So. You thought it was over right? You thought, 'oh yea, Priya got bored...no more blog posts...' WRONG! I just wanted to let the hype of my trip around the world die down a bit; u have no idea how hard it is to be as popular as I am...
But really, I stopped for a few reasons. Let me summarize them for you:
-It's a one way street: blogging is totally one way. You guys get to read ALL about what I'm doing, and what do I get...? One, two, MAYBE three lousy comments. I dont get any response from you guys telling me about your lives or whats going on. It's a little annoying to give and give but to not receive
-People keep asking questions: 'When's your next blogpost?' 'Where are all the pictures?' 'Where are you?'. It's annoying to be on the beck and call of your fans and admirers when really this trip is about me experiencing the world.
-It's time consuming: Especially when you are in a country where the internet connection is around 3 kb/min and the guy next to you is smoking a cigarette, while the other one is asking you how to download videos. And did I really go on this trip to write a blog? No. I went on it so I could eat a lot of food.
Yes, there are elements of this blog that suck...but that's why I took some time off. Now, my readers have died down (but my fan base is at a record high!) and I'm back in a country where the internet connection is as fast as Michael Phelps! So, I think...I THINK...we are back in business.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Where the Hell is Priya? - Part III
Disclaimer: This blogpost is not rated PG. I warn you now, so you can stop reading in advance for those of my readers who would like to continue seeing me in a certain light. Whether that light be as a lovable family member, a beautiful student, or a very happy traveler - just don't read this one blog post. Wait until the next, more friendly one. This one is a rough ride!
More pictures for you! Nepal mixed with Bali! Unforunately my Nepal pictures are acting up. Don´t worry, I´ll post them as fast as I can.
View of Annapurna. Not sure where...
Us at dinner before my last night in Bali! We partied all night since my flight was at 7.30 AM. Only way to roll. I pretty much passed out on the plane.
That mountain in the background is actually a volcano. I believe it is still active as well. This was on our drive back from diving.
Beach at sunset. How romantic!
Yvonne and I eating a belated lunch after a day of surfing! How cool are we? I look like I'm 12.
Yvonne and I at the ever popular Bounty club! It was like one big techno dance party. Techno music is for white people who can't dance. There is no other reason for techno. Period.
Day 8: July 29th Manang –Rest Day! 3540m
Rest day in Manang! We stayed here for 1 day to get acclimatized. The altitude affects people differently. The most common symptoms are headaches, nausea, vomiting and being incessantly tired. But, I was feeling great! I also forgot to mention a conversation I had with Kumar on my birthday.
As Kumar and I were walking to Manang a ‘birthday’ discussion began:
Kumar: How old are you now?
Me: 23
Kumar: (nods his head) I see. 23.
Me: Yup, the big 2-3.
Kumar: (takes a long pause and says in a very serious tone) Getting old.
Me: Ummm...not really. I’m still pretty young. Lots of time
Kumar: I see. And marriage?
Me: Excuse me?
Kumar: Are you married yet?
Me: (very taken aback) No! I’m still very young...
Kumar: And boyfriend? You have boyfriend for marriage?
Me: Things work differently in America. No boyfriend, no marriage.
Kumar: Yes yes, things are different in America. You should get married soon.
End of discussion. I should mention that Kumar is married with 2 children so he wasn’t trying to hit on me. I think he was looking out for my ‘well being’. Man, Indians and Nepalis are crazy about marriage.
Anyway, during the rest day we could pretty much do whatever we wanted and there were quite a lot of sights to see! A lake, some trees, a glacier, mountains, a crazy old man who lived in the mountains who granted you a wish if you visited him and gave him 20 rupees. I decided to take it easy, check out the lake and pretty much laze the day away. I spent most of the day with Kishor and Jack (Sarah and Nathan’s guide and porter) sitting on the roof of their hostel doing nothing. The weather was quite interesting, if you were out in the sun it was literally like you were burning up but once the shade hit you it was time to throw the fleece back on. Crazy, I kept taking off and putting on clothes. At night, I came back to my hotel to find a crazy mix of Nepalis drinking some local brew. I stayed with them for a while and tried the local rakse (wine) and beer. Not my favorite, but it helped me sleep!
Day 9: July 30th – Manang to Letdar 4200m
This was quite the...long day. We left Manang and hiked our way up all the way to Letdar (pronounced leather). As we arrived there was one distinct feature about this town: it was dead. We got to our hostel, looking forward to a warm fire to dry ourselves and our clothes and guess what we found: no fire. No fire, no eggs, no toast, no internet, no solar water heater, nothing. This town had literally nothing to do. And we arrived at around 1.00 PM. We literally spent the day in the hostels living room, inside our sleeping bags. I don’t think I moved until bedtime, which was 8.00 PM since there was nothing else to do!
We played cards and talked to an old french couple who had just summited Thorung La Pass that day (they came from the other side of the mountain)! And as our dinner of spaghetti and ketchup was being served, the frenchies 4 star chef brought out pizza, salad, dessert and coffee for them. I hate the French.
Oh well, the day was over and I was starting to get nervous. Only 2 days until we passed Thorung La!
Day 10: July 31st – Letdar to Thorung Phedi 4450m
Short day of walking but some definite ups and downs. We crossed the river which we had been following the entire 10 days and finally said goodbye to it. We arrived in Thorung Phedi and started to feel some drizzle. And before we knew it, it was pouring. Literally pouring. So we spent the day inside the hostels living room again, me tucked in Peter’s sleeping bag since it was raining so hard I didn’t want to leave shelter to get mine. We played hearts, had some interesting discussions on life and I found the courage to order Pizza! It was actually delicious. This town also had toast, which is very hard to come by! But we decided to call it an early night since we were crossing the pass the next day and had to up at 3.30 AM. It was still another 1000m and then another 2000m drop to the next town. This meant we would be hiking for around 9 hours. So in order to avoid the winds and reach the next town during daylight we had to be up early. Oh god, what did I get myself into?
Day 11: Aug 1st – Thorung Phedi to Thorung La Pass to Mukthinath 5416m to 3800m
We woke up at 3.30 AM to the sound of what I thought was rain, meaning we would skip the pass and stay in Phedi for one more night! But as I stepped outside, I realized it was just the stupid river rushing by. So, we rolled out of bed, wearily ate breakfast and started the climb. Wow, what a climb. The first hour (500m) was pretty steep and I definitely took my time. As we started up the second part, the day started to clear up. The sun would peak out but it was still freezing. I was actually wearing my fleece during the climb, which I had never done because of how hot I got during the walks. But the second part of the climb was definitely more greuling. It felt like it was never going to end and then suddenly Kumar said, ‘5 minutes until the pass.’ Really? Was this a joke? Did I actually make it despite my sickness and mental weariness? Yes, yes I did! Oh my god, it felt so good. There was even a little bit of snow to greet us at the top! Peter actually arrived 1 hour before Alex, myself, Kumar, Sarah, Nathan and Kishor and stayed at the top to take pictures with us! What a crazy guy.
The altitutde really affected me that day and the key was: drinking water. Definitely key when climbing that high. But we got to the top, took pictures for 20 minutes and I summed up our experience with:
‘Let’s bust the fuck off this mountain.’
It was so cold up there. I was wearing my thermal pants, rain pants, rain jacket, fleece and thermal shirt. Definitely not something made for an Indian. Ah, but I made it! After 1 year of waiting, getting mentally prepared, graduating college, traveling across the world...I made it to the top!
Our walk down was just long. I don’t really remember if it was tiring, it was all kind of a blur after the pass. But we were definitely hungry by the time we reached Muktinath. We hadn’t eaten since 4 AM and we arrived at 2.00 PM. And actually, it was Peter’s birthday! Can you believe it? What a copy cat! Oh well, I still think my birthday was more exciting...
We sat around drinking beers in our victory over the pass and celebrating Peter’s birthday. And actually, I didn’t know this before, but Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus meaning that the place was swarmed with Indians! They kept looking at me wondering why I was hanging out with so many white people instead of Indians. There is a temple dedicated to Shiva, which has 108 taps of water to drink from. Apparently, if you drink from all 108 taps, Shiva grants a wish to you.
Muktinath, while definitely beautiful, was the start of our problems with our guide: Kumar. Up until now, he had been helpful in directing us on the right path and somewhat useful as a porter. Alex had been carrying either Kumar’s bag or our bag everyday because Kumar was having difficulty carrying both. Regardless, I wasn’t having too many reservations about him as our guide but he wasn’t exactly enhancing the experience with his knowledge of Annapurna. As we arrived, Alex wanted to stay in the Bob Marley hostel (what a hippie) but Kumar said defiantly: ‘No, it’s run by Israelis. I don’t like Israelis.’ Excuse me? Probably the most racist comment I’d heard from him yet, but I was pretty tired from the trek so I didn’t care to argue. In retrospect, his opinion didn’t matter. We paid him to accompany us on OUR trek, meaning we should have been in charge. I didn’t really realize it, but we really weren’t in charge of where we stayed or what we ate. You’ll see how our relationship evolves in the next few days.
Anyway, after a long day of trekking and celebrating, we went to bed and I vowed to myself to take a shower before going to Shivas temple. I know he loves me smelly or clean but I was really starting to test that love with my odor.
Day 12: Aug 2 – Muktinath to Kagbeni 2800m
I woke the next morning, took a shower and made my way to Shiva’s temple to drink from the 108 taps. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple, and I got quite a few questions from the priests. They didn’t think I was hindu since I couldn’t speak a word of Hindi and walked in wearing pants and a t-shirt. Whatever, I got in, said my thanks and walked a bit more around the city.
