Where have the cows gone?

I am in a whole new world.

A world devoid of cows, monkeys, and begging barefoot children. A world where modern amenities are at your fingertips and everyone does not seem out to get you, to rip you off for all you're worth. In just one short 3 1/2 hour plane ride I was whisked in the utmost comfort from the backwards land of India to the orderly streets of Kuala Lumpur.

I arrived early yesterday morning, hopped on a spotlessly clean and efficient train that briskly zipped me through the city and into the central train station, where I then effortlessly jumped in a cab and got dropped off in front of my hostel. No rickshaw drivers trying to convince me to go to another hotel (a ploy so they can get commission), no taxi drivers following me and fighting for my business, no half dressed begging man asking me for a couple rupees. It was all so easy.

Since yesterday I have been enjoying the easiness of this city, spending my time walking around and watching the bustling city go by, and eating a ton of good street food. My hostel is located in the Chinatown area, and I couldn't ask for a better location. Awesome and cheap food is at my fingertips, and at night a huge market comes alive with tons of people, restaurants, and every type of shopping imaginable. It's great fun to just wander around for hours with no direction or goal in mind.

Although this city is not as expensive as some, it is definitely a huge change from China, Nepal, and India. I have to be careful with my money, and am on a pretty tight budget for food. Plus, everytime I turn around there's a ton of shopping markets with goods that are begging to be bought! Today I went down to the train station and booked a ticket leaving tomorrow evening to a city 8 hours north called Butterworth. From there I'll take a short ferry across the water to an island called Penang. There is a city on this island called Georgetown that's supposed to be pretty nice, and that's where I'll spend the next couple days until I cross the border into Thailand.

Although it's a relief to be in the comfort of a more Westernized city, I definitely miss the craziness of Nepal and India, and of course I miss China more than anything. Despite the pain and hassles that cannot be avoided, there is a certain magic and unexplainable feeling that these countries bring about, and it is not something that I will ever forget.

For now, I'm counting down the days till I see my sister. I cannot wait, and I know our 2 weeks in Thailand together will be amazing!

It's hard to believe that I'm coming to the end of my trip. The end of this long, solo journey that has been more than I could have ever imagined.

I'll be home soon -- I miss you all. Much love.

"Insert witty title here..."

Sometimes traveling is not all fun and games. Sometimes traveling is all about dodging sickness, catching trains, and negotiating prices with overly eager rickshaw drivers waiting to rip off single white girls. It's all about discussing the latest routes and best hotels with fellow travelers, trying to find clean and edible food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while staying within a budget so strict it doesn't always seem possible. It's a tiring game of meeting people, getting close, and leaving all too suddenly. It's hopping from one dirty and often lonely hotel to the next, lugging a backpack through crowded city streets, sweat pouring out of every pore imaginable. It's packing, and repacking, and shopping, and spending hours in internet cafes pouring over facebook and email, the only connection to the world back home.

Today was one of those days for me. A day full of train travel, honking rickshaws bumping their way through ridiculously crowded streets, and saying goodbye to new friends who I may never see again. After a 5:30am start, a public bus, and another train ride, I am back in Delhi, spending my last night in the same hotel as before, getting ready to leave the wonderfully crazy country of India. I have found myself seeking Western comforts today, and the only food I have eaten has consisted of pizza and french fries. Luckily I am in the right place for travelers in need of Western food, but the comforts pretty much stop there. My hotel is actually quite nice, considering I'm in India, but it's hot and lonely. The plus is that is has a tv, with English HBO, and for most of the evening I have been sweating in my room, taking small naps, and watching American movies. Sometimes it's nice to avoid the world outside and just pretend to be in America, however short and fleeting the feeling may be.

But, despite all the small annoyances and hassles, the last week here has been amazing. I stayed in Rishikesh for one week, and loved every second of it. I'm glad I chose it as my last spot before heading to my next adventure, and couldn't have asked for better traveling partners than the people I met while staying at the best hotel on my trip so far. (I miss you guys like crazy already -- thanks for making my stay in Rishikesh so memorable!)

