SEVEN HOURS LATER WE CLIMBED OFF the overnight train into another unfamiliar world. It is a testament to how long we have been travelling that we are no longer frazzled by the process of arriving in a strange city at an ungodly hour, haggling over a price of a rickshaw and barreling off in the chosen vehicle down some dark, foreign alley in search of a hotel. It is precisely these experiences that make me realize how much faith in the world and in humanity traveling requires. In these first moments in a new city you are like an infant - lost, helpless and completely dependent on others to help you. Somehow though, it always works out. The state of Rajasthan is one of the oldest developed regions of India. It has an incredibly rich history ... read more

FROM VARANASI WE BOARDED A TRAIN WEST in the direction of India’s pride and joy, the most famous symbol of this immense land, the Taj Mahal. This first experiment of using the large and complicated Indian rail system was essentially…a train wreck. We were completely clueless as to how the several tiered ticketing system worked. Just before midnight we climbed aboard the sleeper car, which in the eerie darkness resembled a scene out of a science fiction movie. The steel metal bars and blue berths were overflowing with unfamiliar faces and huge black eyes that peered out of the darkness at me. Of course, they were just the outward expression of inquiring minds but at the time they seemed intense and unkind. We had booked our rail tickets online but not having access to a printer, ... read more

CHAPAGAON IS THE CHEERIEST, prettiest, most lovable little village in all of Nepal (or at least I think so). Although we were only there 7 days it will always have a place in my heart. I have been wanting to volunteer abroad for as long as I can remember and I finally got the opportunity to do so at the Jyotidaya Co-operative School in Chapagaon. The village is located in the Lilipur district of Kathmandu valley and although its very close to Kathmandu it is a world apart. While Kathmandu is dusty and polluted and filled with trash and beeping horns; Chapagoan is green and verdant - filled with rice and mustard fields, cobblestone roads, and a Himalaya lined backdrop. We arrived there on the Nov. 18th after spending a couple of days in Thamel recuperating ... read more

BAGAN HAS A MYSTICAL AURA ABOUT IT. Approximately 4,400 temples (over 800 years old) rise out of the dry, central plains of Burma. Wandering through the temple strewn plains you feel like you are on the set of an Indiana Jones movie. The temples ooze history – stories of kings and dynasties and wars come to mind. They come in varying shapes and sizes; some only a pile of crumbling bricks and others several majestic stories high. They are not the sparkling, golden stupas of Yangon and Bago; rather they are dark red and orange stone fortresses covered in moss and overgrown shrubbery. Many have dark tunnels and staircases leading to rooftop terraces that offer 360 degree views of the plains. You cannot walk for more than a minute or two without stu... read more

Burma is unlike any country I’ve ever been to. It is wild and overgrown and filled with the loveliest people on earth. It is unbearable hot at times and horrendously dirty at others but it is home to some of the most striking scenery and historically rich monuments in the world. Golden spires are so common a sight that after awhile you don’t even turn your head to get a second look. Infinite stares and smiles are directed at you from behind betel (a leaf that people chew similar to tobacco) stained gums and faces smeared with thanaka (an ancient make up made from bark root). Monks in saffron and maroon robes walk nimbly through the streets collecting food and alms. Discomfort from heat and dirt force you to look at how comfortable and pampered your ... read more