We left at around 11.00 AM to Kagbeni and let me tell you, that was definitely a scary walk. Just thinking about it makes my palms sweat. But I should tell you, I have a fear of heights and the last part of the trail was a mildly steep walk, with the trail only a foot and a half wide. I was last in the pack to find my way down. But I got there! Safely and somewhat mentally intact.
Once again, problems with Kumar arose. Since this was our last night with Kish, Sarah, Nathan and Jack we wanted to spend it in the same hostel. Kumar said he didn’t want to go the hostel because he hadn’t stayed there and didn’t know the owners. And after Peter ate lunch with us and announced that he was going to another hostel, Kumar told him to not travel with us anymore. Under speculation, the guides get commision for each trekker they bring to hostel to eat and stay and since Peter decided not to stay, Kumar didn’t get a comission for him. So, Kumar was pissed. But not as angry as Alex, who was starting to realize how little control we had over our own trek. I, was not here for any of this, I was busy straighening my hair. Yes, I trekked the himalayas with my hair straightener. We all have our vices.
We hung out with Kish and Jack and continued enjoying our victory over the pass. What a fun night.
Day 13- Aug 3rd Kagbeni to Marpha 2670m
Not a bad walk at all. Jomsom (an intermediate town) had an airport! It was a bustling town packed with trekkers who flew up, and trekked in the opposite direction to Thorung La or just walked down the mountain (what lazy people). Alex and I arrived and I decided to check my email. Mind you something I hadn’t done for a while. As I started sifting through my emails, I found one from my mother with an email she sent to the Nepali embassy. Read as follows:
Could you please indicate what type of back ground information you keep for folks that go on trekking in Nepal? Could you please provide me your trip itinerary and indicate if she is on any trekk trips with your company? Any information you can share would be highly appreciated.
I do look forward to hearing from you soon. Have a great day.
Omg, only my mother would do this. I told my parents that I would be out of contact for several weeks. Oh well, it was a good laugh. I sent her a quick update and went to eat lunch. During lunch, through my superior verbal skills, I convinced Peter to continue trekking with us because Nathan, Sarah, Kish and Jack were flying back down to civilization. Meaning it would just be me, Alex and Kumar. I wanted some more company.
Marpha was town known for its apples. Apple brandy, apple pie, apple crumble...but of course we only tasted a small slice of its apple wonders. Unfortunately, if you trek in low season, your food choices are limited. But we tried some apple brandy and got Rob (in his 50s, oldest trekker) a little drunk. But it was fun, Alex played soccer with a monk and I stole peaches from someones peach tree. Good times and good weather.
Ok fans, don't worry I'll keep you updated on my travels. Even if I'm writing from America. Miss you guys!
As Kumar and I were walking to Manang a ‘birthday’ discussion began:
Kumar: How old are you now?
Me: 23
Kumar: (nods his head) I see. 23.
Me: Yup, the big 2-3.
Kumar: (takes a long pause and says in a very serious tone) Getting old.
Me: Ummm...not really. I’m still pretty young. Lots of time
Kumar: I see. And marriage?
Me: Excuse me?
Kumar: Are you married yet?
Me: (very taken aback) No! I’m still very young...
Kumar: And boyfriend? You have boyfriend for marriage?
Me: Things work differently in America. No boyfriend, no marriage.
Kumar: Yes yes, things are different in America. You should get married soon.
End of discussion. I should mention that Kumar is married with 2 children so he wasn’t trying to hit on me. I think he was looking out for my ‘well being’. Man, Indians and Nepalis are crazy about marriage.
Anyway, during the rest day we could pretty much do whatever we wanted and there were quite a lot of sights to see! A lake, some trees, a glacier, mountains, a crazy old man who lived in the mountains who granted you a wish if you visited him and gave him 20 rupees. I decided to take it easy, check out the lake and pretty much laze the day away. I spent most of the day with Kishor and Jack (Sarah and Nathan’s guide and porter) sitting on the roof of their hostel doing nothing. The weather was quite interesting, if you were out in the sun it was literally like you were burning up but once the shade hit you it was time to throw the fleece back on. Crazy, I kept taking off and putting on clothes. At night, I came back to my hotel to find a crazy mix of Nepalis drinking some local brew. I stayed with them for a while and tried the local rakse (wine) and beer. Not my favorite, but it helped me sleep!
Day 9: July 30th – Manang to Letdar 4200m
This was quite the...long day. We left Manang and hiked our way up all the way to Letdar (pronounced leather). As we arrived there was one distinct feature about this town: it was dead. We got to our hostel, looking forward to a warm fire to dry ourselves and our clothes and guess what we found: no fire. No fire, no eggs, no toast, no internet, no solar water heater, nothing. This town had literally nothing to do. And we arrived at around 1.00 PM. We literally spent the day in the hostels living room, inside our sleeping bags. I don’t think I moved until bedtime, which was 8.00 PM since there was nothing else to do!
We played cards and talked to an old french couple who had just summited Thorung La Pass that day (they came from the other side of the mountain)! And as our dinner of spaghetti and ketchup was being served, the frenchies 4 star chef brought out pizza, salad, dessert and coffee for them. I hate the French.
Oh well, the day was over and I was starting to get nervous. Only 2 days until we passed Thorung La!
Day 10: July 31st – Letdar to Thorung Phedi 4450m
Short day of walking but some definite ups and downs. We crossed the river which we had been following the entire 10 days and finally said goodbye to it. We arrived in Thorung Phedi and started to feel some drizzle. And before we knew it, it was pouring. Literally pouring. So we spent the day inside the hostels living room again, me tucked in Peter’s sleeping bag since it was raining so hard I didn’t want to leave shelter to get mine. We played hearts, had some interesting discussions on life and I found the courage to order Pizza! It was actually delicious. This town also had toast, which is very hard to come by! But we decided to call it an early night since we were crossing the pass the next day and had to up at 3.30 AM. It was still another 1000m and then another 2000m drop to the next town. This meant we would be hiking for around 9 hours. So in order to avoid the winds and reach the next town during daylight we had to be up early. Oh god, what did I get myself into?
Day 11: Aug 1st – Thorung Phedi to Thorung La Pass to Mukthinath 5416m to 3800m
We woke up at 3.30 AM to the sound of what I thought was rain, meaning we would skip the pass and stay in Phedi for one more night! But as I stepped outside, I realized it was just the stupid river rushing by. So, we rolled out of bed, wearily ate breakfast and started the climb. Wow, what a climb. The first hour (500m) was pretty steep and I definitely took my time. As we started up the second part, the day started to clear up. The sun would peak out but it was still freezing. I was actually wearing my fleece during the climb, which I had never done because of how hot I got during the walks. But the second part of the climb was definitely more greuling. It felt like it was never going to end and then suddenly Kumar said, ‘5 minutes until the pass.’ Really? Was this a joke? Did I actually make it despite my sickness and mental weariness? Yes, yes I did! Oh my god, it felt so good. There was even a little bit of snow to greet us at the top! Peter actually arrived 1 hour before Alex, myself, Kumar, Sarah, Nathan and Kishor and stayed at the top to take pictures with us! What a crazy guy.
The altitutde really affected me that day and the key was: drinking water. Definitely key when climbing that high. But we got to the top, took pictures for 20 minutes and I summed up our experience with:
‘Let’s bust the fuck off this mountain.’
It was so cold up there. I was wearing my thermal pants, rain pants, rain jacket, fleece and thermal shirt. Definitely not something made for an Indian. Ah, but I made it! After 1 year of waiting, getting mentally prepared, graduating college, traveling across the world...I made it to the top!
Our walk down was just long. I don’t really remember if it was tiring, it was all kind of a blur after the pass. But we were definitely hungry by the time we reached Muktinath. We hadn’t eaten since 4 AM and we arrived at 2.00 PM. And actually, it was Peter’s birthday! Can you believe it? What a copy cat! Oh well, I still think my birthday was more exciting...
We sat around drinking beers in our victory over the pass and celebrating Peter’s birthday. And actually, I didn’t know this before, but Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus meaning that the place was swarmed with Indians! They kept looking at me wondering why I was hanging out with so many white people instead of Indians. There is a temple dedicated to Shiva, which has 108 taps of water to drink from. Apparently, if you drink from all 108 taps, Shiva grants a wish to you.
Muktinath, while definitely beautiful, was the start of our problems with our guide: Kumar. Up until now, he had been helpful in directing us on the right path and somewhat useful as a porter. Alex had been carrying either Kumar’s bag or our bag everyday because Kumar was having difficulty carrying both. Regardless, I wasn’t having too many reservations about him as our guide but he wasn’t exactly enhancing the experience with his knowledge of Annapurna. As we arrived, Alex wanted to stay in the Bob Marley hostel (what a hippie) but Kumar said defiantly: ‘No, it’s run by Israelis. I don’t like Israelis.’ Excuse me? Probably the most racist comment I’d heard from him yet, but I was pretty tired from the trek so I didn’t care to argue. In retrospect, his opinion didn’t matter. We paid him to accompany us on OUR trek, meaning we should have been in charge. I didn’t really realize it, but we really weren’t in charge of where we stayed or what we ate. You’ll see how our relationship evolves in the next few days.
Anyway, after a long day of trekking and celebrating, we went to bed and I vowed to myself to take a shower before going to Shivas temple. I know he loves me smelly or clean but I was really starting to test that love with my odor.
