Chris, Cherisse, and Curtis on the Road

God Bless America!!!

cbyanasak — Wed, 3 Dec 2008 13:47:00 GMT

Hello everyone! Chris and I have made it back to WA and are excited to be home for the holiday season. For those who are interested what happened to us during the whole Mumbai scare, here it is...

We had a train ticket to arrive at the CST station (the one under attack) just 2 days after everything went down. We kept up with the news and decided to cancel our ticket and change our flight to leave out of Bangalore. It was a pain in the you-know-what but after several stressful days and many phone calls to the airlines, we finally managed to get it all worked out and here we are in the comfort of our own country.

All in all, India was fantastic! It was an experience of a lifetime (but I don't recommend it, ha ha) and we are glad that we went. It certainly was fun and crazy. Thanks for tuning in, take care!

Cherisse

not dead yet

cbyanasak — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:01:00 GMT

so instead of being in mumbai i have been out on a camel in the desert so i am fine. and i'm pretty sure chris isnt blown up either!

a little from curtis

cbyanasak — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:18:00 GMT

so i know that i have not writtin much at all in this journal and that is because i am enjoying my time here more than i ever thought i would. i wont go into detail about the places i have been or the sites i have seen as i have realized that these are not what makes india beautiful. what makes india beautiful is its people. it may sound cheesy but india is a place of the heart. it is a place where people and relationships are far more inportant that objects and money.

i have spent the latter half of my trip on the strictest budget imaginable. meaning instead of eating and sleeping in the semi nicer/cleaner places where there are more westerners than indians, i have spent my time living as the indians do. that means eating with the locals and sleeping with the locals(not like that mom)! to indians, friendship comes before all else and is more important than all else. after only a short comversation of being gunuine and sencere, and a small wiggle of the head(an expression you pick up quick here) you can earn ones friendship that right away would stick to the ends of the earth. this works nice for me as anytime one of these new friends has heard of my budget they have taken me into their home as family.

so as the rest of the world may see india as a poor country, i believe that it is rich in every way that matters. as i said, india is a place of the heart and as lame as it may sound, its breaking mine to be leaving this country so soon.

(wow that was deep)

-curtis

Gallery: South India

cbyanasak — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:44:00 GMT

A Passage to India....again

cbyanasak — Mon, 3 Nov 2008 22:47:00 GMT

Q: What's the shortest distance between a pleasant day and a horrible headache?

A: Trying to use the internet in 3rd world countries.

Thus our travel stories have become a bit few and far between. I believe the last time we left off we were on our way to Pokhara, Nepal to begin a four day trek to some hot springs.

Trekking is really just a fancy word for walking, and walk we did. We walked up rocky slopes, down even rockier slopes, through lush jungles, and past beautiful waterfalls and rivers. We walked all day for four days, only breaking to let literally hundreds, perhaps near thousands, of sheep, donkeys, and cows pass us on the narrow trail. (See the photo of Cherisse dodging the herds.)

The landscape was a mixture of green and yellow rice terraces being worked by colorfully clothed men and women, and small villages built on jagged rocks. It was in these villages where we would spend our nights. On average paying about 60 cents for a room with a beautiful view of the Himalayan landscape. At the end of our journey, when we were sure we could take no more we soaked our bones in some nice hot springs before returning to Pokhara.

From Pokhara we bussed to Raxaul in India, getting out of Nepal just before our visa expired. Curtis stayed in Raxaul and left the next morning for South India. Cherisse and I took an over night bus to Patna. Our bus arrived at 4 in the morning in the pitch black. We got a rickshaw to a hotel where our driver had to wake up the security guard who was sleeping on the outside steps of the hotel only to tell us there were no rooms available. We repeated this process about 5 times before we really started to panic. It was just starting to look like we were going to be sleeping on the streets, true Indian style. But we found a crappy little room that we overpaid for and managed to get a bit of sleep. That night we took an overnight train to Siliguri where we then jeeped to Darjeeling.

I suppose the most noteworthy thing to site here is the absolute uncomfortablity of any transportation here. Your knees are stuck up against your face, not to mention the face of the person crammed in next to you, and it's a miracle we aren't both sporting black eyes from the bumpy roads tossing us around.

But Darjeeling was finally the place where we were just going to relax for a week or so. It's a hill station high up in the Himalayas with one main street running through town and the houses and hotels built teetering on the steep slopes. Upon arrival we went walking through the dark looking for a place to sleep and it was then that we saw what I think is maybe the most spectacular thing I have ever witnessed. Standing on the edge of a hill we looked out into the dark unable to decipher any difference between the hills and sky. The houses dotted the horizon with only the light coming from them to show their existence, and these lights faded right into the night sky. Staring out at it it seemed as though you were floating in the void of space with stars surrounding you on all sides. It was quite an experience.

