There are very few situations where I feel trapped. Trapped in my own skin. No way to break out. But this was one of them. A situation so hopeless that the thought of getting out of there was merely a fleeting figment of the imagination. We had been traveling for hours now. Never had I […]
Landing in Leh
Thankful to be off the bus, we grabbed our backpacks and headed into town to complete our first order of business in any new place: finding somewhere to stay. Apart from the houseboat experience, we didn’t pre-arrange any accommodation through our travels in India. Most places are not online or in a guidebook anyway, and […]
The Mountain Pass
From Srinagar, our next destination was Leh, a town cradled in the Himalaya range in the Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir. It was a two-day journey on a so-called “super deluxe” bus through the winding mountain roads. Let’s just say that the only thing “super” about it was the miraculous fact that it held […]
The Water Trek, Srinagar, Kashmir
After an amazing seven days trekking in the Himalayas, we were back at the houseboat and eager to explore more of what Srinagar had to offer. After struggling with my churidar kameez (a long tunic with tight tapered bottoms) that I had tailored on my first trip to India, we (yes, this was a two […]
A Photo Essay: The Himalayan Trek
It was only 48 hours ago that we were negotiating the busy streets of Pahar Ganj, New Delhi. Now with the sights and sounds of city life already pushed to the recesses of our memories, we exchanged rickshaws for ponies and were about to embark on one our most challenging travel adventures yet. Our seven […]
An Evening with a Gypsy Family in the Himalayas
We heard some rustling a few meters away. It was a couple of the gypsy kids who had ventured over, barefoot, to collect us. Earlier that day, the gypsy family living close-by invited us to come over in the evening. With our expert guides and small flashlights, we made our way across in the dark. […]
The Practice Hike
After long days of scenery appreciation and seemingly never-ending pots of sweet Kashmiri tea, we began our drive up into the Himalayan range to 2000 meters above sea level where the road ends. It was here that we would be camping for the night. A gypsy family who lived a few hundred meters away came […]
The Houseboat
Not having set plans opens up infinite possibilities for the traveler. We often don’t plan where we will stay ahead of time or know where we are going or what we are doing one day from now, let alone weeks or months in advance. This type of travel isn’t for everyone and I don’t necessarily […]
Travel Gallery: 2011 in Pictures
This year, I have been fortunate enough to travel to 20 countries – many for the first time, while others were return visits. Here is a look into my world of travel in 2011.