The Mountain of all Mountains

I feel like I have accomplished so much in life. I feel renewed and overjoyed. Climbing Mt. Everest was the most amazing experience in the world. I felt like I was in heaven, looking down on the rest of the world. I felt like I was a cloud floating by Earth. I also felt small in the scheme of life. God's creation is so majestic and graceful. Knowing that the same God who made these beautiful mountains loves me enough to die for me, amazes me.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help? 
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber. 

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

~Psalm 121~

I leave to go back to the States tomorrow. I know that this place will forever live in my heart and my memory. I am sad to go, yet I am looking forward to seeing my friends and sleeping in my own bed. 

Lhasa -The Holy City

Lhasaa -a place where culture meets religion and politics. Lhasa is the capital of Tibet and is the home of the magnificent Potala Palace. The Potala Palace is considered the palace of Tibet's religious leader, the Dalai Lama. I have been told that he does not live here anymore because of the rigid Chinese rule. He is living in India, and leading his country from there. The Chinese have a very tight grip on the city. It was very difficult for us to even enter. There is a sadness about the city. A few other hikers and I were welcomed to lunch by a lady who has lived in Lhasa for nearly 60 years. She told me the story of the Chinese takeover. Since the 1940s, the people of Tibet have been harassed by the Chinese government. Tears welled in her eyes as she told us about the many deaths that have occurred over the years. I cried myself...

Hiking Through Tibet

I had no idea what to expect when I began hiking through the Himalayas. The mountains are absolutely gorgeous; they turn gold when the sun hits them in the morning and at night. We were able to hike one of the most sacred mountains in Tibet, Mt. Kailash. We saw many Tibetan pilgrims at the base of the mountain. They have a tradition where circumnavigate the base of the mountain, a total of 52 km (about 32 miles to us Americans)! Many do prostrations as they walk. Hindus, Buddhists and Jains all believe the mountain to be holy. Along the trek we saw Tibetan prayer flags. To me, they are like decorations on a Christmas tree, beautifying the mountain with culture and religion. It was a long trek, but we have gone up and over the mountain. Our next stop will be in Lhasa.

Last Day in Kathmandu

Today is my last day in Kathmandu. I had a really fun time! Although it is a wonderful city, I am very ready to move on. The Himalayas are calling out my name! We will hike some of the mountains on the border between Nepal and Tibet and spend some time in the world's highest elevated community in the world.

I do have to share one thing before I sign off on. I completely forgot to mention one of the coolest things I saw today in my travels in Kathmandu! Earlier this morning I visited the Kopan Monastery. What a cool place! I have never seen so many monks in the same place before. I could not figure out what the humming noise was that I was hearing; at first I thought it was an electricity issue, but then I realized that it was people making those noises! They were meditating. The place was gorgeous and the monks were very kind. They are very smart and talented people. I am so glad that I got to meet them.

Having So Much Fun!

History has always been a passion of mine. That is probably why I love these trips so much. My first stop was Durbar Square. This is considered on of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  The square's history dates all the way back to the 12th century. The streets and buildings themselves can be dated back to the 16th-18th centuries. It is where the Nepalase royals built their palace! Inside the square now, one can find lots of temples and tourist shops. I had to hold myself back from spending all of my money!

I also visited many temples in Kathmandu. The one that stuck out the most to me was the Swayambunath Temple, also known as the "Monkey Temple." People here believe that there are holy monkeys living in the area. How one can tell if a monkey is holy or not, I have no idea. It was very fascinating though. The temple was covered in eyes painted like those of a monkey. This temple was not a Hindu temple, but a Buddhist one. It is so neat to see the mix of the two religions come together in one area.

The Boudhanath was another interesting Buddhist temple. This is a famous Buddhist site as it is one of the largest stupas in the world! It too had large eyes on the temple. I really should ask some of the Nepalese for the background story on that!

Kathmandu

We have finally made it to Kathmandu! This city is a bit more lively than Pokhara. That is because Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal. We are only here for a week, so I am going to try to get in as many sight-seeing adventures as I can!

More Adventures in Pokhara

Today I was able to see the Old Bazaar! It is a beautiful place where one can shop and meet with traders. I bought myself a necklace as a reminder of the trek up Annapurna. After visiting the Old Bazaar, I took a trip to Seti River. I found this river quite fascinating. Parts of it run underground!