Day 12: Aug 2 – Muktinath to Kagbeni 2800m
I woke the next morning, took a shower and made my way to Shiva’s temple to drink from the 108 taps. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple, and I got quite a few questions from the priests. They didn’t think I was hindu since I couldn’t speak a word of Hindi and walked in wearing pants and a t-shirt. Whatever, I got in, said my thanks and walked a bit more around the city.
We left at around 11.00 AM to Kagbeni and let me tell you, that was definitely a scary walk. Just thinking about it makes my palms sweat. But I should tell you, I have a fear of heights and the last part of the trail was a mildly steep walk, with the trail only a foot and a half wide. I was last in the pack to find my way down. But I got there! Safely and somewhat mentally intact.
Once again, problems with Kumar arose. Since this was our last night with Kish, Sarah, Nathan and Jack we wanted to spend it in the same hostel. Kumar said he didn’t want to go the hostel because he hadn’t stayed there and didn’t know the owners. And after Peter ate lunch with us and announced that he was going to another hostel, Kumar told him to not travel with us anymore. Under speculation, the guides get commision for each trekker they bring to hostel to eat and stay and since Peter decided not to stay, Kumar didn’t get a comission for him. So, Kumar was pissed. But not as angry as Alex, who was starting to realize how little control we had over our own trek. I, was not here for any of this, I was busy straighening my hair. Yes, I trekked the himalayas with my hair straightener. We all have our vices.
We hung out with Kish and Jack and continued enjoying our victory over the pass. What a fun night.
Day 13- Aug 3rd Kagbeni to Marpha 2670m
Not a bad walk at all. Jomsom (an intermediate town) had an airport! It was a bustling town packed with trekkers who flew up, and trekked in the opposite direction to Thorung La or just walked down the mountain (what lazy people). Alex and I arrived and I decided to check my email. Mind you something I hadn’t done for a while. As I started sifting through my emails, I found one from my mother with an email she sent to the Nepali embassy. Read as follows:
hello there -
this is milan dandawate from Washington DC, USA... My daughter is currently trekking in Nepal - but we have no idea of where she is today, since she has not contacted us since July 18. Her name is Priya Dandawate, age 23 years - birthdate is July 28, 1987. Could you please indicate what type of back ground information you keep for folks that go on trekking in Nepal? Could you please provide me your trip itinerary and indicate if she is on any trekk trips with your company? Any information you can share would be highly appreciated.
I do look forward to hearing from you soon. Have a great day.
Marpha was town known for its apples. Apple brandy, apple pie, apple crumble...but of course we only tasted a small slice of its apple wonders. Unfortunately, if you trek in low season, your food choices are limited. But we tried some apple brandy and got Rob (in his 50s, oldest trekker) a little drunk. But it was fun, Alex played soccer with a monk and I stole peaches from someones peach tree. Good times and good weather.
Ok fans, don't worry I'll keep you updated on my travels. Even if I'm writing from America. Miss you guys!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Where the hell is Priya? - Part II
Disclaimer: This blogpost is not rated PG. I warn you now, so you can stop reading in advance for those of my readers who would like to continue seeing me in a certain light. Whether that light be as a lovable family member, a beautiful student, or a very happy traveler - just don't read this one blog post. Wait until the next, more friendly one. This one is a rough ride!
Let's start with some pictures since I feel as though I left most of you hanging last time.
Check out this little girl. Way more talented than me.
Omega Trekking team. The tall guy behind and to the right of the kid wearing the Reebok shirt was our guide: Kumar.
Alex and the chickens he bought! Just kidding, but there were chickens everywhere. However, none of the restaurants would kill them since it was low season and they didn't want to waste meat on just one traveler.
One of the many views you will see
Not Nepal but Bali! Me and Yvonne, the Dutch girl I stayed with. Us at starbucks. We are flashpackers.
Day 5: July 26th- Dharapani to Chame 2670 m
Only 2 days until my birthday! And I was feeling better. Definitely. Those antibiotics pretty much saved me, but I had to be super consistent with them. As we arrived in Chame, I saw the most inviting sign: Internet now in Chame. How exciting! I felt like it was 1996 and I was expecting there would be a dial up modem with sounds like a capuccino maker. But when I found out it was 10 rupees per minute, I decided to skip going on the internet. Anyway, Peter, Alex and I arrived in Chame to some dinky hostel and I practiced my usual ritual of laying in bed until dinner.
Aside: I haven't mentioned anything about the traditional Nepali meals: dal baht. Literally translated it means: lentils and rice. It's what I've grown up eating and is probably my favorite meal in the world...when cooked right. But Indian dal baht is different from Nepali dal baht. Basically, in Nepal, they serve you 1 kg (that's 2.2 lbs, Americans) of rice with usually some watered down version of lentils that have no flavor. And there is never enough lentils for all the rice. It also comes with some mixed vegetables and pickled mango. But the one key about dal baht is: free refills. It's the only meal in Nepal where you can constantly get anything refilled, so you can REALLY get your money's worth if you are hungry and the food is good. But I'm not going to lie, my overall dal baht experience in Nepal was negative. Lack of flavor, too much rice and not enough variety with the mixed vegetable dishes. Also, lacking spice. Come on Nepal, India is right next door. You can 'borrow' some recipes from them! I guess I'm just not used to eating bad dal baht. This is probably what Aishwarya Rai sounds like; I'm so high class.
Anyway, in Chame they actually made the dal baht in front of us and according to Peter and Kumar, it was delicious. But I really don't trust Kumar's opinion, he ate dal baht everyday, twice a day the entire time we were trekking. I had my usual meal of Maggi noodles, which as my mother will tell you, I love! If there is one thing Illinois made me love it's Ramen. We hopped off to bed at 8.00 PM (yes, we partied hard in the mountains) with our headlamps and the sound of pouring rain.
Day 6: July 27th - Chame to Upper Pisang 3200 m
So far, we had lucked out with trekking during rainy season. It had rained every night, leaving the days foggy, but tolerable to trek in. But this morning was different. It was different first, because it was 1 day until my birthday! Second, because it was raining. We decided to wait for a couple hours and maybe even stay in Chame for the day, but by 10.30 AM, Peter and Alex were so restless that we decided to leave for Upper Pisang. Whatever, I was in no mood to argue as long as I had my medication. We started the trek, ran into Nathan and Sarah for lunch and I think this is where Alex developed an infatuation with apple pie. As an American, I love apple pie. Especially McDonald's baked apple pie! It's the best part of any road trip. During lunch, they cut, rolled and fried the apple pie right in front of us and Alex fell in love. And for those of you who don't know, the second part of the Annapurna circuit is nicknamed 'The Apple Pie Trail', so I think Alex had at least 1 meal a day set for the rest of the trek. As we walked to Upper Pisang we made it to Heaven's Gate. I don't have a picture of it right now, I promise I'll post one at the first opportunity, but it was probably one of my favorite views of Annapurna. Unreal. And the rain made it look even more amazing. After a long trek, we made it to Upper Pisang where as 12.00 AM (my birthday!) approached...everyone went to bed! Except Kish! He stayed up to celebrate with me and it was pretty amazing since it had been cloudy all night but at exactly 12.15 AM the full moon came out to wish me 'Happy Birthday!'. Really, one of my favorite birthday nights ever. A year ago, I would have never guessed that I would be 3200 m high on my 23 birthday.
July 28th: Upper Pisang to Manang - 3500 m
My Birthday! After shaking Alex awake to make him wish me a happy birthday I looked out the window and saw something amazing: the sun! It was a clear day! The first one! There are two paths to Manang: the regular 3000 m climb or the 'challenging' climb which rises something like 600 m extra. Alex and I decided to take the easy route whereas Peter decided to hike the challenging climb. As we parted paths, I couldn't help feeling that it was going to be a
good day for me. The walk seemed to fly by for me, while poor Alex was not having the best time (he decided to carry our 12 kg pack to challenge himself, eek.). We arrived to the much anticipated Manang! It was the biggest city before the Thorung La Pass. Here, we were promised bakeries, fresh bread, internet, laundry service...pretty much my heaven! But as we arrived, we once again found ourselves as the only tourists in town. What did this mean? No bakeries were open, no bread, internet was no 20 rupees, laundry cost around $5 for 5 articles of clothing and it was basically a glorified version of every other town we had been to. But that did not dampen my spirits!
Aside: Showers. The Showers during the trek are solar powered meaning that the water is heated by the sun. So, the only real time to get a hot shower is when the sun is out...not very often during rainy season. Also, so far I was averaging around 1 shower a week. I was also sweating profusely each day. Why do people talk to me?
Since it was so sunny and I had a good feeling, I decided to take a shower. Steaming hot! It was my lucky day. Did some laundry and somewhere around the middle of the day, I ran into Peter. Apparently he had quite the rough trekking day as well. The climb was 'brutal' and he was having some issues with using chlorine to sterlize his water (I won't go into detail). But whatever, he had arrived to celebrate my birthday (or at least, that's the way I saw it). Now it was just time to wait for Nathan, Sarah, Kish and Jack and the party could start! We milled around the city all day and at night I tried my luck with ordered dal baht: bad choice. Not good. Oh well, you win some you lose some. But, we celebrated my birthday with a couple shots of Bagpiper (i.e. the cheapest) whiskey and everyone went off to bed.
