Stary Night

Gillian and I were on the beach sipping cheesy tourist drinks last night when we were finally able to see a clear night sky full of stars.
A friend in North Carolina told me the story of Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades and taught me how to find them in the sky.
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Orion.html
It was pretty cool because they were up there just as bright as in the North Carolina sky.
Made me feel at home.

the mod squad takes to the waves

ellen and i are currently in goa, getting burned and enjoying vegetarian food. not only can i order food in my own language, i don't have to worry about what mystery meat will be lurking at the bottom of my bowl or food heap...BECAUSE THERE IS'NT ANY! we have been rotating sitting on beach chairs and swimming in the ocean for the past 2 days while trying to dodge sketchy people. we are probably the most modestly dressed people on the beach with our suits, but maybe people find that even more intriguing? bastards...the beach we are staying at is hippie central!!! it's nice because there are no screaming popped collared americans...OMG IM SOOOOO DRUNK. people will claim that this is merely a stereotype of the american traveller. i have trekked across many lands to the soundtrack of the american drunk. however, in our defense, i do think we are one of the friendliest lots.

prior to the paradise that is goa, ellen and i stayed in the small village of panjim. one of the highlights of panjim was simply strolling about the portuguese area, camera in tow, to capture all the colors of the old buildings. we came across a cover band in a small studio and sat down to absorb their covers of santana, a sean paul and the beach boys. we also visited a bunch of churches and posed for a family shot with some tourists. i wish i could detail more of what happened, but my brain is on beach patrol. sand, lassi, i dont want another sarong, check out the nips on that chick, etc...it's a lot to take in...

Going to Goa

Ellen Here,
We made it out of Mumbai with out any problems, we are now at a small beach village in Goa named Arambol. Gillian is sleeping so I got up early for a yoga class and found in Internet on my way back. The last few day in Mumbai were adventurous. We made it out to the cave temples of Elephanta.
http://www.templenet.com/Maharashtra/elephanta.html
Were a monkey stolid Gillian's Bananas. No joke. Gillian bought a bag a bananas and as we were walking a monkey came out of no were and grabs the bag. It was amazing to see.
We have been released for the protection of out India mother and are now enjoying Goa. Which is a trip in itself.

live from mumbai!

ni hao! hey kids...this is g-train popping my posting cherry. we are tired. extremely tired. our eyelids are caked with sleep, yet we persevere for your enjoyment. india is rad to the googleplex power. mumbai dances with color, cows and palm trees. it reminds me of puerto rico, except everyone here is indian. i wish i could detail everything we accomplished today, but given the time constraints, as my pillow is calling my name...bullets will have to suffice.

• we participated in a laughing yoga session in a park. it was dreamy. we laughed and stretched.
• our hostess convinced the security guards of a nearby residential high rise to allow us access to their roof for photographic purposes. oh yeah and like bollywood actors and actresses will live there eventually, and we were there first. booyah!
• we visited a small temple near a body of water. although my description is general, it's possibly one of the most beautiful things i've seen in asia. and i've been living here a year. you do the math!
• our hostess and her sidekick got us into a soap opera studio shoot in which we posed with the male protagonist...sweet.
• we went to several other temples, one being a Hare Krishna one. we were barefoot. i felt a lot of dirt and grime between my toes, thought about alfalfa and darla and smiled at a sign that detailed the origin of the Hare Krishnas while mentioning TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK. what a wonderful world.
• had my palm read by a friendly astrologist. im independent, will have a smooth life and two kids. ellen is also independent and strong-willed. go figure.
• we watched the inauguration on tv and i was a little too hard on obama's speech. i think i'm being a bit of a party pooper because i missed out on a lot of political action this past year. well, a lot of AMERICAN action. i've been dippin' in international waters.

okay...this is g-train signing off for now. xoxoxoxoxoxo.

So Far, Really Good

Ian and Klye made me a wonderful meal before I left last night. I had a great short flight of only 5 1/2 hours. Got into the city in 45 minutes on the tube with no problems.
I had a wonderful time with Sarah, Dominic, and Katie in London we had a good veggie lunch and got in some shopping and a museum!
Brooke sent me with treats for Katie and Gillian which went over very well so far!
And to make the day even sweeter some guy gave me the rest of his time on the computer at the internet cafe!
Off again.

