theboonedoggle

Namaste, So.....After a few days in Delhi, we took the overnight train to Varanasi , one of the holiest places India, and one of the oldest cities in the world. Bordered by the river Ganges, multitudes migrate here near the time of their death to be cremated on the river's banks and laid to rest in the river itself. We spent an hour one afternoon watching cremations (which consist of laying a body across a stack of wood and setting it afire) from the balcony of a hospice, where the aged waited patiently, collecting donations for the wood of their own pyre. The source fire for these cremations, we were told, has been burning non stop for thousands of years. Hundreds are disposed of this way at these "burning ghats" each day. After a few hours each fire dies down and the remains are collected and transported three meters or so to the river, where a boat dumps them a few meters off shore. -Not everything burns completely: rib cages and hip bones make up the bulk of what is t...

NEPAL After Bhutan we spent another week in Kathmandu waiting for our Indian visas. It was nice coming back for round two -Kathmandu seemed much more manageable the second time around. Our first full day back was great -the Maoists were protesting (as they do about once a week) and the party was forcing businesses (whether they supported the cause or not) to shutter their doors. Moreover, all vehicles, including public transportation and even bicycles, were forbidden from operating within the city. This made the otherwise lunatic streets of Kathmandu pleasantly palatable for an entire day.... we enjoyed a full day of walking about town, with thousands of others, free of the ever-present danger of being run down by a bus or auto rickshaw. As long as we gave the protesters a wide berth as they marched down the major thoroughfares, we were at no risk whatsoever of violence against our good selves. Five days of bumming around Kathmandu earned us our visas, and we made for the Indian border...

Kuzu-zam-pola! For those of you who have never heard of this country (it's easy to miss), Bhutan is a small kingdom east of Nepal between China and India. Most notably, it's known for the use of "Gross National Happiness" to measure its development. We have always heard great things about this place but seriously considered not going when we found out that the government charges tourists a flat fee of $200 (low season) to $250 (high season) per person per night. While this includes very nice hotels, food, tour guide and a full tour itinerary, 5 days in Bhutan is the equivalent of 3 months in South East Asia when you add on the $350 round trip flight on Druk Air (the only airline allowed to fly into the country). In the end we decided to go for a few days to see what all the fuss was about. Initially, our trip started off splendidly as our flight got canceled due to a cyclone going through India. Druk Air got everyone a room at Hotel De'l Annapurna which is one of ...

Hi everyone! We just finished a gruelling 16 days of trekking around the Annapurnas in the Nepali Himalayas. In that time we walked over 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) and reached elevations of 5,500 meters (almost 18,000 feet). We're tired, we're sore, we're skinny... and we are happy. We arrived in Nepal on the 5th of May and spent one very short night in Kathmandu getting situated and supplied for our two week trek. The thamel district in the city is the tourist spot and has just about anything a trekker or climber would want - thousands of little shops selling North Face knock offs for next to nothing! The first hour in the city was pretty hectic as we tried to get used to the constant honking, packed streets, and walking in a single line as close to buildings as possible to avoid getting run over by cars - all this while stepping over animal (and sometimes human) poo. Aghhh Nepal. But before you cringe, I have to say, there is something magical about Nepal because...

Well, two months have flown by pretty quickly and we are off to Kathmandu, Nepal this weekend. We start off our trip there with a 3 week trek along the Anapurna circuit. Not sure when we will have a chance to post next but stay tuned. Here are some more Africa pics......enjoy. T&T http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021082&id=1081248185&l=cf3f9a662d http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021043&id=1081248185&l=c4fad9f7a3

Due to some confusion among our readers, it has been suggested (and not so subtly) that I make a clarification regarding all comments related to shaving. Be informed, here and forever more, that any and all comments relating to shaving, not shaving, x-number of days of hair growth, and any and all other topics of hygiene and lack thereof, are solely and wholely indicative of my own state of being, and should in no way reflect on Tatyana, or her personal hygiene. She, as always, smells like roses, all the time... as does her hair, her feet, her breath, and her bodily functions, wherever and at whichever time they may occur.... and she shaves her armpits four times a day.... ... as always Thank you, Todd Boone

We're in Cape Town. Since the last post--and so long ago it seems--we have been busy. I ruined another razor a few days ago -shaving is becoming an expensive habit, so I believe I will no longer shave until we are done with the Himalayas. After St. Lucia, we drove to Durban, which was a nice, laid back city on the eastern coast. It is cool to see the stadiums going up around South Africa, in prep for the world cup next year (see picture below of a team practicing in the sand). From Durban, we drove into the Drakensberg region, which reminds me of Connecticut... lots of little dairy farms and red and gold leaves (it is now into the winter season here). From there we took a 4x4 minibus into Lesotho, up and over the Sani Pass (which I will forever refer to going forward as the "Insani Pass", because I have never before been as frightened in a vehicle as i was going up, and moreover, down this stretch of rock, shale and loose LOOSE mud. At one point on the way back Tatyana ac...