Sushi Fish Sidewalks John Stewart and The Colbert Report Frozen broccoli Being left alone in a store Salad Grapes, cherries, and strawberr...

There's some stuff to do in Leh itself, but not tons.  The main activity seems to be using Leh as a starting point for other trips -- trekking...

The main thing to do in Leh -- other than eat, see the Palace, and take in the beautiful scenery -- is to use it as a starting point for treks and ...

 

Everyone talks about seeing the gompas and stupas in Leh and its environs, but I confess I had to look up both words.  And I bet other people ...

Upon arriving in Leh we went straight to the Dorje guest house and relaxed after the grueling journey to get here.  Leh is in Ladakh, a regi...

Anita has to be in Bombay at the end of June, so we realized that if we wanted to see anywhere outside McLeod Ganj we'd better get a move on. ...

From Amritsar I took the bus to Dharamsala, in the Himalayas.  It was only a six-hour ride, which by Indian standards is a cakewalk.  Tim...

Leaving Bhubaneswar was surprisingly emotional.  I don’t know why I was surprised; after all, I spent nearly four months there.  I thin...

Well, the time has arrived to leave my volunteer assignment and Bhubaneswar.  I’ve been in India nearly four months, which is surreal. ...

My volunteer assignment has come to an end, so it’s time to say goodbye to Bhubaneswar.  I had a rough beginning, but overall it’s been a ...

Since my time in Bhubaneswar would soon be coming to an end and I hadn't yet seen much of the area surrounding Bhubaneswar, my colleague Sabita v...

Throughout my week in Pondicherry I spent time with my colleague Sabita’s family: Her sister Jyotsna, another sister whose name I embarrassingly ...

One of the things Pondy’s well-known for is its place as the home of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.  (If you’re interested: http://www.sriaurob...

Upon arriving in Pondicherry -- known as “Pondy” to the locals -- I went to the Cottage guest house, part of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.  On...

My colleague Sabita has two sisters who live in Pondicherry, in a southern Indian state called Tamil Nadu (TAH-mill nah-DOO).  She thought it ...

The NGO (non-governmental organization) I volunteer for is an environmental group that advocates on behalf of dalits (the “untouchables” in the...

Last night Tanushree (my colleague and roommate) and I went to the home of a colleague, Bharati, to celebrate her daughter’s fourth birthday.&nbs...

Last weekend, on just a few days’ notice, I had to move out of the hostel, as did everyone living there.  Thankfully my supervisor found a g...

I just looked back through my journal, and on February 27th I wrote that I felt nauseous for the second day in a row.  I hadn’t realized I�...

Our final stop was Keraleeyam, an ayurvedic spa.  We had our own cottage, which was just lovely.  There was, unfortunately, a houseboat r...

After Fort Cochin, we headed to the “backwaters” of Kerala, canals dotted with houseboats and villages.  (Kerala has sometimes been called...

Much to my delight, my friend Elissa came to India for work, and at the last minute found out that I’m here, too.  Elissa had a four-hour (!...

Traveling somewhere for the first time, the intensity of the sights and sounds is magnified.  After a while, a filter develops to keep out wha...

You’ve heard the saying: Left-handed people are the only ones in their right minds.  That may be true in some places, but not in India.&nbsp...

Okay, so that’s not the most original title, but it’s apt.  There really are cows roaming around everywhere.  These two, for instance...

Bina, the woman of the couple who are the proprietors of the hostel where I’m living, has knocked on my door a few times at night, come in, pulle...

My volunteer assignment is in Bhubaneswar (boo-bah-NESH-wahr), the capital city of Orissa, a northeastern state.  It’s known as the temple c...

I arrived in Mumbai for a five-day orientation last Saturday night.  The airport seemed not radically different from home… until I got out...

Dear friends,   As many of you know, the past couple of years have been a period of change for me.  I ended a long relationship, attend...