Not tomorrow, but I am coming home earlier than I had planned ( Read more... )

There were moments on my trip here where I was doubtful if I was going to make it to Nepal. I let my local friend from Bodhgaya put me on a private bus instead of taking the government bus that Lonely Planet recommends, and it created quite a mess. The lesson is: if you are off the beaten track, following the advice of Lonely Planet is safer than ( Read more... )

The bus ride to Nepal is going to be a long one. I have to leave for the town of Patna tomorrow morning at 7am, three hour bus ride. The buses to Nepal leave from Patna at 9pm, so I will spend my time in the non-tourist town, probably as the only white face, while waiting for my night bus to leave. It will be an eight hour bus ride to the border, ( Read more... )

I need a vacation from my vacation ( Read more... )

The chaos of Kolkata has not decreased and I am now emotionally exhausted. I have been enjoying having a social life here in India. Not having classes to get up for or exams to study for, I can hang out on the roof all night with the other travelers staying in the guest house and talk until 2am. The intensity of travel causes us to bond quickly and ( Read more... )

Okay, I'm not the star of the commercial, but I am in one. One of the locals, I have met here on Sudder street, Jack, has been recruiting tourists to come be extras in a documentary he was filming. He told us each a slightly different story about the documentary. Some of us thought it was going to be about the women of Kolkata, or about the problem ( Read more... )

I am starting to settle into my work at Nirmal Hirday here in Kolkata. The first day I was so tired that I stayed in the kitchen helping with the dishes and the laundry. There is a doctor and a few other nurses already working there. The first few days I felt a little un-needed because of the number of medical volunteers there. After visiting ( Read more... )

The Missions of Charity is closed to volunteering on Thursday, so today I went with some of the other volunteers from Mother Theresa's to check out one of the other organizations in Kolkata that is working with the homeless ( Read more... )

Valerie and I arrived in Kolkata (the Indian spelling) yesterday morning. The place takes a little getting used to and we are both tired from moving from city to city. I will be happy to stay put here for a few weeks ( Read more... )

This is the name of the highest grade of tea that is grown and processed in Darjeeling. It is everywhere in town. Unfortunately there are also clouds everywhere and we can not see the mountains :( Valerie is disapointed that we will not be seeing Everest from Tiger Hill before we leave ( Read more... )