It would be safe to say that I have reached a "high" point in my trip, both literally and figuratively. It's certainly no secret that the Ladakh region of North India is a trekking paradise. Having so many routes to choose from, one falls victim to the tyranny of choice in planning upcoming adventures. I've been in Ladakh slightly less than one month, spending 16 of those days out in the wilderness, trekking at high elevations and exploring the wondrous beauty of the Himalaya. It has truly been a magical experience. After finishing the 8-day, 118-mile Rhumtse to Tso Moriri Lake [View Full Entry]

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There has been no lack of excitement and activity during the past week. As I mentioned in my previous blog, the day after finishing the trek, the same group decided to embark upon a long downhill mountain bike trip on the highest motorable road in the world. The road eventually took us up to the Khardung La Pass at an elevation of 18,380ft. Aside from the frigidly cold air and noticeable lack of oxygen in the air, the views were stunning. After snapping a few memorable photos, we began our 3 our descent back to Leh. During the trip we descended [View Full Entry]

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So I haven't been so vigilant in updating the blog recently. I finished my volunteer teaching work in Mcleod Ganj about 10 days ago. Teaching the Tibetan refugees and the Buddhist monks English was perhaps the most enjoyable and memorable experience of trip thus far. Most of the students had no English experience or knowledge whatsoever, so I started half the classes with learning the alphabet. By the end of six weeks I had a lot of my students who knew no English when we started, asking me questions in English by the time we finished. So many f them came [View Full Entry]

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After nearly 7 months of constant movement and travel I have finally found a temporary settlement. For the next 6 weeks I will be residing in a small town called Mcleod Ganj up here in North India. When His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama fled Tibet after the Chinese invasion/occupation in 1959, Mcleod Ganj is where he made is home. In the surrounding area of Dharmsala and within Mcleod Ganj is an extremely large Tibetan-refugee community, creating a social and cultural environment that is in many ways distinct from the rest of India. Dharmsala and its environs is home to the [View Full Entry]

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I knew the moment I arrived in Manali that I would enjoy my time here. Set in a large valley with snow-capped mountain ranges running adjacent to the town, the scenery around Manali is stunning. When compared to the 110+ temperatures of Delhi, the weather here is awesome. Ranging from low 70's in the day at high 40's at night, it's a great summer mountain climate. The several valleys and peaks around Manali are prime backpacking spots with more than 50+ different treks to choose from. Unfortunately because of the late snow this year I'll have to wait a month or [View Full Entry]

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I knew the moment I arrived in Manali that I would enjoy my time here. Set in a large valley with snow-capped mountain ranges running adjacent to the town, the scenery around Manali is stunning. When compared to the 110+ temperatures of Delhi, the weather here is awesome. Ranging from low 70's in the day at high 40's at night, it's a great summer mountain climate. The several valleys and peaks around Manali are prime backpacking spots with more than 50+ different treks to choose from. Unfortunately because of the late snow this year I'll have to wait a month or [View Full Entry]

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Final Farewell to Vietnam As I write this blog it's been exactly 2 months since I entered the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It's hard to believe that time has moved by so quickly and in some ways I'm sad to leave. One month on my own and one month with Dad, a nice blend of comfort, companionship, and adventure. I feel insanely lucky to have had the chance to spend a whole month traveling the country with Dad and I know that it is a part of my trip I am unlikely ever to forget. Like I've said in previous blogs, [View Full Entry]

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In an attempt to not be too repetitive with my blogs I'm going to keep this one rather brief. As I've already "blogged" many of the places I'm now revisiting, I don't see a tremendous need to repeat tales of history and geography in Central Vietnam. That doesn't mean, however, that the last few weeks have been short of any fun and excitement. I think quite the contrary. Since I last updated this site, Dad and I have been working our way north toward our eventual final destination of Hanoi. There's only 11 days of our trip left and man [View Full Entry]

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After traveling nearly 5 months, most of it alone, on April 14th I was finally graced with a serious dose of familiarity. Dad had arrived. After flying nearly 20 hours from San Francisco to Hong Kong, and then Hong Kong to Saigon, Dad had made it to Vietnam. After settling into our room, we briefly meandered around the city and called it an early night. There was a lot planned for the next few days. Since I’ve already spent nearly a month getting to know Vietnam, traveling around with Dad should be a breeze. Over the course of 30 days I’ve [View Full Entry]

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I guess I mentioned at the end of my last blag that I would give you gusy some sort of fashion show. Well, sorry to disappoint (I doubt anyone really cared). As much fun as it was getting tons of custom fit clothes made, I thought it would be a bit lame to post a dozen photos of me dressed up in different attire. I may have been a wee-bit over-excited about visiting Hoi An when I last updated the blog. Anyways.... A beautiful town filled with century-old buildings that date back to the French colonial days. The influence on the [View Full Entry]

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