Now we have spent the last few days wandering around the area. Relaxing and reading, visiting a couple of monestaries, and eating fine meals and drinking fine Darjeeling tea. This morning we woke up at 4 am and jeeped to the top of Tiger Hill where we watched the sunrise come up over the valley. From the hill we could also see Mt. Everest! Wow! What a letdown! We aren't exactly too close to it here in Darjeeling and it was probably the smallest peak out in the distance. Perhaps we're just a bit jaded from a summer living in the mountains of Alaska. But none the less we have spotted the tallest mountain in the world. Bragging rights are ours!

Well, we have another few days here to hang out and prepare ourselves to get back to the crazy parts of India. On Saturday we head South to Pondicherry. What next? Stay tuned...

Hi Holly!

cbyanasak — Sat, 1 Nov 2008 22:06:00 GMT

Hey Holly, it was so nice to hear from you! Congrats on the bun-in-the-oven! You should send me your email address to cherisse11@hotmail.com. Take care!

Everyone stay tuned for a new story about Darjeeling coming soon... this computer's too slow!!!

From Nepal

cbyanasak — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:31:00 GMT

First off, the keypads in Nepal are no good so please ingnore the typos.

We sat together in a small row boat as it banged against the hundreds of other boats full of hundreds of other people that had gathered on the Ganges River to view the nightly Hindu ceremony of prayer and offering to Shiva. Five Brahmin priests stood on seperat pillars at the bas of the ghat in front of the crowded stairs. Synchronizd th priests performed rituals to each direction. First swining chalies of smokin incns and eventually flamin torches into the night air, bowing after each rotation as the live singing and clapping grew louder and more intense. The entire ceremony lasted nearly an hour, bringing the night to a climactic close.

On the subcontinent religion is everywhere. Standing on every street corner, painted on every wall, practiced in every building. It's an essential part of every Indians life, woven into the very fabric of their existence. The involvement of religion in their lives is so anient and endowed I sometimes think th only people who truly consider it's truth or actively pursue it's relevance are western hippies who got bored with drugs. Religion is a funny thing everywhere, on most never really think about whether they practice it or not.

The next day we boarded a bus where we were to spend the next two days travelling to Kathmandu, Nepal. The bus was overcrowded and the roads were horrible so Curtis and I climbed on top with the luggage in search of a better ride. The bus bounced down the road soundingg as thouh it would fall apart at any moment. It crawled slwowly up windy roads throuh the terraced rice filds dotted with thatch roofed huts aainst the steep hills, and it careened much too fast down the same windy narrow raoads on th other side. The wind blew a breeez onto and we watched Nepal roll out behind us in shades of green, yellow, and brown under a spotless blue sky. We passed throuh villages that bustled with the busy sights and sounds of bazaars. Women in brihtly colored saris walked along the sides of the road carrying loads of grass larger than them on their backs. Schoolkids in uniforms screamed and waved at us. We stopped for herds of goats and cows to ross the road. The endless possiblities of life passing beside us was intoxicating, and it felt like we were right in the center of it.

The Hindus practice a strict caste system. What you're born as is what you will be, no way around it. So it's no wonder they believe in reincarnation, it gets them by. We need a heaven where justice is finally revealed to make up for an unjust life. But all this really only serves to undermind the only thing we really know for certain, and that is our own individual human experience. Too often we are too scared to let that be good enough. And the experience of sittin on top of a bus raving through Nepal, riht in the middle of the mystery of it all, was good enough.

We spent th next few days in Kathmandu shopping and seeing th sihts. The main center of town is similiar to Shakedown Street at a rateful Dead concer where the amount of western hippies outnumber locals three to one. But if you're willing to face th insane traffic and assault of salesman to mak it outside the city center there are beautiful examples of a cultur lost and living to be seen.

In Dubar Square we walked throuh anient Buddhist temples and Hindu statues. At the Syaumbunath Temple we watched monkeys play on holy monuments and steal offeringgs made to the gods by pilgrims. We drove an half hour out of Kathmandu to be swept up in the lockwise walk of exild Tibetan monks, murmering and spinnin prayer wheels, around th Boudnath Stupa at sunset. Life happening in so many ways.

We also did a two day white water raftin trip from the border of Tibet back down to Kathmandu. Another story in itself. Today we bathed elephants and rode on their backs through dense jungle viewing crocodiles and rhinos.

I'm sure that there's a million other things that have hapened to us that I just can't remember or can't bother relatin. Some things you'll just never know unless you experience them yourself. Happiness is a fleeting moment, not something you attain, in Nepal they seem to just keep coming.