Ok team, I bet you are all so enraptured in my story by now, but I'm tried of typing once again. You'll find out if I made it to the top soon enough! Until next time beloved fans!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Where the hell is Priya?
Disclaimer: This blogpost is not rated PG. I warn you now, so you can stop reading in advance for those of my readers who would like to continue seeing me in a certain light. Whether that light be as a lovable family member, a beautiful student, or a very happy traveler - just don't read this one blog post. Wait until the next, more friendly one. This one is a rough ride!
Now that I've fully warned you, I bet all my readers are asking the same question: Where the hell is Priya?! I know, I've been gone for almost a month and that means one whole month without your weekly dose my antics around the world. So, let's start at the very beginning to get the whole big picture. Last time we were together, I was in Delhi about to head off to Manali, loving life, loving traveling and enjoying myself pretty thoroughly...oh how things changed.
I spent around 2 days in Manali, which is known for being an outdoorsy, backpacker area in India. Tried to do some rock climbing on the second day, but of course, it was raining all day, so I had to nix that plan. But I met some cool people, a couple of girls from Scandinavia, and couple from Germany. We just milled around the small town and didn't do too much. Where are the pictures - you might ask, I'll answer ALL your questions, but further down. So, I left Manali on a 13 hour non-air conditioned, over night bus back to Delhi to make my way to Kathmandu. As we pulled in for the 'Kahna' (dinner) stop at around 9.00 PM, I was starving. I ordered the fan favorite of palak paneer...but something didn't taste right. The palak tasted so sour...almost like it had gone bad. My smarter readers will put 2 and 2 together here...
Whatever, I ate the stupid dinner since I was so hungry and arrived, disheveled and gross in Delhi. Let me tell you, 13 hours on a bus ride with open windows and dirt and smog blowing in your face did not sit well with me. But, I was back in Delhi about to go to Kathmandu and trek Annapurna! This is what I had been looking forward to for the past year...so excited. Right as I got off the bus, there was a travel agency advertising 'Delhi-Kathmandu: 30 hours! only 1500 rupees!'. Could my luck be that good that I get to Delhi in just over a day?! I let myself get caught up in the moment and booked the ticket without hesitation.
Aside: Most of my readers will say - '30 hours, Priya? Are you crazy? That's so long.' But I took a 30 hour sleeper class train ride from Kolkata to Bombay last October and it honestly wasn't too bad. So I thought, well just tough it out for 1 day, save some cash and just focus on Annapurna.
Oh my god. I got on the bus and for some stupid reason, decided to sit in the back - the bumpiest part of the bus. Of course, non-AC, so 30 hours of dirt and smog in my face. And not even 4 hours into the bus ride, the family sitting right in front of me start puking. All the kids, puke in the aisle, puking out the windows, spitting...honestly just god damn gross. And the sour palak paneer from the night before was starting to react badly with my stomach as I was being flung 3 feet in the air on the back of the bus. And of course, for some stupid reason the family kept feeding their children. At every 'kahna' stop, the kids kept eating dal baht and kept puking all over the bus. How idiotic can you be? Stop feeding your kids and just give them water. But thankfully, I held everything down. I was trying to let my body naturally fight whatever was in it. And not 30 but 40 god damn hours later - I arrived in Kathmandu. Bruised all over my body because of the bus ride, smelling like a bathroom, covered in sweat and dirt - I made it to Nepal. And of course it was 6.00 AM, so I found the first taxi driver to take me to a hotel in the tourist district...No, no, he took me to his 'brother's' hotel. Where there were only cold showers and it smelled like Indian spices. Which, let me tell you, my body could not handle because of the palak paneer I ate.
But the next day I randomly ran into Alex Woodcock - the fellow couchsurfer I had been talking to about hiking Annapurna together. We got to talking and made arrangements to start our trek on July 22nd. We met our guide, Kumar, who seemed nice enough and went through Omega trekking agency who charged us: $645 ($35 per day) for the 18 day trek.
This included:
-guide/porter
-3 meals a day including tea for each meal
-accommodation at guest houses
-hiking permits
It did not include:
-drinks
-snacks
-eating any meals not at the guest house where we were staying
So Alex and I started our trek...but I forgot to mention one detail: my stomach. It finally took over. I was having a brown streak of bad luck. The bus ride, the bad food, the shitty hotel I stayed in Kathmandu all caught up with me. I had the runs. And I had just decided to hike up 5416 meters, the highest point in the world you can reach without climbing gear. Awesome idea, Priya. Hike up the Himalayas while you can barely hold down food.
Here's a map of the trek:
Now that I've fully warned you, I bet all my readers are asking the same question: Where the hell is Priya?! I know, I've been gone for almost a month and that means one whole month without your weekly dose my antics around the world. So, let's start at the very beginning to get the whole big picture. Last time we were together, I was in Delhi about to head off to Manali, loving life, loving traveling and enjoying myself pretty thoroughly...oh how things changed.
I spent around 2 days in Manali, which is known for being an outdoorsy, backpacker area in India. Tried to do some rock climbing on the second day, but of course, it was raining all day, so I had to nix that plan. But I met some cool people, a couple of girls from Scandinavia, and couple from Germany. We just milled around the small town and didn't do too much. Where are the pictures - you might ask, I'll answer ALL your questions, but further down. So, I left Manali on a 13 hour non-air conditioned, over night bus back to Delhi to make my way to Kathmandu. As we pulled in for the 'Kahna' (dinner) stop at around 9.00 PM, I was starving. I ordered the fan favorite of palak paneer...but something didn't taste right. The palak tasted so sour...almost like it had gone bad. My smarter readers will put 2 and 2 together here...
Whatever, I ate the stupid dinner since I was so hungry and arrived, disheveled and gross in Delhi. Let me tell you, 13 hours on a bus ride with open windows and dirt and smog blowing in your face did not sit well with me. But, I was back in Delhi about to go to Kathmandu and trek Annapurna! This is what I had been looking forward to for the past year...so excited. Right as I got off the bus, there was a travel agency advertising 'Delhi-Kathmandu: 30 hours! only 1500 rupees!'. Could my luck be that good that I get to Delhi in just over a day?! I let myself get caught up in the moment and booked the ticket without hesitation.
Aside: Most of my readers will say - '30 hours, Priya? Are you crazy? That's so long.' But I took a 30 hour sleeper class train ride from Kolkata to Bombay last October and it honestly wasn't too bad. So I thought, well just tough it out for 1 day, save some cash and just focus on Annapurna.
Oh my god. I got on the bus and for some stupid reason, decided to sit in the back - the bumpiest part of the bus. Of course, non-AC, so 30 hours of dirt and smog in my face. And not even 4 hours into the bus ride, the family sitting right in front of me start puking. All the kids, puke in the aisle, puking out the windows, spitting...honestly just god damn gross. And the sour palak paneer from the night before was starting to react badly with my stomach as I was being flung 3 feet in the air on the back of the bus. And of course, for some stupid reason the family kept feeding their children. At every 'kahna' stop, the kids kept eating dal baht and kept puking all over the bus. How idiotic can you be? Stop feeding your kids and just give them water. But thankfully, I held everything down. I was trying to let my body naturally fight whatever was in it. And not 30 but 40 god damn hours later - I arrived in Kathmandu. Bruised all over my body because of the bus ride, smelling like a bathroom, covered in sweat and dirt - I made it to Nepal. And of course it was 6.00 AM, so I found the first taxi driver to take me to a hotel in the tourist district...No, no, he took me to his 'brother's' hotel. Where there were only cold showers and it smelled like Indian spices. Which, let me tell you, my body could not handle because of the palak paneer I ate.
But the next day I randomly ran into Alex Woodcock - the fellow couchsurfer I had been talking to about hiking Annapurna together. We got to talking and made arrangements to start our trek on July 22nd. We met our guide, Kumar, who seemed nice enough and went through Omega trekking agency who charged us: $645 ($35 per day) for the 18 day trek.
This included:
-guide/porter
-3 meals a day including tea for each meal
-accommodation at guest houses
-hiking permits
It did not include:
-drinks
-snacks
-eating any meals not at the guest house where we were staying
So Alex and I started our trek...but I forgot to mention one detail: my stomach. It finally took over. I was having a brown streak of bad luck. The bus ride, the bad food, the shitty hotel I stayed in Kathmandu all caught up with me. I had the runs. And I had just decided to hike up 5416 meters, the highest point in the world you can reach without climbing gear. Awesome idea, Priya. Hike up the Himalayas while you can barely hold down food.
Here's a map of the trek:
Day 1: Kathmandu to Besishar - 760 m
No actual hiking, just a bus ride from Kathmandu to Besishar. But the bus we got on, broke down every 5 minutes and instead of a 7 hour bus ride, it was a 12 hour bus ride. My tummy didn't feel too hot all day. I didn't eat anything except a bowl of cornflakes at night. But I was pretty happy to keep it down. Also, it was the last guesthouse for a while with an outlet in our room. Anyway, Alex and I took it pretty easy that first day...prepping ourselves for the next day.
Day 2: Besishar to Bahundanda - 1310 m
This was the day from hell. After eating breakfast and setting out on the trail, about 1 hour in I couldn't keep my breakfast down and had to pull over for a puke break. Poor Alex and Kumar had to put up with me while I lagged behind. Alex, on the other hand, was having the time of his life! Frolicking and running around the mountains while I was the verge of death. The last climb was so bad that I had to stop every 5 minutes since I didn't eat any lunch and I had no energy. But somehow I made it to the top of the 'mountain' where the I ordered chow mein and couldn't eat more than 2 bites. I pretty much immediately passed out at 7.00 PM.
