Nepali Trek
This is for my friends and family to communicate and follow me on this great adventure of mine! It is also a way for all of you to communicate with each other also so post away!!!!!!!!Archive for April, 2009
One more journey down….
I made it back from India last night and really covered some ground by train and by pocket book paying for two. Went to a place called Haridwar for a couple of days…….more temples and holy water!!!!! Then on to Rishikesh. After getting my Astrological reading and palm reading done and talking to tons of cool foreigners in Laxman Joola (and some real crazies!) I went to Ram Joola for my birthday the same day. I went to the Beatles Ashram. They stayed there for 6 months and think wrote maybe like 30 songs? Anway it has been shut down but if it was still up and running would be an outstanding Ashram. Was really nice. Went for a swim in the Ganga river and then got on a train travelling back for about 3 days. I covered a lot of Northern India. Man I would have love to go farther East (Rajastan) and south (also to the Lahdak and cashmere area at the very tip NE) but India is so huge 3 weeks of travel is hardly enough. It is such a crazy chaotic but very colorful place but really cool at the same time. I was really digging all the people, trains, food……..just the whole Indian style. If it was not for money situation, travelling partner situation and heat situation I would still be there. Let’s just say the girl I was travelling with was very, very interesting to say the very, very least. I cannot even begin to explain. Maybe another time. I met tons of people exploring. India definitely draws people that are a little on the insane side and sometimes a little past the insane side. All depending on what area you are in. It is such a melting pot and grab bag of people, races, religions and cultures. I would say India is a very great place for as long as you can handle it. Everything is very inconsistent with many suprises along the way. It takes a lot out you. I could have and should have travelled alone. I am better alone travelling. Gettin Wiser!!!!!!! I did not think I could do b/c of so many horror stories but now going through it, I would have been ok. You know there is no dangerous place on earth only dangerous situations. I was so relieved to cross the border into Nepal………It’s wierd like going back home even though it is definitely not my home.
The plan is to stay here and study for the GRE and take it the 28th of May and fly out the 31st. The only thing I will still definitely do is bungee jump before I leave. The spot is the highest bungee jump spot in the world at close to 650 meters (maybe 1/4 of a mile?). It is going to be absolutely insane!!!!
Peace!!!
Camen
Taj Mahal, Haridwar and Rishikesh
So the next trains I have taken have not been close to the first experience. The have went along grandly! After Varanasi we went to Agra. The Taj Mahal was beautiful and also I went to a Red Fort that was most impressive, very huge and large gardens thoughout. Could easily get lost in it. So Visa decided to shut my card off b/c it came up on a compromised list and so they discontinued 1000’s of cards I guess. Since I have been over here for 7 months they did not get a hold of me to send me a new card. So no money and was stuck in Agra for 3 days until I could get money wired. I talked a Hotel owner to front me a room and food for 2 nights until I got money. So b/c I did not have much to do except fix my financial situation I decided to get in a fight with an Indian kid with a limp that was trying to rip me off big time. I made 4 phone calls to the US calling banks family etc. the the little turd charged me 3 rupees for every 6 seconds. Man he had some nerve (cheaters all over India, never buy anything or trust anyone here). That pissed me off so bad I just walked out and told him to stick it up his ass. He did not like that to much as the bill he was charging me was 900 rupees (like $20 US). I never did pay him over the 3 days as he hounded me from across the street even bringing his boss. I told him no bill no money honey!!! He was a piece of shit. I wanted to make his other leg limp. I just really hate being cheated, but who does?! I did end up getting into the Taj Mahal for free though and the Red Fort. Happened to show up there the day of some archeological survey. I didn’t ask questions. It saved me 750 rupees. Some things just work out. After went to Haridwar (Another holy city north)and went to another temple way up on a hill top