A Few Things

Here is the Journal that I made while in Iowa it is collection of things I have collected over 2008. Pictures and maps (of Dollywood and Brooklyn) mixed in with blank pages for journaling. Traveling Art.

And it is all packed with room to spare!!!!!!! The heaviest things in my pack now are all my travel guides but hopefully I can leave thoughs along the way.

Lunch in London

Dinner in New York, Lunch in London, Breakfast in Mumbai.
Sounds fun but this part of my journey is going to take almost 27 hours. I am leave for London tonight and will be in London for the day on Sunday. Which is good luck because I get to see Sarah, Dominic, and Katie for Lunch and a visit to a museum or two.
I leave for Mumbai on Sunday night and arrive in the morning to meet up Gillian who is traveling form China.
Our great stroke of luck is that we are staying with friends in Mumbai who is going to pick us up from the airport so we do not have to deal with all the madness.
I am also looking forward to a warm 85degrees in Mumbai, which I am longing for after my 3 weeks in cold cold Iowa.
Thanks to everyone in NYC for making my few days here so much fun! I will see you all this summer. I and excited to return to my city soon.

Brooke keep the kitchen warm.

Well here I go.

Well here we go. Gillian and I both arrive in Mumbai on the 19th of Jan. Here is the schedaul we have planed. We are going to stay on track as much as possible. We have three date that we must make. We need to be in Amendabad by Feb 2 to meet Susanna, Delhi by Feb 16th so that Susanna can get her flight back to the States on the 17th and Kolkuta by March 3rd to meet my father's friend Govid.

I am almost all pack just have to pick up a few new thins in New York.

Mumbai - Jan 19 - 22
3-4 days
1. Fly into Bombay and stay for a bout 3-4 days.
Give ourselves time to adjust to the time change and see the city.

Travel day to Goa - Jan 22
12 hour train ride

Goa - Jan 23- 30
8 days
1. Spend a few days on the Beach
3. Old Goa - Old catholic churches outside of Panjim / Tomb of St.
Francis Xavier
4. Panjjim

Hampi - Jan 31-Feb 2
10 hour train ride
See the ruins

Travel Day to Amendabad - Feb 2

Amendabad - Feb 3-4.
2 days
a. Old Town - the bazaars
b. Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram
c. Hathi Singh Temple, Sidi Sayyid 's Mosue, Alif Shah's Mosque
d. Calico Museum of Textiles

Feb 4-7
Staying with my friend Susanna is going to be teaching at an ashram
about 2 hours outside of Amendabad.
She is then going to travel with Gillian and I to Delhi were she is
going to fly out of.

Travel Day to Jodpur - Feb 7

Jodhpur - Feb 7-10
The Blue City - 2-3 days
10 hours from Amendabad by train
a. Village Safari - A day trip to the desert to see local Bishnoi
Tribal Villages
b. Meherangarh Fort and Museum

Ranthambore National Park - Feb 10-12
2 hours by train
Home to Project Tiger. Stay in a tent in the park overnight.
http://www.ranthambhore.com/theBagh.html

Travel day to Jaipur - Feb 12

Jaipur - Feb 12-16
The Pink City ( 5 hours to Delhi) 3-4 days
Feb. 12 Travel day - Feb 12-16
5 hours by train from Jodhpur
a. Hawa Mahai - "Palace of the Wind"
b. City Palace
c. Rent bikes for the day
d. The Forts - Especially the Amber Fort.
e. Pottery - Blue potteries along Amber Road
f. Sanganer 15 miles from Jaipur that is famous for its crafts. They
make papers, do block prints and blue pottery.

We may also take a few days to explore the desert region North called
Shekhawati.

Delhi Feb 17 - 21
3-6 days
5 hours from Jaipur by Train
a. Humayun's Tomb
b. Red Fort
c. Jama Masjid
d. Lots of museums......

Agra - Feb 22 - 24
2 hours by rain from Deli
a. Taj Mahal
B. Sikandra
c. Agra Fort

Fatehpur Sikri - Feb 25th
The Ghost city
1 1/2 hours by bus form Agra

Travel Day to Varanasi - Feb 26th

Varanasi - Feb. 26 - March 1
12 hours by train from Agra
a The Ghats
B. a Boat Ride on the Ganze
c. Stay at the Yogi Lodge
d. Bharat Mata

Travel day to Kolkutta - March 2

Kolkutta - March 3-9
13 Hours by Train from Varanasi