Day 3: Bahundanda to Chamje - 1400 m
Yes, it seems we only climbed 100 meters this day. Wrong! We first went down 300 m and then climbed up 400 m. Why the hell do you have to go down if you are going up?! Somewhere along the way, during lunch time, Alex and I met a solo traveler named Peter. Originally from the Czech Republic, but he's been living in America for the past...let's say 7 years. Sometimes I don't listen when people talk. But in my defense, I was just trying to keep my mashed potatoes and cheese down since I had already puked up my breakfast earlier. But after lunch we decided to add Peter to Team Priya - the sick edition and we arrived at Chamje! I wanted to die.
Day 4: Chamje to Dharapani - 1900 m
Another terrible day. Puked twice and it seemed like there was no end to my pain. I didn't know what to do but somehow made it to Dharapani. At this point at time I would have given my left kidney to anyone who would have made me feel better. As we arrived in Dharapani, we met some other travelers, Nathan and Sarah, who we had actually met earlier in Bahundanda. They're originally from America (Cali) but have been living in China for the past...let's say 3 years. Super nice couple and they pretty much saved my life. After each of trekking, I would just go upstairs and lay in my sleeping bag until dinner and then crawl back into my sleeping bag waiting for exhaustion to settle in and for me sleep. At Dharapani, Kumar came to my room to make sure I ate something and as I told him that I'd be down in 5 minutes his response was 'OK, I wait for you to get out of bed.' Damn Nepali, he knew my trick. I wanted to continue lying down. But anyway, at dinner Nathan and Sarah offered me antibiotics- Cipro. This is definitely not your average Penicillin. It's freaking lethal. I eagerly took them and in about 1 hour found my appetite. Amazing! They saved my life! I got a weeks worth antibiotics from them and felt my luck beginning to change.
Ok dear readers, as much as I wanted to post all of my travelers over the past month in 1 post, I'm getting tired of typing. So you'll have to stay tuned to find out if I ever made it to top of the circuit. But I leave you with pictures!
Manali!
This is how you fix a bus in India. Throw water into the engine to cool it down. I can't believe I paid to ride this bus.
Omg, the internet here is so slow. I couldn't post all my pics. Sorry team. Until next time! Love you all!
No actual hiking, just a bus ride from Kathmandu to Besishar. But the bus we got on, broke down every 5 minutes and instead of a 7 hour bus ride, it was a 12 hour bus ride. My tummy didn't feel too hot all day. I didn't eat anything except a bowl of cornflakes at night. But I was pretty happy to keep it down. Also, it was the last guesthouse for a while with an outlet in our room. Anyway, Alex and I took it pretty easy that first day...prepping ourselves for the next day.
Day 2: Besishar to Bahundanda - 1310 m
This was the day from hell. After eating breakfast and setting out on the trail, about 1 hour in I couldn't keep my breakfast down and had to pull over for a puke break. Poor Alex and Kumar had to put up with me while I lagged behind. Alex, on the other hand, was having the time of his life! Frolicking and running around the mountains while I was the verge of death. The last climb was so bad that I had to stop every 5 minutes since I didn't eat any lunch and I had no energy. But somehow I made it to the top of the 'mountain' where the I ordered chow mein and couldn't eat more than 2 bites. I pretty much immediately passed out at 7.00 PM.
Day 3: Bahundanda to Chamje - 1400 m
Yes, it seems we only climbed 100 meters this day. Wrong! We first went down 300 m and then climbed up 400 m. Why the hell do you have to go down if you are going up?! Somewhere along the way, during lunch time, Alex and I met a solo traveler named Peter. Originally from the Czech Republic, but he's been living in America for the past...let's say 7 years. Sometimes I don't listen when people talk. But in my defense, I was just trying to keep my mashed potatoes and cheese down since I had already puked up my breakfast earlier. But after lunch we decided to add Peter to Team Priya - the sick edition and we arrived at Chamje! I wanted to die.
Day 4: Chamje to Dharapani - 1900 m
Another terrible day. Puked twice and it seemed like there was no end to my pain. I didn't know what to do but somehow made it to Dharapani. At this point at time I would have given my left kidney to anyone who would have made me feel better. As we arrived in Dharapani, we met some other travelers, Nathan and Sarah, who we had actually met earlier in Bahundanda. They're originally from America (Cali) but have been living in China for the past...let's say 3 years. Super nice couple and they pretty much saved my life. After each of trekking, I would just go upstairs and lay in my sleeping bag until dinner and then crawl back into my sleeping bag waiting for exhaustion to settle in and for me sleep. At Dharapani, Kumar came to my room to make sure I ate something and as I told him that I'd be down in 5 minutes his response was 'OK, I wait for you to get out of bed.' Damn Nepali, he knew my trick. I wanted to continue lying down. But anyway, at dinner Nathan and Sarah offered me antibiotics- Cipro. This is definitely not your average Penicillin. It's freaking lethal. I eagerly took them and in about 1 hour found my appetite. Amazing! They saved my life! I got a weeks worth antibiotics from them and felt my luck beginning to change.
Ok dear readers, as much as I wanted to post all of my travelers over the past month in 1 post, I'm getting tired of typing. So you'll have to stay tuned to find out if I ever made it to top of the circuit. But I leave you with pictures!
Manali!
This is how you fix a bus in India. Throw water into the engine to cool it down. I can't believe I paid to ride this bus.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Welcome to India where the cows eat hay and they drive auto rickshaws everyday
I arrived into one of my most hated Indian cities: Delhi. I much prefer Bombay. But I got to my hotel and the heat...oh my god. Sweltering. As I walked to the front of my hotel, you can only guess what was blocking the entrance. No, it wasn't the Indian Engineer of my dreams who slicks his hair back and speaks with an Indian accent. A cow. Just hanging out, right in front my hotel. I maneuvered my way around and finally got inside, settled down and passed out.
I stayed around the Phar ganj area, the tourist area, and made some general travel arrangements. I'll be heading up to Manali to do rock climbing and get out of the heat. Oh India, I think I'm going to love the north.
My morning cup of chai and travel book. I've missed this.
As I walk along the streets in Delhi there are few common phrases I hear:
'Excuse me miss, you like to buy something?'
'Where are you from?...But you are looking like an Indian'
'You have a very lucky face.' -What?! What does that even mean?!
'You want rickshaw? Come! Come! I give you rickshaw!'
And of course: 'Chai wallah! Chai wallah! Chai wallah!'
What a horribly inefficient country. But I went to a small temple, gave my thanks to Krishna and Radha for being lucky so far and prayed for the same luck in Nepal. Off to Manali now...I wish I had more time in India :(.
This one goes out to Igor, Natali and Reese...
BKK for the 3rd time in one month! What a great travel agenda. I arrived on Khao San at the ungodly hour of 6.00 AM. Why do they always arrive so early? Oh well, but I spent the day milling around Khao San and running into old friends from Ko Tao, Ko Phangnan and Pai. I love travelers. A couple other Indian/British guys and I decided to hit the the weekend market...that's right Reese! But it wasn't the same without you!
Reese: I told the Chatucak guys that you were around the corner and they brought out all these coconuts preparing for your arrival. Then i told them I was lying and I had to drink them all myself.
The weekend market...fond memories of Reese being robbed and buying waaaay too much jewelry here.
This one is for Nat :). Oh Shoshana, even though I've been there around 100 times and always order the same thing, they never remember. Typical Thailand.
Khao San at 6.00 AM. Can you believe how dead the street it? It almost looks like a proper Thai street!
Other side of Khao San, so empty. Unfortunately no pics of it at night. My camera died :(
As I hung around BKK, guess who I ran into?! The same group of Irish girls from Ko Phangnan! Can you believe it? We ended up going to MBK, general shopping and watched the new Twilight film. Needless to say, the Irish girls LOVED the movie. They wouldn't stop talking about Jacob shirtless throughout the film.
Mmmm, I'm going to miss Bangkok, but no worries. I'll be back. Especially since it's only a $500 flight from Seattle to Bangkok. I think it's a country that I'll just keep coming back to, and loving even more each time. Well Team Priya, it's time for India. Buckle up! It's going to be a smelly, crowded, delicious and awkward ride!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Why don't you love me?
After almost 2 months, I have to ask my readers the same question as Beyonce: Why don't you love me? It's true, I slave and slave over these posts and how many followers do I have?! Only 11?! I know there are more of you out there so, I'm calling you out:
-Anna Oleksiewicz
-Anna Stobnicki
-Efe Johnson
-David Benjamin
-Peter Kalamakis
-Sarah Halpern
-Kanye West
-Travis Popkave
-Abigail Greulich
-Sonia Chopra
-Gavin Rehkemper
-Sanika Dange
-Jordan Balcer
-Beyonce
.... And many more!
I'll leave you with a quote: 'Like Barack Obama said- it's time for a change.'
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I love Pie! And Pai!
Well, I said goodbye to Chiang Mai and made my way over to the backpacker's refuge: Pai. It's a town of 3000 and known for absolutely nothing. Really, it's where people come to chill out after trekking and meet other backpackers. The town is really cute and there was no one really hassling me to buy things...quite the change from Bangkok. But it was still so hot even though it was in the mountains. I ended up staying with a Dutch girl (Nadine) I met on the bus and let's just say she was ecstatic when Holland won the game and went into the finals! I, of course, slept through the match. Classic American.
