Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Sky gypsies adventures
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Olympic recap
Friday, July 27, 2012
London-Olympics
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Scotland
Friday, April 27, 2012
NEPAL!
Nepal
6-4-12
As soon as we flew in landed and I got in the cab I knew I was going to love this place! It’s green, there are mountains, lots of water and very happy people. A relaxing break from India. But saying that now that I’ve traveled for a bit more after leaving India I really do miss Incredible India. As hot and crazy as it was I loved India! I can’t wait to go back again and explore more.
I was easily picked up from the airport and taxied to the hotel I would be staying in. met up with a mutual friend of my cousins and explored Kathmandu. Less trash on the main streets, but apparently very dusty (I don’t think so because I feel like I can breath deep clean air). Have I mentioned that I really like motorbikes? We went to a pool/ apartment building and then moseyed our way back to the hotel. Saying hello of course to my cousin’s good friend Shailendra, whom has hooked me up with a guy who is normally a guide for people passing through Nepal.
The group dinner was entertaining as it had a cultural dance and culturally sensitive food. Very touristy, but an experience worth having. I even jumped up at the end and danced a little, once invited. Stayed up late having drinks with some of the group members. A lot of people from Australia travel Asia. A lot of people!
Morning Krish and I are off to Pokahara, via plane. This small village is filled with a lot of western people and I think a jumping off point for some smaller treks. There is a lake in between the village and the mountains that have a stupa and many farming houses. Krish and I got a colorful wooden canoe to take to the other side and hike to the stupa. The hike wound around the hills leaving me with breath taking views of the water and town bellow. Once we reached the top my face was red as a tomato. The stupa had large stairs to climb and a beautiful story of Buddha around the center. We got some black tea at the top to relax and take in what we were seeing and back down we went. Whistling all the way down.
We had a late dinner in the afternoon and another really late dinner around eleven at night. I got to practice my utensils eating skills. I wasn’t too bad…
7-4-12
I’m going paragliding!! …but the clouds look a little too shabby today. So no go. We try tomorrow and hope it rains today.
We met up with a friend of Krish and joined a local bus to get to the end of the lake for a new experience. I got to experience eating some Nepalese bbq with popcorn rice. AND IT FINALLY RAINED!! I was so excited I ran around a little bit to celebrate. This rain meant that it would be clear tomorrow. And so it was beautiful! Plus I haven’t seen rain in a month and I was very happy to feel the coolness that comes with rain. We eat dinner with the friends group and drinks afterwards.
8-4-12
PARAGLIDING today! No ifs, whats, or nos about it. I am leaving today from Pokahara so this is my last chance to go paragliding. I wake up really early and look outside to be amazed by the blue blue sky that meets my gaze. I’m going flying today. We were like a kite. Strapped to someone who knew what he was doing we took off in a run straight off a cliff and tugged backwards I tried to continue running forward and off my feet no longer touched the ground and the air was breezing past my face. I was sitting on air. Such an amazing feeling. Weightless with the birds. Circling to gain height we followed the lead of the birds as we climbed higher and higher in the sky. Passing over the tops of ridges. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I finally put my camera away because I knew no picture could capture this and just enjoyed the peacefulness of gliding in the air everything at my feet. Quietness, stillness, everything was beautiful. A feeling of peacefulness passed through me, knowing I had accomplished what I had come here to do and gratitude to my cousin for putting the idea and contacts into my hands. I know I will come back to this place.
Have to make it back to Kathmandu today. The only way left to get there now is to take a local bus. The tourist bus, which is a lot safer and less hazardous left before paragliding. Life’s an adventure right. Just have to have confidence you will make it to the other side. Everyone thus far has given us strange looks and funny comments when we told them we were taking the tourist bus, my friend even said he wouldn’t do it for anyone else. So yes this will be an adventure! Very small space, bumpy and loud. Thankfully the gods were on our side for we didn’t loose a wheel or break down at all. We made lots of stops to try and shove as many people as we could into the small van. Anytime we stopped people, or kids would walk around the van offering cucumbers, waters, chips, anything and everything hoping someone is hunger. 8 hours later we were in Kathmandu. See not so bad just like driving up to Tahoe and back in one day.
9-4-12
OK so I have a chance to fly around Everest this morning, but I have to get up super early! Totally ok with anything that gets me in a small plane to fly around the tallest mountain in the world. We get a map as we take off to see the different peaks leading up to Everest. We even get to walk into the pilots cockpit to see the pilots view. Seeing this mountain range is spiritual. Its grand nature demands attention. White capped mountains stand and face this world strong with no compromising. I wish to be like these mountains someday. Strong and magnificent.
And back to the hotel to collect my things say goodbye to my new friend and go back to the international section of the airport to fly away. Beijing here I come.