-Chris

Hey, Curtis here!!!

So real quick, one of my favorite things about travel besides all the cool thinggs you et to do is the people you meet. Bakc home, traveling to another part of the world is made into a bag deal, and i suppose it is but the people you meet on the road make it seem nothing less than ordinary.

You may share a meal one niht with a couple from south africa and ireland, the next niht they may be from australia or england. Unlike americans, it is typical for people to travel. Europeans even have a name for the year after school that everyone takes off to o travel, its called Gap Year.

While sharin a meal with other foreingers, stories are told of past travels and experienes spent in different parts of the world. Althouh the acents can et confusing...He says potatoes, shes says pototoes, i say i dont know what the hell either of you just said!

Taj and more

cbyanasak — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:27:00 GMT

India is not for the weak of heart, weak of stomach, weak of mind or weak of legs. It sets you spinning the second your feet hit the 'pavement'. There is a constant array of smells, loud music, pesky people, just about anything and everything to test your patience and over all psyche. Most of all India, in it's madness is nothing but sheer beauty. The paint on all of the buildings is old and cheap but always a pretty color of pink, bright blue, or canary yellow. The women dressed in their colorful saris are confident and beautiful with adorning gold gems on their faces. Most of them stare at me with a giant smile that makes me feel welcome and grateful to be in this country.

It seems as though the Indian people live a life of repetitiveness with each day having been the same for the last thousands of years. If you own a hotel you sleep in the hotel, if you own a shop you sleep in the shop, if you are a rickshaw driver you sleep in the rickshaw, if you are a boatman you sleep on your boat....the list goes on.

We arrived in Agra and instantly took a liking to it compared to our crzy travels through Delhi. There seemed to be less people, more sights, and cleaner streets. Oh yeah, and the magnificent Taj Mahal! We checked into our hotel, ran up to the rooftop restaurant and there she was. All three of us stood in awe for a second, high fives all around. We had made it! Pictures cannot show the massiveness of this monument. We watched the sunset that night during dinner, everything illuminated a beautiful shade of pink.

At our hotel the power went out every 15-20 minutes and a few seconds later we would hear the hotel worker starting up the generator again. One night we thought had a train to catch but it ended up we were taken advantage of and given false tickets (long story, see Curtis' page), so we ended up looking for a hotel at 11:30 pm. Curtis and I had several men dragging us from this hotel to that trying to get our business while Chris watched the luggage. One guy even offered to let us sleep on the roof for 50 rupees but warned us there is a monkey problem. Um, no thanks! We settled on a decent place for a reasonable deal ($7 US). Mind you this means no toilet paper in the bathroom, bed bugs, and a sketchy fan. We also have to use our own lock to secure the room.

The next morning we strolled through the streets of Agra where we were greeted by children trying to shake our hands. I shook a boys hand that had gum in it. Darn little trickster!

The sky was littered with kites, the buildings littered with monkeys, and the streets littered with dogs and cow dung. We saw a dog get his leg ran over by a bike rickshaw and the poor thing howled terribly until we were our of hearing range. I'm sure it must have been broken.

We saw a man piling red bricks onto a painted donkey that had once been white but was now awesome colors of blue, red, yellow, and orange. Chris paid him twenty rupees to take his photo, Curtis sneaked one for free.

Later in the evening we heard some interesting music and followed it until we reached what looked like some kind of travelling band with drums and wooden sticks. Everyone was dressed in red. Their faces were also painted red, one man grabbed me and forced me to dance with him. He handed me a pair of sticks and he had a pair too. We beat them together, him getting my fingers a few times. Ouch! After I was released all of the women approached me laughing and mocking my dance. It was all in good fun.

We hopped our long awaited train and headed for Varanasi. The scenery was amazing. We saw straw huts in perfectly groomed green fields. Naked men bathing in brown water. Some homes were in absolute ruins with people living in them. Women were on farms carrying huge baskets on top of their heads. Finally after 13 hours we had reached our destination.

We awoke in Varanasi this morning and arranged a 5:00 am boat ride across the ghats on the famous Ganges River. People were bathing and setting candles afloat on the river in prayer and ceremony. A guy even swam under our boat! We didn't dare touch the water.

We were persuaded to come to the burning ghat where they cremate dead bodies. It was very strange and I felt a little crazy being there watching about three burning piles knowing that somebodys loved one was transforming into ashes. We got suckered into paying the man that was giving us all kinds of information and historical facts, claiming that he needed a donation to help him with the hospice he owns. We learned later that they all own a hospice. Yeah right.

Tomorrow morning we leave on a bus for Nepal. I have never been more excited! It shall be another great adventure.