We also hung out a lot with some Irish guys and I learned quite a few new phrases such as 'What's the crack?'; 'your man...' or 'your one...' even though the man has no connection to you; 'Bullox'. Where do they come up with this stuff? Also, both the boys admitted to never having eaten Lucky Charms and not owning pots of gold. I guess they really can't be Irish then.
Anyway, Nadine and I basically chilled all day and we to the hot springs, which were so hot that we couldn't go in them during the day. But we made up for it with massages and eating delicious vegetarian curry. I prefer the food in the north.
Me on the drive up to the hot springs. That's right folks, I DROVE a motorbike! But that scrape on my knee was from the tiger temple I went to in Chiang Mai. I was in the cage and one of the baby tigers started mauling me...you should see the tiger. Actually I just tripped and fell on the concrete, so clumsy.
The general view in Pai. Very Green!
While I was in Pai, I found the only Mexican restaurant and guess what: it was air conditioned. It was also proper Mexican food! The owner is originally from Texas and one of the nicest guys I've ever met. I sat in the comfortable AC with him for around 2 hours just talking...like we do in the south. It was great; I love Mexican rice.
From Pai it's back down to BKK for my last few days in Thailand. India is coming up faster than I know it. I can't believe it, but I'm so looking forward to the Chai!
Funny Stories
-In Chiang Mai, I met some Canadian girls and we got Thai massages...from former Thai inmates. It was a really nice massage place which promoted reforming former prison inmates and giving them a place in society. I don't know what we were thinking but it was 20 Baht (60 cents) cheaper than a regular massage. It was really great though!
-When I get really hot, I rub my entire body down with tiger balm to cool down. That's the same thing as icy hot. Such an Indian.
-One night, I was wearing my Illini t-shirt and one random white guys ran up to me and said 'Wait, did you go there?' and of course, he went there too! We talked for the rest of the night about how he used to DJ at Joes and all the great sites in UC! Also, on my boat ride from Ko Tao back to BKK, I was wearing the same shirt and another guys asked the same question! But, the best part is that he's an Urbana townie AND his parents own Timpones! One of my favorite restaurants! I would have never guessed I would meet Nick Timpone on Ko Tao in all my life!
Dirty Little Secrets
-Showering has become questionable in routine. I try but there are definitely times when I go a couple days without showering. And in the heat too.
-I've stopped tipping all together. I just don't care anymore. When I'm earning I'll be back on the tipping band wagon.
-I think I've reached a standard where I can't be without A/C in my room. India will be interesting. I've turned into a flash packer.
I can't believe I'm almost 2 months in! But, it's going great, definitely no regrets so far! Stay tuned for more, sports fans.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Birthday Month!
It's upon us once again my readers! Priya's birthday month! No, it's not just a day, it's an entire month in celebration of yours truly. I know we are already about 10 days in, but I wanted to remind all of you in case you forgot. Here's a list of things on my 'want' list:
-Christian Dior - Poison perfume (yes Reese, I love it)
-Chanel jewelry
-Diamonds are a girls best friend, of course.
-T43 Thinkpad: 4 gb RAM and supports Windows Aero
-Star Wars: the series box set
-Patek Philippe
Please mail to:
4331 Chancery Park Dr
Fairfax, VA 22030
I can't wait to see what all of you buy me! July 28th; I can't wait!
-Christian Dior - Poison perfume (yes Reese, I love it)
-Chanel jewelry
-Diamonds are a girls best friend, of course.
-T43 Thinkpad: 4 gb RAM and supports Windows Aero
-Star Wars: the series box set
-Patek Philippe
Please mail to:
4331 Chancery Park Dr
Fairfax, VA 22030
I can't wait to see what all of you buy me! July 28th; I can't wait!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Priya vs. Wild
Wow. Once again, we started as 7. 4 of us were to trek for 3 days and 2 nights and 3 for 2 days 1 night. Who was the lone soldier at the end of 3 days? That's right ladies and gents: ME! This one is all about the pictures...
Bat cave! Not Batman's of course. Just a general one. If you look closely you can see the bats.
Me in the bat cave! You can't tell but I'm sweating so hard right now. Check out those shoes! I wore them for all three days. Amazing. Best purchase ever!
The dinner our guide cooked us at the village. Potato and tofu soup with sticky rice. Yum!
Check out this video, it's of the 'Long Neck' villagers. Apparently, the women put rings around their necks as a sign of beauty and they also put the rings around their knees. The girls are so cute.
Me and the girls. Just hanging out!
These girls were too cute. They made a jump rope out of rubber bands and played jump rope all night. The end of this video is hilarious.
Check out how greedy this elephant is! What a fatty! But they are so smart and vegetarians like me!
Of course, it starts raining. And I mean RAIN! The mom is trying to protect her baby elephant. Too cute!
By this time I was the only team member left on the trek. The view from village #2 at night.
Here I am at in the orchid and butterfly farm. I look so happy.
Look at the size of this butterfly! Oh my god, it's like a bat!
Bat cave! Not Batman's of course. Just a general one. If you look closely you can see the bats.
Me in the bat cave! You can't tell but I'm sweating so hard right now. Check out those shoes! I wore them for all three days. Amazing. Best purchase ever!
Our view from the top. The mountains are filled with rice paddies, corn farms, bamboo and sugar cane farms.
I look a little more disheveled here, which shows my true feelings. Me at the viewpoint. At this point in time I smell like sweat, deet and tiger balm.
My new favorite fruit!
After you peel it, this is what it looks like. It's like a lychee expect not as sweet.
The dinner our guide cooked us at the village. Potato and tofu soup with sticky rice. Yum!
Check out this video, it's of the 'Long Neck' villagers. Apparently, the women put rings around their necks as a sign of beauty and they also put the rings around their knees. The girls are so cute.
Me and the girls. Just hanging out!
These girls were too cute. They made a jump rope out of rubber bands and played jump rope all night. The end of this video is hilarious.
Elephant Trek! This is it! Look how cute those two are together!
Check out how greedy this elephant is! What a fatty! But they are so smart and vegetarians like me!
Look how happy me and Hathi (that's the name I gave my elephant) are! I could have sat there all day!
Still feeding it...
Still going...
The area we rode in. Look how green it is! But, it's for a reason...look at the next pic.
Of course, it starts raining. And I mean RAIN! The mom is trying to protect her baby elephant. Too cute!
By this time I was the only team member left on the trek. The view from village #2 at night.
Me and the King! I'm wearing a the latest fashion. Bamboo leaf hat. Ask Reese about it; it's very big in New York.
The second group I met up with for white water rafting. It was so much fun! Why do I always look like a fool?!
The three day trek was obviously so much fun, but I'm happy to be back in civilization. 3 days without internet. Wow. It was rougher than expected. But this trek has made me realize: I'm going to die in Nepal. Oh boy, get ready for some angry posts beloved fans!
Island in the Sun
After my eventful time at the full moon party, I realized that it was time for me to say goodbye to Ko Tao. But not to worry. I'll be back. I can feel it. I spent my last day recovering from Full Moon and pretty much just chilled on the beach. Check it out!
From the left: Chris, Roos, Ed, Toby and me! All of us went to full moon together. What a crazy bunch!
Here's Toby giving his 'America's Next Top Model' - caught in a fishnet pose. Very enticing as you can see.
Me in a fishnet hammock. Who comes up with these ideas? It was the most uncomfortable feeling.
From the left: Chris, Roos, Ed, Toby and me! All of us went to full moon together. What a crazy bunch!
Here's Toby giving his 'America's Next Top Model' - caught in a fishnet pose. Very enticing as you can see.I left the islands and made my way back up to BKK to go to Chiang Mai! I've never been to Chiang Mai, so I was pretty excited. As I arrived at 3.30 AM in BKK, I realized that I'd have to stay a night in Bangkok before I could get to Chiang Mai...so guess what I did? That's right ladies and gentlemen, I went to visit PAD THAI LADY! But get this, she didn't have pad thai! Can you believe it? I travel across the world for her pad thai and nothing! And then Arun Amarin (my old apartment complex) didn't have coconuts! I was a little cranky, but it all went away when everyone was so happy to see me. I miss Arun Amarin...what a fun place!
So making my way up to Chiang Mai for one reason: to ride elephants. I'm so excited!
So making my way up to Chiang Mai for one reason: to ride elephants. I'm so excited!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Ko Phangnan
We started as 10. From all over the world. Irish, Dutch, Canadian, American...we came together for one reason: Full Moon Party. Here's our story, choose to believe what you will...
We arrived at Ko Phangnan around 7.30 PM and decided it was a good time to get dinner. After a decent meal on beach watching fire dancers we decided it was time to start getting our groove on. We walked along the beach, which was starting to crowd up, and found a good place to chill out and talk. Then of course, the dancing started and as we were all breaking it down to Beyonce's 'Sweet Dreams' there was a flash of lightening. Really? Is this happening? Of course. It starts to POUR. Right down on all of us. But would that dampen our spirits? Absolutely not! We kept right on going.
After about an hour, the rain subsided and the rain dried. Back to square 1! From there 3 of our party members left to go see other bars. Another 2 boys left to chase after girls. But were still 5! Keeping strong. Until I met a group of Irish girls who LOVED the fact that I was from New York.
Aside: I've decided to say I'm from New York as opposed to DC, Detroit, or Chicago because well...lets face it. It's soooooo cool to drop the New York bomb. And to say you live in Manhattan. I may as well be walking on my head its so big. But the moment asks me an specifics I shout 'I live on 31st and Lexington with my sister!', push them out of the way, and run away. In case they figure out that I moved into the apartment only 1 week before traveling.
