The journey from Srinagar, Kashmir, to Dharamsala was a two day taxi ride which we shared with a couple of Italian women we met. To say it was an exciting journey would be an understatement. We lucked out with a driver who seriously could take a place on the Indiana Five Hundred race team. The first day of travel was a solid nine hours of two lane, winding, mountainous road at ridiculously high altitudes that was constant bumper-to-bumper traffic. And we are not talking mostly tourists, for the majority of traffic was large trucks and army vehicles. He passed them all, but was so smooth that we were not expecting to die at any moment. Either that, or the dance-with-death drop to the bottomless valley below was such a constant that it was pointless to worry ... read more

I remember at one point back home, in the early stages of planning this trip, I had wanted to avoid Mumbai altogether, thinking it would be too much hassle trying to navigate one of the world's largest cities, with a population of twenty two million plus. I was so wrong, and I am so glad we came here. Without a doubt, we lucked out with our hotel selection in the heart of Mumbai, one block away from the Gates of India, the famous Taj Mahal Hotel, and walking distance or a short ride away from all the major attractions. Situated right on the water, we had a view of the bay from our room, and spent our evenings blissed out by the beauty of all the boats sparkling in the water from the hotel's excellent rooftop ... read more

Kerala is a province in India that is characterized by its waterways that have, since forever, served as roadways around which communities were built. These communities still thrive today, so when you take a boat cruise to the backwaters of Kerala, you are not just viewing more beautiful scenery as a tourist. What makes this experience different, and much more special, is that you are viewing life as it still goes on in this very beautiful environment. The boat cruise options are numerous, from luxury houseboats that provide both dining and sleeping accommodations, to quaint little Venice-like Gondolas for two powered by the guy at the back quietly paddling you through the tiniest, most intimate waterways where you get up-close-and-personal glimpses of the people who live, play, and work here. We chose the later, and it ... read more

Getting to India involved an intense and variety packed day of travel. It began with a half hour tuk tuk ride to the Colombo airport at 7 a.m., where we eventually boarded a 70 minute flight to Chennai, India, after going through at least four security checks. Once arrived in India, we took a forty minute taxi ride to what we thought would be a bus station for the next leg of our journey. The reality was that we found ourselves dropped off on what seemed like some random busy street, but there was a guy there next to this wicked looking beater of a bus, screaming out the name of the city we were headed to. We were presented with the option of sitting on the street and waiting for a nicer air con bus ... read more

The second part of our mission in Polonnawara was to visit its ancient city. We rented bikes again for the day, and by 8 a.m. we were on our way. We were not disappointed. Unlike the temples of Anchor Wat in Cambodia, which were created in different time periods by different civilizations and rulers, these ruins really felt like one large city. You could get a sense of the community that had existed here a thousand years ago, which is in amazingly good condition given its age. On our way home, we stopped by a carving factory, where we watched carvers at work, and then were absolutely blown away when we stepped into the warehouse and discovered the vast array of excellent work they had produced. Sculptures, masks, and beautiful, master crafted furniture were all on ... read more