Tomorrow evening I will head to the airport in Delhi, and board an overnight flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nine months ago I had no idea I would be going to Malaysia, but that's the joy of travel, the freedom to change plans at the spur of the moment, to hop on a plane one night and wake up in another country the next morning.

I have a rough idea of where I will travel to for the nine of so days that I have in Malaysia, and eventually plan on making my way across the border to Thailand. In just under two weeks I will be meeting my sister at the airport in Bangkok, and then I only have a little over a month left of my trip. It's very hard to believe that I have been gone now for nine months, and have already traveled through China, Nepal, and India. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind that travel causes, and I sometimes have to remind myself just how lucky I am to be out here in the world, experiencing it for all it's worth, taking the good with the bad.

Overall, this trip has been the best time of my life. It has changed me in so many ways, many unexplainable. I miss home like crazy, but I'll get there eventually.

Pictures from my travels in China, Nepal and India will be posted soon, as I'm hoping to get a better internet connection once I get to the modern city of Kuala Lumpur. I'll keep you all updated.

For now, stay safe, and I miss you all like crazy. Much love, see you soon.

Excuse me, I have schizophrenia...

Rishikesh is an amazing place. It is more peaceful than Delhi, cleaner than Varanasi, and one of the best cities for people watching that I have encountered in quite a while. You can stroll along the Ganges River, cross a pedestrian bridge at two different places, wander around the many temples, and choose from a dazzling array of restaurants and road stalls for dinner. You can get fresh pomegranate juice in the morning, watch the obnoxious monkeys and cows meander their way through the city, and stay up late at Mama's Cottage Guesthouse having late night talks with other world travelers.

I have been here now for about four days, and have no desire to leave anytime soon. Leaving the overly crowded, rainy, and dirty city of Delhi was hard enough after spending my time in the company of some great people who made my experience in the chaotic city one of the most memorable so far.

I arrived in the city of Haridwar a couple days ago, in the late evening, in the pouring rain. My five hour train was pleasant enough, but I was tired and a bit lonely, and immediately took a rickshaw to a hotel that was recommended in Lonely Planet. It was a typical Indian hotel room, 300 rupees a night, dirty sheets on a sagging bed, and a bathroom that hasn't seen any sort of cleaning in far too long. I went to sleep in hopes that the morning would bring a better experience. After checking out of the hotel and aimlessly walking in the direction of the train station, I eventually found myself on a noisy and cheap public bus surrounded by Indian tourists on our way to Rishikesh.

The rest has been great. I found an awesome little guesthouse ran by the sweetest little lady known to everyone as Mama, which has better rooms for half the price than in the other cities I've been in. I spent a quiet, independent day walking around the various different parts of the city, taking photos with the many curious Indian tourists who are brave enough to approach the solo white girl, and just enjoying watching the people and sights of this amazing city.

Over Mama's delicious Indian dinner of thali (which is basically vegetable curry of some sort, dhal, rice, and chapati), I met some very interesting characters that I have now been spending a lot of time with. A couple of us went hiking to a waterfall outside of town yesterday, which turned out to be a long, incredibly hot walk through winding dusty roads with trucks honking and careening at us every five seconds. But it was so worth it. After a long uphill walk through the woods we came to a swimming area, full of people, with refreshing water and a beautiful waterfall. I went in fully clothed and came out refreshed and dripping wet.

I spent an entire day with an Israeli guy (Israeli tourists flock to India, and it's not uncommon to be surrounded by them at any given moment in any city in India), walking around the entire city and having a great time. We splurged on a great meal of Mexican and Italian food (always a risk in India), that actually turned out to be quite good. We sat for hours and watched the people and the monkeys, we took silly pictures, and went shopping for Indian inspired clothing. We got approached by an odd man whose only words were "Excuse me, I have schizophrenia," and we almost suffered from an Indian Helicopter Related Injury (little flying helicopters that are shot into the air and fall randomly onto unknowing tourists heads). We walked back to our guesthouse after a full day of Indian greatness, and spent hours talking to the other travelers, eventually being told my Mama to go to bed by midnight and to be quiet.