So, I left the pack, telling them I'd meet them back in a hour. Did that happen? No of course not. We got so distracted by all the sights that by the time I looked down at my watch it was: 4.00 AM. How did this happen? But I was so tired, so the girls invited me back to their dormotory and I crashed there, promising myself to wake up at 6.00 AM to catch the ferry back. Well, 6.00 AM came and went. I woke up at 12.00 PM realizing that I needed to catch the ferry back to Ko Tao. But where did I put my money?
As a safety percaution, I decided to hide my money in the dorm. I hid it so well, that even I couldn't find it the next morning. One of the girls loaned me some cash and I made my way back to Ko Tao. Disheveled and tired I walked to Buddha View dive resort to find myself the last to arrive from Full Moon Party. I was the lone soldier...the last one..the lone wolf with no pack. I was just an idiot.
But in total, 3 people got mugged (excluding myself, I pretty much mugged myself), 1 person almost got arrested by the cops and had to pay them off, 1 person fell asleep on the pier by himself waiting for the boat, 3 people stayed up all night, 2 people were found on the beach fast asleep face down in the sand, and well 1 beautiful girl missed the ferry. Pretty good though. We all came back safe and sound. That island is comparable to Lost.
Unfortunately no pictures. I only took money and nothing else to the party. For good reason too. But hopefully my story was animated enough.
Oh Thailand, how I've missed you.
We arrived at Ko Phangnan around 7.30 PM and decided it was a good time to get dinner. After a decent meal on beach watching fire dancers we decided it was time to start getting our groove on. We walked along the beach, which was starting to crowd up, and found a good place to chill out and talk. Then of course, the dancing started and as we were all breaking it down to Beyonce's 'Sweet Dreams' there was a flash of lightening. Really? Is this happening? Of course. It starts to POUR. Right down on all of us. But would that dampen our spirits? Absolutely not! We kept right on going.
After about an hour, the rain subsided and the rain dried. Back to square 1! From there 3 of our party members left to go see other bars. Another 2 boys left to chase after girls. But were still 5! Keeping strong. Until I met a group of Irish girls who LOVED the fact that I was from New York.
Aside: I've decided to say I'm from New York as opposed to DC, Detroit, or Chicago because well...lets face it. It's soooooo cool to drop the New York bomb. And to say you live in Manhattan. I may as well be walking on my head its so big. But the moment asks me an specifics I shout 'I live on 31st and Lexington with my sister!', push them out of the way, and run away. In case they figure out that I moved into the apartment only 1 week before traveling.
So, I left the pack, telling them I'd meet them back in a hour. Did that happen? No of course not. We got so distracted by all the sights that by the time I looked down at my watch it was: 4.00 AM. How did this happen? But I was so tired, so the girls invited me back to their dormotory and I crashed there, promising myself to wake up at 6.00 AM to catch the ferry back. Well, 6.00 AM came and went. I woke up at 12.00 PM realizing that I needed to catch the ferry back to Ko Tao. But where did I put my money?
As a safety percaution, I decided to hide my money in the dorm. I hid it so well, that even I couldn't find it the next morning. One of the girls loaned me some cash and I made my way back to Ko Tao. Disheveled and tired I walked to Buddha View dive resort to find myself the last to arrive from Full Moon Party. I was the lone soldier...the last one..the lone wolf with no pack. I was just an idiot.
But in total, 3 people got mugged (excluding myself, I pretty much mugged myself), 1 person almost got arrested by the cops and had to pay them off, 1 person fell asleep on the pier by himself waiting for the boat, 3 people stayed up all night, 2 people were found on the beach fast asleep face down in the sand, and well 1 beautiful girl missed the ferry. Pretty good though. We all came back safe and sound. That island is comparable to Lost.
Unfortunately no pictures. I only took money and nothing else to the party. For good reason too. But hopefully my story was animated enough.
Oh Thailand, how I've missed you.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sawadeeka!
Let me paint you a picture...Wake up, brush your teeth, walk out of your bungalow and look out to this view:
From there, its time to start your day! After a delicious fried egg on a roll sandwich, its 12.30. Time to start diving and kill that hangover from the night before. Hop on the boat, gear up and then play with the fish all afternoon. Play with Nemo, Dory, turtles, trigger fish, angel fish and sea urchins. Do a couple somersaults in the water, blow a couple air rings and watch them float to the surface. Then before you know it, its time to go back to the bungalow! Get off the boat, shower and off to the bar for dinner, drinks and football. Eat some pad thai, fried rice and wash it all down with a Chang. From there, hang out with the other divers and share funny stories from the dives and around 3.00 AM go to bed. Then start it all over again!
Oh man, the days just melt together. It feels like I've been here for a month, I honestly can't even think about Nepal, Brazil or Hong Kong right now. It seems like I'll never leave. It feels so good to be back in Thailand...like coming home.
Flying into BKK felt so comfortable. Then to Khao San Road! Wow, nothing has changed. Just the people. Everyone is still trying to sell me a suit, fish massage, ping pong show...everything! Of course this time I'm aware of the scams! All the old stalls are there. I ate every meal at Shoshana, where they know exactly how I like my bagel toast with cheese, onion, tomato and olives. Mmmm and the banana pancakes with condensed milk...
But I was only there for 1 night, then made my way to Kao Tao (Island of turtles), where I've painted you my picture. And for the big news....
This is my diving team. From the left Johnny (diving instructor), Me, James (class instructor), Ryan( the other student). It was only the two of us, pretty exclusive! They were so much fun!
This one is for all my Thailand lovers. Just beautiful and green!
From there, its time to start your day! After a delicious fried egg on a roll sandwich, its 12.30. Time to start diving and kill that hangover from the night before. Hop on the boat, gear up and then play with the fish all afternoon. Play with Nemo, Dory, turtles, trigger fish, angel fish and sea urchins. Do a couple somersaults in the water, blow a couple air rings and watch them float to the surface. Then before you know it, its time to go back to the bungalow! Get off the boat, shower and off to the bar for dinner, drinks and football. Eat some pad thai, fried rice and wash it all down with a Chang. From there, hang out with the other divers and share funny stories from the dives and around 3.00 AM go to bed. Then start it all over again!Oh man, the days just melt together. It feels like I've been here for a month, I honestly can't even think about Nepal, Brazil or Hong Kong right now. It seems like I'll never leave. It feels so good to be back in Thailand...like coming home.
Flying into BKK felt so comfortable. Then to Khao San Road! Wow, nothing has changed. Just the people. Everyone is still trying to sell me a suit, fish massage, ping pong show...everything! Of course this time I'm aware of the scams! All the old stalls are there. I ate every meal at Shoshana, where they know exactly how I like my bagel toast with cheese, onion, tomato and olives. Mmmm and the banana pancakes with condensed milk...
But I was only there for 1 night, then made my way to Kao Tao (Island of turtles), where I've painted you my picture. And for the big news....
I am officially scuba certified!
Passed my swim test (thanks Team Priya!), equalized my ears properly and got to play in the worlds biggest toilet! Diving is quite the experience...we had class time and then our first 'dive' was in the pool. Its so bizarre that you can breathe underwater! You sound like darth vader, really cool! But the one important thing to note is: always breath! There were definitely a couple times when I got really nervous and forgot to breath. Then I remembered I could....
But my instructors were great, and super patient with me. It's definitely a gross sport. Spit in your mask, you're swimming in the world's biggest toilet and the wet suits aren't exactly flattering. But I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. I think I'll get my advanced open water sometime next year. Maybe in Hawaii...
But my instructors were great, and super patient with me. It's definitely a gross sport. Spit in your mask, you're swimming in the world's biggest toilet and the wet suits aren't exactly flattering. But I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. I think I'll get my advanced open water sometime next year. Maybe in Hawaii...
This is my diving team. From the left Johnny (diving instructor), Me, James (class instructor), Ryan( the other student). It was only the two of us, pretty exclusive! They were so much fun!
Ah yes, this is me. On my last dive we were supposed to do the 'James Bond' entry into the water. This means, somersaulting in the water. I fell flat on my torso. I think I bruised my tummy!
That's Johnny preparing for the dive.
Our boat drive out to the dive site. Beautiful!
This one is for all my Thailand lovers. Just beautiful and green!
So all in all, I'm super happy to be back. Tonight...Full Moon Party on Koh Phangnan. Read about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_Moon_Party. Can't wait!
Funny Stories
-After my long flight from Israel, I just wanted to get my hostel in BKK, shower and have a beer. So after I checked in, I went down to the bar across the street. As I'm sitting at the bar, alone, I notice a couple packs of boys. There were the cute English boys a couple tables away and then a couple not-so-hot boys from Nepal. But no worries, they were not my focus. After I finish my first drink, the waitress brings me another despite my protest. She says it was a gift...from who?! Was it the cute boys from England?! No, of course not. It was the not-so-good-looking boys from Nepal. I had a few laughs with them and then made my way home! Just my luck!
-There are these fish called trigger fish, which are apparently not very nice to divers. You shouldn't get close to them, they'll chase you away and try to bite you. We were lucky enough to see a massive one on our last dive and as James pointed it out to me, Johnny kept having to pull me back from getting too close. Its probably a good thing that they only had two students.
-I'm known as the girl with the white, beautiful teeth at Buddha view dive resort. I <3 Crest!
