Letters Home: Forest was right...

Dear Dad

When it rains in Vietnam, it really rains! I've arrived to the soaking humidity of Hanoi. This is serious humidity like I've never really felt before. Walking in this kind of weather, I'm really glad I opted for the "lite" approach to packing... everything I need for the next two months is in the saddle bag and REI bag in the attached pic. Not a whole lot of room for luxury goods- like toilet paper.
After a month in India, I didn't realise how far from western comforts I was... two 3-5 hour flights on Singapore Airlines and a 3 hour lay over in the Singapore airport seemed like paradise... no kidding! When I used the hot towel they give you on the flight to clean up, I turned it a dirty yellow wiping my face and neck...
The 4 hour afternoon downpour seems to have subsided, so I'm off to get my first taste of Vietnam.

Tim

Letters Home: Next Stop- Vietnam

Dear Josh

Thanks again for everything in India. So, very easy commute to Hanoi (where it is raining easily as hard as it did that day in Kerala!). I slept nearly the whole way on both flights. The Singapore airport is one of the most amazing things I've seen- so modern with free massage, internet, movies, video games and indoor/outdoor forests, etc. After 3 weeks in India it felt like a strange utopia... Already very excited to be in Vietnam- even though all I've done is get myself a room and drink beer waiting for the rain to pass.

Tim

Letters Home: Goodbye to India

Dear Mom

So, after three weeks in India it is time to say goodbye to the subcontinent and head east to Vietnam. The last three weeks have been incredible and building on previous emails, the highlight of the last week has to have been McLeod Ganj.
McLeod Ganj is a small Tibetan refugee settlement in the foothills ofthe Himalaya set-up for His Holiness the Dali Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. A beautiful and peaceful place bearing the sad reminder of the violently decimated Tibetan kingdom. Joined again by Josh and some of his friends from Delhi, we had the unique opportunityto have tea with a Tibetan monk who, 15 years earlier, spent 26 days trekking across remote Himalayan passes to escape the violent oppression in his homeland and to seek refuge in India. Phuntsok's insights into the real situation in Tibet at the moment which he receives in spurts from his family left behind are very disturbing to say the least. Yet despite the hardships of his life, which I don't think I can even begin to imagine, he remains hopeful that a peaceful settlement can be reached with the Chinese government and that one day he will be able to return to his family and his homeland.
An early morning wake-up call on Sunday and a five hour hike delivered us onto a ridge 9000ft above sea level looking out at the southern peaks of the Himalayan range. The mountains we saw were only around 15,000ft tall and as impressive as there were, I could only imagine what the 28-29,000ft big boys must look like- next trip I guess.
So now it's off to Hanoi and the beginning of my two-month journey through SE Asia...
Tim
-Here are a couple video's of Josh and I helping with the rice harvest in Alleppey during our first week in Kerala that I thought you might like...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=127049031840704174

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-194610303882888179

Letters Home: Hello from Jaipur

Dear Mom

Just a quick note to say that all is well and good... I've left the watchful eye and loving embrace of my half-hindi, half- american tour guide Josh and struck out on my own for the week. Stop one was Agra and a 6am viewing of the Taj Mahal- simply stunning. Then a six hour bus ride to Jaipur from which I have many bumps and bruises on the top of my head- not a smooth ride! Jaipur feels like the real India- this morning I was attacked by a cow while crossing the street. Perhaps he didn't like me or was offended that I failed to yield the right of way, but in any event he hit my back-side with he top of his head and lifted me into the air.
I've stayed more or less healthy. Suffered from a bit of man flu last week, but here's a story. A local medicine man (read semi-pharmacist) sold me something called Thaamboola for my cold/cough (see pic). On first impression I would liken Thaamboola to what you find at the bottom of an old spittoon or maybe axle grease. The first dose tasted as such, but the man said take frequently and like a good patient I did. By morning I was feeling better and by the second day I was addicted! Can't get enough of the Thaamboola!

Okay, off to the bus station...

Tim

Letters Home: All good in God's Country

Dear Mom

So, the state of Kerala is referred to in India as God's Country and I have to say it is lives up to it. I've managed to sleep in a different city/town each night thus far with some very interesting transit between stops. In a bit of a hurry to get back to the hotel tonight, so I won't write too much except to say that Josh and I are safe and sound and that if the next however many days are as amazing as the first six, I'm in for a good ride. Pictures to follow in the next email!

Tim