Overall, my time here has been relaxing and exciting. I think I am going to stay where I am until Sept 18, when I will either take a train or bus back to Delhi, to catch my flight to Malaysia on Sept 20. It's hard to believe that my time in India is almost up, and it will be weird to get to the more Westernized city of Kuala Lumpur. But, I am excited to be starting a new leg of my journey, and soon I will be making my way from Malaysia up to Bangkok, where I will meet my sister on Oct 1! Words can not express how excited I am to get to see her and travel with her for two weeks!

For now though, I am going to thoroughly enjoy my last couple days in the mind-blowing country of India, and the relaxing, peaceful city of Rishikesh.

I hope everyone back home is doing well, and I will see you all very soon. Miss you and love you.

The amazing Taj Mahal...

Past the cows, the scam artists, the hassling rickshaw drivers, the congestion, the dirt, and the beautiful Indian people lies a building so amazing it looks like a mirage painted into the sky.

Last week I got to spend a couple hours in the presence of the great Taj Mahal, wandering around the immaculate grounds and gazing at the sparkling building against the setting sun of Agra. Amongst the Indian tourists (who paid a mere 20 rupees in comparison to the foreigner price of 750 rupees), I got lost in what an Indian poet once called "a teardrop on the face of eternity."

Me and the British guy I was traveling with, Chris, had decided to visit the Taj during sunset, after a blazing hot visit to Agra Fort (which is another popular tourist site in Agra). We had traveled to Agra on an overnight train from Varanasi, which was my first experience on a train in India. Because the train took about 13 hours, we had booked non-air conditioned sleeper class tickets, and it ended up being an uneventful, even pleasant, journey.

The city of Agra was well prepared for the massive amount of tourists it receives each year, and our hotel was within walking distance of the Taj Mahal, with a view of it from the rooftop restaurant (and it only cost 5 bucks a night!) I was told before arriving in Agra to be prepared for an obnoxious amount of hassling, and the warnings were definitely true. You could not walk down the street as a white person without rickshaw drivers and store owners following you and practically begging you for their business. After getting ripped off by a taxi driver in Varanasi, I was ready for this, and made sure not to get scammed by anybody. Although the city was disgustingly hot and the hassling was unusually annoying, I quite enjoyed the day and a half that I spent in Agra, and was even a little sad to be leaving so early.

Chris and I had booked a train ticket leaving at 3:30pm in the afternoon, which we were told would be a quick, 3 hour journey to the capital city of Delhi. Unfortunately, it ended up being a marathon seven hours before I would finally arrive in Delhi, alone.

After arriving at the train station a little after 3pm, we were told that our train would be late, maybe by an hour or so. It ended up not coming until 6:30, and instead of taking 3 hours it took 4. Chris had booked a plane ticket that night to another city, and, worried about missing the flight, had left the train station early to find another mode of transportation to Delhi. So, after a couple of days with an awesome traveling partner I found myself alone again, surrounded by Indians, on a train to Delhi. Luckily there were a couple of really nice locals on the train who seemed to be worried about the solo white girl, and made sure that I was comfortable the whole ride.

So I've been in Delhi now for a couple days, and am staying in a very bustling, crazy touristy area surrounded by restaurants, shops, internet cafes, and more foreigners than I'm comfortable with. I have a train ticket booked for Sept 11 to a city 4 hours North called Haridwar, where I'll spend one night, before retreating to the popular yoga and meditation city of Rishikesh. I'll probably stay there for about a week, depending on how much I like it and how cheap it is! After that its back to Delhi for a couple days before taking a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (which I just booked last night!) Then, on Oct 1 I'll be meeting my sister in Bangkok, Thailand! I can't wait!

Anyway, as usual, I don't have the time or the patience to upload pictures right now, but I have a ton of great ones from the last couple months, and hope to be able to upload them soon.

For now, I hope everyone's doing well back home, and I miss you all. See you soon -- much love.