Full Moon Party here I come!
Funny Stories
-After my long flight from Israel, I just wanted to get my hostel in BKK, shower and have a beer. So after I checked in, I went down to the bar across the street. As I'm sitting at the bar, alone, I notice a couple packs of boys. There were the cute English boys a couple tables away and then a couple not-so-hot boys from Nepal. But no worries, they were not my focus. After I finish my first drink, the waitress brings me another despite my protest. She says it was a gift...from who?! Was it the cute boys from England?! No, of course not. It was the not-so-good-looking boys from Nepal. I had a few laughs with them and then made my way home! Just my luck!
-There are these fish called trigger fish, which are apparently not very nice to divers. You shouldn't get close to them, they'll chase you away and try to bite you. We were lucky enough to see a massive one on our last dive and as James pointed it out to me, Johnny kept having to pull me back from getting too close. Its probably a good thing that they only had two students.
-I'm known as the girl with the white, beautiful teeth at Buddha view dive resort. I <3 Crest!
Full Moon Party here I come!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Are we there yet?
Oh my god. From Luxor, I made the 20 hour bus ride to Dahab. Worst night of sleep ever. Every 20 minutes a police officer came in asking for my passport or bus ticket...We are in the same country! Why do you need to see my passport?! Oh well.
But Dahab was beautiful, I went snorkeling at the Blue Cave and saw...Dory! From Finding Nemo! Can you believe it? I didn't stay to chat, I was too nervous with the school of baby baracuda swimming by. Unfortunately no pics. Why didn't I buy that $20 underwater camera at target?! But from Dahab, I made my way back to Israel, back to Eilat for one night. I ran into so many travelers from Cairo! I guess the world is a small place...or Eilat is the only border crossing between Israel and Egypt.
From there I decided it was prudent to make my way to Tel Aviv (5 hours away) since it was Friday and everything shuts down mid day Friday for Shabbat (sp?). Even though my flight wasn't until 11.30 PM, I definitely didn't want to miss it...I would've missed BKK! So, I get to the airport and it was the tightest security ever. Security opened my ENTIRE luggage, including the check-in bag. Absolutely livid. Do they know how long it takes to pack those things? Also, you need to pack it in a certain order! But the jokes on them, they had to sit there sifting through my dirty underwear of 3 weeks which has been worn one too many times...Hah!
I flew on Royal Jordinian and they were so nice! Nice little personal TV and mango juice...yum! But Israel is done...here are some final thoughts on it:
Israel
-I forgot to mention but everyone is forced to do 3 years in the military. Girls and boys. Which means everyone walks around in their uniforms and huge guns. It's pretty intimidating.
-The police always have their lights flashing. There were quite a few times I thought they were in pursuit of someone...but they were just driving around.
-I'll miss the hummus.
-Israeli girls are gorgeous, I was kinda surprised.
Ah Middle East. It's over! Now to my home away from home. Sawadeka!
PS I'm writing this blog post from Ko Tao. I'm getting scuba certified today! Wish me luck!
But Dahab was beautiful, I went snorkeling at the Blue Cave and saw...Dory! From Finding Nemo! Can you believe it? I didn't stay to chat, I was too nervous with the school of baby baracuda swimming by. Unfortunately no pics. Why didn't I buy that $20 underwater camera at target?! But from Dahab, I made my way back to Israel, back to Eilat for one night. I ran into so many travelers from Cairo! I guess the world is a small place...or Eilat is the only border crossing between Israel and Egypt.
From there I decided it was prudent to make my way to Tel Aviv (5 hours away) since it was Friday and everything shuts down mid day Friday for Shabbat (sp?). Even though my flight wasn't until 11.30 PM, I definitely didn't want to miss it...I would've missed BKK! So, I get to the airport and it was the tightest security ever. Security opened my ENTIRE luggage, including the check-in bag. Absolutely livid. Do they know how long it takes to pack those things? Also, you need to pack it in a certain order! But the jokes on them, they had to sit there sifting through my dirty underwear of 3 weeks which has been worn one too many times...Hah!
I flew on Royal Jordinian and they were so nice! Nice little personal TV and mango juice...yum! But Israel is done...here are some final thoughts on it:
Israel
-I forgot to mention but everyone is forced to do 3 years in the military. Girls and boys. Which means everyone walks around in their uniforms and huge guns. It's pretty intimidating.
-The police always have their lights flashing. There were quite a few times I thought they were in pursuit of someone...but they were just driving around.
-I'll miss the hummus.
-Israeli girls are gorgeous, I was kinda surprised.
Ah Middle East. It's over! Now to my home away from home. Sawadeka!
PS I'm writing this blog post from Ko Tao. I'm getting scuba certified today! Wish me luck!
Hab-bibbi!
Ah yes, my dear fans, a new blog post to spice up your life! Sorry I've been so MIA, I've spent a lot of time in transit over the past few days.
So, our journey continues from Cairo. I hopped on a bus down to Luxor to see Karnak, Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. After a long 10 hour bus ride, I arrived in what felt like a sauna...expect hotter. At night, the temperature dropped down to 90 degrees...so you can only imagine how hot it was during the day. I can't believe I didn't get an AC room. What was I thinking?
But Karnak was amazing, totally worth it. I guess its a temple of some kind, dedicated to some pharoah, and had something to do with eternal life...I'm not very good at history, I just don't like it. From there I went with a tour group to see Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, some statues and another temple dedicated to someone else who lived in Egypt. Quite impressive, check it out!
So, our journey continues from Cairo. I hopped on a bus down to Luxor to see Karnak, Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. After a long 10 hour bus ride, I arrived in what felt like a sauna...expect hotter. At night, the temperature dropped down to 90 degrees...so you can only imagine how hot it was during the day. I can't believe I didn't get an AC room. What was I thinking?
But Karnak was amazing, totally worth it. I guess its a temple of some kind, dedicated to some pharoah, and had something to do with eternal life...I'm not very good at history, I just don't like it. From there I went with a tour group to see Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, some statues and another temple dedicated to someone else who lived in Egypt. Quite impressive, check it out!
Me in front a statue...not sure which one.
Two statues. Very tall!
Maybe one day I'll be mummified too! Gross.
So, this is the Valley of the Queens. It's in the middle of the desert so that robbers wouldn't steal from the tombs. But they chose this spot because of the cave right here...symbolizing a woman.
This is the spot chosen for the Valley of the Kings because of the natural pyramid shape on the mountain. For the males...ahem.
View of the desert from another temple.
View of Egypt from Karnak, beautiful! Hab-bibbi! That means 'my love'.
The hieroglyphics all over Karnak. They are supposed to say immortal life and bless the pharaoh in the afterlife.
We went into a couple tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the paint on the hieroglyphics was preserved. Even after 4000 years! Apparently they used three colors: red-from blood of animals, yellow-from yolk of a chicken, blue-from the powder of a stone. Also, I found out from my tour guide that the Jews did NOT build the pyramids! 'The Prince of Egypt' lied to me! Can you believe it?
But as you can see, I'm all pyramid-ed out. Ready for the beach!
General Thoughts/Reactions
-I wore my Five Finger shoes all through trekking the sand. No sand in them at all. Best buy ever!
-People keep asking if I am Egyptian, it's so annoying! Of course I'm not! I guess they could tell I was Cleopatra in my former life.
-I realized that I'm turning too dark...so I bought new soap for skin 'whitening'. Can you imagine if they sold that in America! What a lawsuit.
-I went to my first museum in over 5 years in Cairo. The Egyptian museum where the mummies are placed. Wow, really gross, they keep the mummies at 50 degrees...chilly willy!
-I ate this food called Kushary, which is basically a massive plate of carbs...pasta, rice, lentils, a little tomato sauce and some spicy sauce. Delicious! It's one of the few things I can eat here. I'm kind of sick of it.
-So far, I've lost: a pair a shorts, my sarong and a ring. Oh well, I needed to lighten the load anyway!
-I love the new Beyonce song: 'Why don't you love me?'. Watch the video, it's pretty funny.
Things I'm looking forward to
-In Nepal, I get to eat dal bhat everyday for 3 weeks! Yay!
-Momos in Nepal
-Pad Thai lady
-Getting scuba certified!
Miss you guys like an Indian misses curry!
But as you can see, I'm all pyramid-ed out. Ready for the beach!
General Thoughts/Reactions
-I wore my Five Finger shoes all through trekking the sand. No sand in them at all. Best buy ever!
-People keep asking if I am Egyptian, it's so annoying! Of course I'm not! I guess they could tell I was Cleopatra in my former life.
-I realized that I'm turning too dark...so I bought new soap for skin 'whitening'. Can you imagine if they sold that in America! What a lawsuit.
-I went to my first museum in over 5 years in Cairo. The Egyptian museum where the mummies are placed. Wow, really gross, they keep the mummies at 50 degrees...chilly willy!
-I ate this food called Kushary, which is basically a massive plate of carbs...pasta, rice, lentils, a little tomato sauce and some spicy sauce. Delicious! It's one of the few things I can eat here. I'm kind of sick of it.
-So far, I've lost: a pair a shorts, my sarong and a ring. Oh well, I needed to lighten the load anyway!
-I love the new Beyonce song: 'Why don't you love me?'. Watch the video, it's pretty funny.
Things I'm looking forward to
-In Nepal, I get to eat dal bhat everyday for 3 weeks! Yay!
-Momos in Nepal
-Pad Thai lady
-Getting scuba certified!
Miss you guys like an Indian misses curry!
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