-Cherisse

check out

cbyanasak — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:02:00 GMT

just wanted to let you all know that if you want to see more photos and read funnier stories you can go to Curtis' site at journals.worldnomads.com/curtis

we'll have another update here in a few days. it's been a wild week.

Gallery: Delhi

cbyanasak — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 22:29:00 GMT

First Impressions

cbyanasak — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 21:59:00 GMT

India's not another country, it's another world. One that instantly grabs you and doesn't let go. The sheer chaos of it exhausts your every sense and offers no place to hide. It's a non stop in your face bazaar. If the United States is tylenol, India is LSD.

We left the airport each with our forty pound packs and a pre-paid taxi ticket as to avoid andy scams with a driver. If only it were that easy. Immediatly we were bombarded by drivers shuffling us this way and that, all speaking at the same time quick and inarticulately, which combined with the rest of the airport madness put us in a taxi so fast weren't sure where we were headed. And it didn't stop. The roads were packed side to side with taxis, busses, motorcycles, bikes, and rickshaws all dancing recklesly down the street. We weaved in and around the other vehicles with no regard for lane or traffic signal. As the driver explained it; all you need to drive in India is a good horn, good brakes, and good luck. The United States is a Sunday morning, India's a Friday night.

The driver got lost and we ended up at a travel agency, one where he was no doubt in cahoots with to try and get a little comission. But we denied any service and firmly requested he take us to our pre-determined destination. By this time we were careening through small streets and alleyways where the traffic consisted of more people and cows than cars. People cooking steaming curry in giant pots, people carrying statues, people begging at the window, people talking, walking, running, yelling, and selling everywhere. And as darkness quickly crept over the city the chaos only seemed to multiply. Finally our driver assured us we were very near our hotel, but we would need to walk the rest of the way because the street was too crowded. When we got out it didn't take us long to realize we were nowhere near where we were supposed to be. Instead, we were the only westerners in sight, trying to maneuver the crowded maze with our giant packs and figure out what to do next. Eventually we found someone who helped us get on the metro in the right direction. Once off the metro we took a cycle rickshaw to our hotel. By the time we found it it was dark with the only light coming from fires along the streets cooking and burning garbage. The fires lit what seemed to be the endless sea of faces that moved like a storm with us caught in the middle. The United States is a slight breeze, India's a hurricane.

Our room was a double bed squeezed in a space barely any bigger with a toilet that didn't flush and a shower that didn't drain. But we were exhausted and fell right to sleep. In the morning we got a cab back to the airport to get Curtis. The morning heat was bearable and the streets had yet to come alive, which made for a relaxing morning and served to rejuvinate our spirits. We dropped Curtis' bags off and began trekking towards Old Delhi where we wanted to see the spice market and the Red Fort. We didn't do either. After getting lost numerous times due to the complete non-existence of street signs we sprung the rupees for a metro ticket and got dropped off in the heart of the Old City.

Old Delhi is the strongest argument I have ever encountered for the idea that the Universe is chaos. A series of completely uncontrolled accidents, resulting in only more accidents. No order, no reason, no purpose; madness for the sake of madness. Your eyes don't know where to look, your ears don't know how to decipher, your body doesn't seem to want to work right. A cow in front of you, a bus honking right behind you, and two people yelling at you on either side. This place is not for the faint of heart. The amount of stuff simultaneously happening is unbelievable. We wandered around lost and in awe for awhile before we couldn't handle it anymore and went back to the area of our hotel to get some lunch. After lunch Curtis took a nap and Cherisse and I went shopping where we couldn't help but entertain the idea of buying everthing and taking it home to re-sell for a fortune. Everything is so cheap!

Now we're sitting on a rooftop drinking a beer and listening to a mixture of the incessant car horns, touts, and drums. Cherisse just came up for where she was watching the streetlife as I wrote and said that she saw and Indian guy get his shirt caught and ripped by a cow he didn't see coming from behind. Surprised, he got loose, patted the cow on it's head and bowed in prayer to it. I love it, just as at the end of the day we love it here. Although if the United States is a Charles Wysocki, India is no doubt a Jackson Pollock!

Tomorrow...the Taj Mahal.

Here We Go!

cbyanasak — Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:52:00 GMT

Hello all. So this is the place to come to keep up with our travels. We'll try to keep it relatively up to date as we move about. You can read stories, see pictures, and locate us on the map, as well as leave comments for us. We also still have our respective emails if you prefer that for communication. Cherisse is at cherisse11@hotmail.com and I'm at cbyanasak@gmail.com. So feel free to get to us on those as well.

Anyway, we land in Delhi on October 8th and we couldn't be more excited. This is a long time dream finally coming to fruition. So thanks for checking this out and we'll see you all later.