Adventures in Varanasi

I don't know where to begin. I have been in Varanasi, India for 5 days now, and so much has happened in this short amount of time. The flight over from Kathmandu was only an hour long and the views below of Nepal and India were beautiful. After the usual hassle and annoyances of getting through customs in a new country, I eventually landed at a little guesthouse hidden in a mind boggling array of alleyways, situated right on the Ganges River. The alleyways are littered with trash, cow shit, cows, stray dogs, and random people milling around, and are easy to get lost in. The city feels ancient and holy, and I can't help but feel like I have been transported back in time. The streets are full of barefooted Indian men, bicycle rickshaws that serve as taxis (with the most annoying drivers that hassle you nonstop), old women wandering around in tattered saris on the way to the Ganges River for a daily bath, and tons of kids.

My first full day here I awoke early at 5:30am and took a river boat tour of the Ganges River and the ghats that line the rivers edge. My boat driver was a cute fifteen year old Indian boy who loved to talk and paddled me around the river for about two a half hours. I saw people bathing, praying, brushing their teeth, doing laundry, and just lounging by the holy Ganges River. I saw the cremation ghats where dead bodies are cremated while families and tourists watch, and I saw holy men flailing around and screaming prayers at the top of their lungs. I saw this great city at it's finest, with the beautiful sun rising in the background and the local people going about their day unfazed by anything at all. It was serene, it was surreal, it was amazing.

After the boat ride I visited some temples and eventually made my way back to the guesthouse for breakfast. After eating eggs and toast, I was feeling tired and decided to lay down for a little bit, only to be awoken an hour later with the unmistakable heavy feeling in my stomach, one that I came to know all too well in Nepal. I spent the rest of the day switching between sitting on the toilet and hovering over it, feeling miserable and lonely in my room. The next day I walked around a little but didn't go too far in fear of the sickness coming back to me.

Luckily, I have been feeling better for the last day and a half. Not 100% yet, but well enough to wander the crazy streets of Varanasi. Yesterday was a particularly memorable day, as I met a cool English guy and we decided to brave the city together. After a short walk down by the ghats and a quick lunch in a little cafe, we got the crazy idea to head over to an expensive hotel a bit outside of the city to indulge in it's swimming pool. On the ride over, our rickshaw driver, a cute Indian man named Poopa with the worst stained teeth I have ever seen, sung us Indian songs and tried to talk to us in his broken English (which mostly consisted of "no problem! and yes! yes!") The hotel was about 4 or 5km outside of the city, which is quite a long way on a bicycle rickshaw, and on the way, it started to rain. And then it started to pour. And the whole time, little old Poopa just kept singing along and smiling at us with his dirty teeth, seeming to be the happiest man in the world. Soon the streets were flooded, some parts a couple inches deep, and the city was a mess. But life went on, people splashed through the puddles and kids ran next to our rickshaw screaming in delight. It was super fun and a bit unreal. We saw a lot of the city on the ride, and eventually switched to a motorized rickshaw to get there faster. Eventually we arrived at the beautiful and overly priced hotel, paid a little bit of money, and swam in their pool for a couple hours, some of the time spent in the rain. After we had our share of swimming we splurged on a good meal at the restaurant (one that hasn't made me sick yet!), and eventually wandered outside in search of a rickshaw to take us back to our humble guesthouses, far away from the expensive hotels and rich white tourists.

Either today or tomorrow me and the English guy will be heading by train for the city of Agra, to see the famed Taj Mahal. About a year ago it would have bothered me immensely that at 10:30am I still don't know whether I'm taking the evening train today or tomorrow, but after eight months in Asia it doesn't faze me anymore. I hope to take it today, but if not, tomorrow will be fine. I'll get there eventually. I have no set plans between now and October 1, when I will meet my wonderful sister in Thailand. I can't wait!! Soon after that I will be making the long journey back to America, to the waiting arms of my family and friends!

Although the last couple days have been filled with puking, diarrhea and intense lonliness, they have also been filled with new friends, a new city, and another amazing experience that can hardly be described in words.

I'll try to update again soon, probably after I witness the wonder that is the Taj Mahal. I miss everyone like crazy, and I can't wait to see you all again. I hope everyone is well...much love.