America. This American girl living in Paris has now become this American girl living in, well, America. Fifteen days ago I arrived in the great state where I grew-up, Montana. Since then I have been in my hometown (population: 4027…er, now 28) re-adjusting, re-acclimating and rehabilitating from reverse culture shock after 19 months in France. Perhaps other…
I am back in Paris. I have been home 5 days, yet my ears are still ringing from the street noise of Delhi. Some adventures take longer than others to get over. The morning of my last day in Delhi, I threw aside the suggested itinerary of my well-intentioned and lovely B&B owner. I definitely…
The sun is setting on my last day here in Bhutan. I have just finished a 5 hour uphill hike to Bhutan’s famous Tiger’s Nest viewpoint and now I recover in my hotel room – with Bhutanese wine (blah!). The room I have been given has a fantastic view of an ancient Dzong (fortress) at…
I just got back from dinner with my Bhutanese guide and driver. It was clear they believe that the streets are paved with gold in America! Each cornered me at one point during the evening to talk about working in the US. Each said it was their dream, and each referred to other Bhutanese who…
An English man inquiring about my visit to Bhutan today at lunch exclaimed, “Oh, so its like American lady does Bhutan!?” Well, I guess so :). Anyway, it was too cute not to use as my title. *** Bhutan is truly breathtaking; Majestic mountains, green terraced rice fields, powder blue rivers, colorful temples , grand…
The Land of the Thunder Dragon and the Land of GNH (Gross National Happiness), this is the Kingdom of Bhutan. I have yet to learn how they actually measure the happiness of their people, but I can say that my happiness level rose exponentially when I walked off the plain into the fresh Himalayan air. The weight…
Udaipur. The City of Lakes. The jewel of Rajastan. Magical. Regal. Calm. If I was to describe my experience in India so far, I would say it has been a dream wrapped in a nightmare. Udaipur has been the best of the dream part. The picturesque, mystical city where I have spent the last 5…
My driver, Sumo, who is taking me on the 8 hour trip from Jaipur to Udaipur just told me, “Guests are god.” This was his reason for not allowing me to pay the 85 rupi toll this morning as we got on the freeway. I will have to reimburse him later, but the act of…
I left my daily massages in Rishikesh for consistent hot water and eating meat. Yesterday I successfully arrived in Jaipur – the capital of Rajastan. . This place is bustling! I am finding that the constant noise, chaos and sheer disorder of India’s big cities zaps my energy quick. Essential to my sanity is plenty of downtown…
Yay! I am starting to feel much more energized…I think the benefits of this panachakarma therapy is starting to kick in. Therefore I want to seize my new found energy to write about my typical day here in Rishikesh…here goes: While planning this trip to India, I consulted my Japanese girlfriend’s Indian husband, Das, to help me…