Being on a nature streak, I broke away from the rest of my group and saw the Mahendra Gupha, otherwise known as "The House of Bats!" When I was little, I used to love bats. I remember capturing one and bringing it into the house. My mother went wild! I think she found it in her room in the middle of the night. My dad caught it and brought it outside. Anyways, the Mahendra Gupha was probably my favorite part of Pokhara. Tomorrow, we head off to Kathmandu!

Exciting news!

I am absolutely exhausted... BUT........ I DID IT! I climbed Annapurna! It took a while, a LONG while, but I made it! We got back three days ago, but I couldn't write because I was too exhausted. I do not remember very much about the past few days... I am glad to be awake now though and I plan to do a little more sight seeing before we move to Kathmandu, Nepal.

I'm in Nepal!

I am finally here! Wow, that was a LONG flight! It was definitely worth it though! This place is fascinating. We are about to climb our first mountain Annapurna, which is right outside of Pokhara, Nepal. It is the largest mountain I have ever seen! I know I will see larger ones, but Annapurna is breathtaking. The Appalachians and Rockies do not hold a candle to the Himilayans!

Right now we are staying in Pokhara. It is a great city. Today I visited the World Peace Pagoda, known to the locals as the Shanti Stupa. It is what I would call a mystical place. World Peace Pagodas are being all over the world. The first one was built in memorial of the atomic bombs America used to take out Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Everyone was so friendly and kind. It makes me loathe my country and what it stands for. I should say I do not dislike America, I just dislike some of its values.

The inn we are staying at overlooks the Phewa Lake. It takes one's breath away to look at it. The locals say that in the middle of the lake is the Barahi Temple. I think I will try to go see it tomorrow. They say it is dedicated to the Hindu god Ajima in boar form. Ajima is said to be a reincarnation of the god Shakti. Despite my traveling to India a while back, I still have a very difficult time remembering all the gods and goddesses. There are just so many of them! It is worse here because there are Hindus and Buddhists, both with their own set names of gods and goddesses.

Well, I better get some sleep! We start climbing the mountain in two days, so I will need my rest!

On my way!

I am so excited! I am on a journey to the Himalayan mountains! I have been training for this trip for months! I am very eager to climb some of these mountains. I am going with a group of other hikers. We have already teamed up with the locals who will be there to guide us. I am on my way to the airport now!

Taj Mahal and Home

The best part of my trip was going to see the Taj Mahal. It literally took my breath away. They say it is one of the seven wonders of the world. I could see why! Its name is as beautiful as its structure. Taj Mahal means "the epitome of love." It was built by the Mugahl Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife. (How romantic!) Made of white marble, it is the most exquisite thing I have ever seen in my life.

It was the perfect way to end my journey. Saying goodbye to Alaina was difficult, but she will be home in a couple of years. I was tired when I got on the plane, but I was able to sleep the whole way home. Switching planes in Chicago I began thinking to myself. The images of India remained in my head. The country is a character in itself, one of beauty and history. I can't wait to share my experiences with my students tomorrow!

Looking back at an Ancient and Modern World

Alaina and I decided to sign ourselves up on a tourism trip. We began our journey at the Ajanta and Ellora Caves and worked our way up to Uttar Pradesh where we visited ancient tombs and cities. The caves were amazing. Like the temples we visited in Tamil Nadu, these caves were decorated with such refined details. They had been here for centuries. I do not remember learning about them at college, so I was really glad to experience this history lesson in real life. I took lots of pictures to bring back to my students at school.

 Next we went to Delhi where we saw the Ganges River. I saw many people washing themselves in the river. My first reaction was "are they bathing in there?" The answer was yes. "The river is holy" one Indian man told me. "It cleanses and purifies us." I felt uncomfortable going in there without a bathing suit, so I just watched from afar.

After that we went to the Indian Gate, which was a large arch that looked like it did not belong in India. That is because it was not the ancient people of India who built it. It was a memorial for the soldiers who died in World War I fighting for the British. The statue was a wonderful piece of architecture. Little did I know that the best was yet to come!!!

Nashik Wineries

Today was the last day we spent in Mumbai. In the past three days, we have gone to the sacred village of Shirdi, visited the slums of the city where we met with some Christian missionaries and today went to the Nashik Wine Festival. The festival was fantastic! There was a parade, lots of great food and a wonderful tour of these romantic fields. It got quite a bit hot out. This surprised me since Alaina told me that we were in the Fall season. Being a little backwoods girl from NH, I was a little shocked. We ate our lunch and drank our wine on the beautiful porch at the restaurant. There was no air conditioning inside, so we went outside where there was a slight breeze. I will miss these views when I go home!