overlooking the Ganges river, met an Indian guy that showed us around the town and ate some really good Dosa (Like a big rolled up light pancake stuffed with spices, vegetables, potatoes etc. It’s tasty. After we took a Tuk tuk taxi to Rishiskesh and got here yesterday. It is a really really nice place……Huge river (also Ganges), beaches and waterfalls. Besides that this place is known as the yoga/meditation/astrology/palm reading center in all the world. It is a huge business here with people looking for their own personal masters and teacher centers all over and Ashrams lining the river and the hillsides. I personally am not looking for a master and do not want to pay for meditation or yoga since I have already crossed that mile a couple of months ago. It is a beautiful place though and a really nice place to spend a few days and probably not a better place to meditate or do Yoga or whatever is your thing. Really quiet, peacful and a great break from the middle of India where I was. Also a little cooler up here. India is getting really hot now. Wanted to go farther north to Badrinath and then to the Valley of Flowers. It looks really really neat but on a serious budget now!! Also trains are booked back to the Nepalese border at an Indian town named Gorakhpur close to Kathmandu for a minimum of 5 days………we’ll be fine if we stop travelling now and go back and if I can hold off Bimala from buying stuff from every little vendor in North west India!! Also a tragedy struck last night when I lost my camera…….yeah I know careless I guess but I have been so good about keeping track of it up to this point. I ate dinner with this really interesting older French guy that had been all over the world, phd in History, ex professor and then carpenter after and on a serious spiritual mission (his 6th time back to India to visit his master in south India). He told me so many great things………..anyway we carried our conversation down to the steps of the Ganges and I got so excited when I was ready to leave about all the things he had helped me realize through his knowledge and experiences it was midnight and dark……..no excuses I just left it. Pretty heart broken as some really great pictures were on there of the Taj Mahal at sunrise plus everything Bimala and I have been doing. It’s gone now nothing I can do, honestly Bimala is more pissed then me for some reason I do not care that much? I will keep the memories in my mind forever. Shit Happens. Could have happened with shittier pictures but what the hell I am still alive with a little money in my pocket and a girl by my side…………..life is good.
Talk to you soon
Camen
Varanasi
O.k.!
So we reached Varanasi yesterday morning at about 7 a.m. Let’s just say the trains are one of the most interesting places I have spent 17 hours. We got a sleeper class but forgot to mention the 2nd or 3rd sleeper class with ac. Yeah big mistake but real healthy! It was supposed to leave at 1030 but left at 1230. During the trip I was asked buy anything from “fresh” lemonade that a guy created with lemons, two huge ice blocks a bucket of water and some shaker cups……..that took up about 1/2 hour of my time watching him manuever around the train cutting lemons and almost his head off? I had a one Indian try and sell me a big ass keyboard and a suit……….seriously what kind of business are these people in? Like I am gonna start a band on the train with my new keyboard when I do not even have room to scratch my nutz?! Toys to every type of food you can imagine and enough chai to drowned a buffalo!! People on the floor hanging out of the train……shew. Let’s say I had way more friends then I needed actually got creepy at times and def not trusting anyone. All and all Safe though……just a little trying on the nerves. It’s a whole new world man… I tried to sleep and stretched out on my little sleeper bed on the middle bunk. there were 6 sleeper beds per area in bunk bed formation. So I am about to pass out for about 6 hours before we reach our dest with my gangly chicken legs and a guy comes out of no where and decides that my bed looks like a great place to take a nap…..damn it. You know I snuggled with that son of a bitch for 6 hours with one eye on my bag, one on Bimala, one eye on the 30 Indian dudes around us and the rest of the time trying to devise a plan to get the skeazer the #$#* out of my personal space and of my bed that went from 3 feet to actual 3 feet in my face. Gonna do a little upgrading on the next train to say the least. No more of that action…….no no.
