Oh the Himalayas...it was an adventure. They were amazing, I can honestly say that, just not my cup of tea. Let my preface my adventure by saying that I have the habit of being overly confident about things once I set my mind to them, ie. going to India, etc. haha. I spoke and thought about going on this little expedition as if it were nothing and let me tell you, I was quickly humbled. We got a late start last Tuesday and didn't arrive to the base camp to set up until about 5 pm. The drive was beautiful! These mountains are nothing like I have ever seen in my life and the tiny villages along the way were so precious. The men quickly sat up our camp sight with my tent and the kitchen ... read more

The end of Ramadan came with joy to the people of Kashmir and to me! I woke up the next morning and everyone was saying "Happy Eat Day", so I thought. I was excited to eat in company for the first time since I got there. I only shared dinner with them before. I later found out that the two day long festival following Ramadan is called 'Eid Mubarak' so what I was thinking was 'eat' was actually 'eid.' I found this absolutely hilarious when I saw the words on the television! The days were pretty quiet and relaxing. I did a lot of embroidery work and read the book, 'A Map of the World' It's a good read for sure. The second evening, I was wondering why everything was so quiet around the house. Most ... read more

I LOVE SRINAGAR! After I left the office on Sunday afternoon, I was whisked away to the Delhi airport. I found my airline quickly and a nice young man quickly started conversation with me. When I told him I was going to Srinagar, he told me it was his home and he was happy I was going to see it. My friend's name is Abrar. He was such a help to me and lead me through the crazy airport security (without him I would have been completely lost!) He is a student too and will be going to the UK soon to study vet medicine. Getting on the plane we took a shuttle and he made sure that we would sit next to each other on the plane. We talked about pashmina, family, school, friends, and ... read more

So this solidifies it! Today after doing a lot of nothing, ie. watching reruns of The Office, I get a phone call from my mother. "Your visa came!!" My heart leapt and I knew that this was the real thing. This past week my nerves started hitting me hard. I'm not sure exactly what it is but I think part of it was the uncertainty of when that little sticker in my passport would arrive. It's so funny how after weeks of excitement and eagerness that timidness and fear were starting to creep their way in. I'm not going to let those feelings last though! I've been reading my travel books constantly. It's amazing how I can read the same things over and over again, yet I forget it before I read it again. I'm going ... read more