Hollywood or Bollywood?

Today Alaina and I took the train up to Mumbai in Maharashtra. The Guptas were not able to leave because they had to take care of the animals and Alaina and I would be taking a few days. It was very nice to get back to a city. We had been very rural for a long time. This is not to say that Tamil Nadu and Kerala were not filled with people, because they were, however life seemed more fast paced here in Mumbai. Alaina keeps reminding me that I need to call it Mumbai and not Bombay. The city had changed its name, yet the memory of my history textbooks has not. We are staying at a hotel while we sightsee. Today we went to go see Bollywood!!! This is also known as India's Hollywood. The coolest thing happened to us while we were touring the set of a new and upcoming movie (which I cannot remember the name of...) Anyways, we were asked if we would be willing to be extras in the show! I was so excited. We only walked down the street, but we were able to get our 3 seconds of fame!

Elephants, Tigers, and Birds, Oh my!

Today, the Guptas brought Alaina and me to the region of Kerala. It is here where in a little town called Thekkady, a wildlife reserve is placed. It is like being in Animal Kingdom, only better, because these animals actually belong here. This habitat was preserved for them, not created for them. There are beautiful creatures here. My favorite would have to be the Tiger. This place does not lack for them. I saw three on my tour! The tour guide we had was able to speak very little English, so I was not able to comprehend most of what he was telling me, but from what I understand, the park is a way to save the tigers because their habitat has been almost completely destroyed by the people of India expanding and becoming over-populated.

On the way back to Tamil Nadu, we stopped in Munnar to drink some tea! I have never had tea as fresh as this! It was a really interesting experience. It was here in this region that the British East India Company held their "tea empire.' Britain must have been making a ton of money for how much tea this place produces! On top of harvesting this abundant crop, they also gave Americans an unfair tax on it. Now that I am seeing this operation, I see the entire thing as completely unfair! The people here do not like to mention the British in a popular tone either. The British held India for several centuries before it became independent in 1947



Here are some of my pictures from today:

 Here is one of the beautiful tigers I saw on the tour

This is what our "tour bus" looked like. I tried to get a shot of the one behind us so you could visualize it a bit better!

Temples

PARTHASARATHY TEMPLE

BRAHADEEWARAV TEMPLE

Today I went to go see the temples in Chennai and Thanjavur. It was a nice trip as I was able to get out of the house and really get to know Alaina's host family. Their last name is Gupta. There is a husband and wife with us today. Their oldest son is studying at college in Delhi. I got to learn a lot about the family by going to these temples. I learned today that there are many more Hindu gods/goddesses than I could ever imagine and it seems as though half of them live in the Parthasarathy Temple! The outside of the place is gorgeous. Each statue is hand carved, I would say, almost to perfection. The details are incredible. I could not have imagined how many hours the temple took to build. The Brahadeewarav was another interesting temple. While it was not as extraordinary like the Parthasarathy temple, it was beautiful in its own way. Mrs. Gupta told me this afternoon that this is a place of peace and comfort for her. Her grandmother used to take her when she was young and now she takes her children. Indian people are very family oriented. They are also very welcoming. I myself feel as though I am part of the family already. 

I made it!

Well, I have finally reached my destination! It is so good to be able to see my friend Alaina. It was a long and very uncomfortable ride (I refuse to tell you my way of transportation!!) to the house from the airport. It does not matter how I got here, but that I am already here. The house is very small, yet very welcoming at the same time. The people Alaina stays with have a large farm. Agriculture is one of the largest industries in Tamil Nadu, she tells me. Inside the house, I am overwhelmed by how many things are unrecognizable to me. There are several statues of gods and goddesses whom I do not know the names of. Alaina's landlady tells me not to worry though, she will teach me and bring me with her to the temples Arulmigu Parthasarathyswamy and Brahadeewarar tomorrow! For now, all I want to do is sleep. Unfortunately, my circadian rhythm is off due to the flight and I will be sleeping during the daytime.

This is where I am staying!

Follow Me On My Journey Through India!

Hello fellow travelers! Welcome to my travel blog! Today I will be flying out of Chicago International Airport to none other than the country of India! I could not be more excited! I have a friend named Alaina who moved there last summer as an over-seas journalist and asked that I, being a historian and one who has a passion for culture, would like to come over and meet her. She is going to bring me on a journey through India beginning in Tamil Nadu and ending in Delhi! I could not be more excited! I am sitting in the airport right now waiting for my plane to fly in. I think I see it! Stay tuned in to find out more!