Who knows how old this city or which city is the oldest in the world cause who really knows right? It’s up there though. A real good feeling about this place. This place is amazing! It has so much character………the most religious place for hindus and I can see why. It sits upon a huge river named the Ganga and I mean massive. Yesterday I went to the largest temple for Hindus. It was on the grounds of a college and the architecture everywhere on campus plus the temple was awesome. Went to the monkey temple and watched monkeys high diving into a big pond of mud from trees above. After went to a silk factory that makes Saris (Indian dress bedspreads etc by had and old wood stitching. At night Bimala and I went to a Pooza (worshipping to the Gods) with a French couple I met the same day. It was very large set right on the edge of the river with boats filled with people lined up all along the shore to watch and take pictures. Hundreds of people on the steps leading down to the water (Ghats). They used a hell of a lot of fire, flowers, smoke, bells, singing over loudspeakers, offerings into the water with flowers and a candle set in a little leaf boat that floats into the river. So the river was coved with floating candles hoping for wishes to come true. Plus holy bathing etc. etc. It lasted about 2 hours.
This morning I went on a 1 hour boat ride with an Argentinian guy and an Israeli at 530 in the morning to watch the son come over the River and see the Ghats and people holy bathing, doing yoga, meditation on the shore and worshipping. It was nice and cool this morning. Good time to do it. Now I am back and am going to 2 more temples………one cultural temple, Maybe a place called Sarnath that is 17 kilometers away (first stop for buddha after reaching enlightenment). Maybe not though it is only special to Buddhist followers…….. It’s proabably not a lot to see? We will see……I am taking a motor bike with the Indian guy that owns this hotel so he invited to show me some cool places. A very nice family that runs this hotel. Ha ha ha oh yeah this morning I tried to explain and teach the indian kid cook how to make a breakfast burrito for me……turned out tasty.
We are leaving tommorrow on a night train (that I can sleep all night in without the sweet Indian lovin from nasty guy) to Agra at 1030 p.m. and will reach the Taj Mahal at sunrise then probably on to Hiridwar and reshekesh 8 hours (North)…….it’s a rough plan anyway.
Adios amigos
Camen
Darjeeling
Hello, hello,
Bimala and I stayed two nights ago in Siliguri. It was supposed to take 16 hours on a bus and it took 23 from Kathmandu…..It’s just so much damn fun you know!! From there we came to Darjeeling in a Jeep and arrived 2 days ago. It is a great little mountain town with tea gardens and monastaries. We have to stay one more day today and will leave tommorrow because of no space on the trains. We could have left today but standing room only……not the greatest situation. We will have a sleeper train tommorrow and it should take about 19 hours to reach our next destination to Varanasi. It is the oldest city in the world and a very spiritual place for Hindus with many temples. She has a Russian friend that we are going to meet when we get there and maybe stay with him or he will def. show us around. Today we are going to a Japanese temple about 30 minutes away. We did not plan to stay this long but are making the best of it and from this point forward will definitely reserve seats a few days before.
It has been a really nice time thus far and can only get better!!
Love
Camen
India Bound!!!!!!!!
Hey!! Hey!!
I am going to India tommorrow morning. I am going with my Nepalese friend Bima!! She will make a very good travel partner as she also loves to travel and is actually a guide in Nepal. We are starting in Darjeeling. It will be about a 16 hour bus ride from here. Then we are slowing heading West to some spots picked out and some that are not. I may go south also but it is getting very hot in India. I will try and update as I get from place to place. India is such a huge and old country with a lot of culture and history. Many spiritual places among many beautiful and unique places.
Besides that I have been living in the town of Kalanki just outside Kathmandu valley with Yagya and his brothers. Studying GRE and playing my guitar. I am still working on teaching in South Korea…I will be making that decision when I get back as everything should be set at that time?! It is time for me to move from here for a while. I will probably be gone 2-3 weeks…..we will see as we go as both of us have the time now. It is going to be great!!! I am very excited to again see new things, meet new people and see and experience a different culture and place. I am planning on coming back to Kathmandu after going to Agra which is the last destination. I am also excited to know more about teaching, or wherever my destination may be in the near future when I get back!!!
As always I love you all and you are always in my heart.
Love
Camen
Nepali Trek 