I sat next to the coolest people on my flight from Changdu to Beijing. These guys are from Argentina traveling the world to the most spiritual places. I talked to this guy the entire flight and the people behind us got made because we were talking too loudly. I told them when they come to California, to see Shasta, I would be more than happy to fly them there. I hope I get to see these guys again. They have such a beautiful perspective of life. The world has a life force a spirit that connects the entire world into one being. These guys are traveling the world to places they have researched and understood to be powerful spiritual places for the world’s existence. The simplest way for me to describe what these guys are doing will not do them justice, but I will try. They are the face, they are trying to show the world, what is happening spiritually to the youth and what we believe. I can explain better in person please ask me, I’ll tell you all about it. This year is special, the energy in the earth is shifting changing to be something new. Please feel free to check out their blog www.harwitum.org (it’s in Spanish so you may need a translator). But they touched a part of my faith that I’ve been needed someone to explain and help fill in the gaps.
Ok so in Beijing at 11:30 at night there is a massive line to get a taxi. I stand in it and get to the taxi driver and he waves me off telling me he doesn’t understand English. I end up following a guy who says he knows where I need to go and off we go down a creepy stairwell and into a car park where his private car is there and off we go to my hotel…stop outside and he rips me off with the price about 4 times as much. Too tired and frustrated to fight it. Try and barging, but my stuff is in the back and I don’t want him to drive away with it so in the hotel I go. Wait for a dude to show up to give me my key and get to my room. My room is huge! And clean with a big shower, with a door on it and a very very comfortable bed. Fluffy white duve and blinds that are electronically controlled. This will be a very different experience to traveling then what I have been doing for the past month. I pass out into blissful sleep. In the darkness, in silence.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Pune
Pune
4-4-12
Today is what I would call a pamper day. We both got massages. I got an ayurvedic massage to experience one while I’m still in India. So much oil, but totally worth every cent I spent on it. My hair still has oil in it the day after.
Next we spent a lot of time relaxing at the side of a pool. Basking the raise of India. Have I mentioned yet that it is frickin hot! The cold water feels wonderful. And makes the mind at rest as we let the day go by catching up on all the experiences we have had to this point in our lives.
Dinner was at Hard Rock Café, can we say that today is a great pamper day. We relaxed we ate a burger! Craziness. Pamper day was a success.
Night time was a chance to experience India’s night life at a ladies night just outside where we are staying. And ladies get free drinks. We danced the night away! There was an audience surrounding us by the end, just watching…so awkward. But hey it’s India.
On the plane to Pune I was sitting next to two really cool kids around my age. One is an engineer and the other is going to be flying for Indigo soon. I invited them to come dancing with us tonight. They were a lot of fun to have around. They were just as wild and crazy as me. And I don’t think I mentioned what a crazy coincidence it was to meet another women pilot in India on the same day. Makes me very excited to go back to the states and start some major flying again. Commercial here I come!
Pune
5-4-12
Today I will call a lazy day. Catch up on this blog thing and learn a new skill. We slept in and are on a new hunt for a Shari (traditional Indian wear). But no luck today we will try tomorrow. This heat is pretty ridiculous.
We did accomplish to make an Indian masala chia! Which was fantastic just in case you are curious. We bought some milk and added a lot of different spices and had a crazy good time mixing everything up. Fully satisfied with the taste we made another batch and are cooling it for some nice cold chai later tomorrow.
There is live music at a restaurant we will be checking out tonight. The music plus the heat reminds me of summer days back at home when all I have to do is enjoy the atmosphere.
Tonight we will be sleeping with our new invention. It is so hot here we take cold showers before we go to bed. We also realized that if we drape the damp towels (put in refrigerator for a couple of minutes) over our bodies as we are falling asleep we feel much cooler. Much more satisfying feeling while falling asleep.
Pune
Pune
2-4-12
Pune is much different then what I’ve been seeing. This might be my perspective now that life is going a little slower. This place has more western people living and working here. The people that are selling you things are not jumping down your through to make a sale and there are a lot more industrial buildings. A lot of car companies and NGO’s come here for work.
It is so nice to see Virginia though! I’m glad I had the chance to travel around India and see a bit more of the culture, but I’m really happy I get to stay with Virginia in her apartment and make food and go out and just relax. I’ve done a lot of shopping too…
Food here is much more expensive (obviously it depends on where you go to eat, but there are just so many more westernized places).
Today was shopping and going out to eat and getting a huge meal! I’ve realized people here don’t bargain as much…So I am apparently good at this even though I know I’m not.
Pune
3-4-12
We made some eggs with some delicious sun dried tomato sauce. Add some yogurt and peanut butter and we have breakfast. And we go out shopping a for a couple extra nick nacks I have failed to buy as of yet. Pretty relaxing day though. We explored old Pune, went to a castle (that was just make out central) and wandered random streets. There are so many different things in Pune, but everything feels very disorganized and not easy to find the thing you are looking for. So we tried not looking for anything so that we had a better chance at finding it.
We had an amazing meal of chicken tikka and palak paneer on the roof and watched the sun set. Oh did I mention we bought a lot of sweets so those will have to be eaten at some point…
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