaxing. Here is what I've been up to since landingMy flights were right on time arrived in Bali a little before midnight Tuesday 216 night. Nate was right there at the airport waiting for me I had heard the airp http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Bali/Legian/blog-476209.html Ohio really knows how to reaffirm my decision to get out of the midwest for the winter and head to the tropics of SE Asia Shovelling over a foot of snow is a little less of a pain in the butt when I realize the only thing I'll be shoveling next week is sand into a nice mound to rest my head on a beach in Bali. So here is the rough itinerary for the first month of my trip 21510 depart Colu http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Ohio/Columbus/blog-474513.html