Mountain After Mountain After Mountain

Posted on June 11, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be”

Have I mentioned that I love the mountains? I mean absolutely love. Completely, full-heartedly, and irrevocably. Cycling over our first pass, which marks the transition between Kashmir valley and Ladakh, proved to be some of the most beautiful cycling in the world due to the gorgeous peaks that completely encircled us. Though the pass was tough, especially since it was my first one since last year and my legs are no longer accustomed to so much uphill (and, unfortunately, pushing), the snow capped mountains and piles of snow beside the road made it well worth it.

Cycling Through Kashmir

Posted on June 9, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Once you figure out who you are and what you love about yourself, it all sort of falls into place.”

Mountains make for great camping, and great camping makes for one happy girl. The last few months have not gone as planned. First I had to leave the high altitude mountain trek I was so excited about, and then, because Kevin was still sick, we basically spent the last two months in a room, in hot and humid cities, with obnoxious men, constant noise, and absolutely nothing to enjoy. But now, life is back to being perfect because I’m finally back in the mountains.

Life in the Mud Huts: Far Western Nepal Part 3

Posted on June 7, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Nostalgia in reverse: the longing for yet another strange land.”

“…“Basnu,” (sit down) she says, as I am handed a leaf wrapped around a warm, malleable hunk of brown sugar. It is delicious, sweet yet flavorful, and I realize that they are making this tasty brown sugar out of the boiling sugarcane syrup to my right. Most of the children have scattered into the surrounding fields and sit perched atop enormous piles of discarded sugarcane branches. From these lookout points, they can alternate between practicing flips and watching me.”

Far Western Nepal 3

Where Time Stands Still: Far Western Nepal Part 2

Posted on June 4, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”

Part two about my amazing adventures through western Nepal.

Where Time Stands Still: Far Western Nepal Part 2

“Their nails are caked with dirt and their stained clothes are torn in parts, but they are happy. They are free, living in an off-the-grid universe of their own, where they rely solely upon themselves for survival.”

Into the Unknown: Far Western Nepal Part 1

Posted on June 2, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“But that’s the glory of foreign travel… Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

Far western Nepal was astounding, a small secluded section of Nepal which hasn’t been run over by tourism and the culture wash and money that comes along with it. It was a little piece of paradise in such a seemingly crowded country.

into the Unknown: Far Western Nepal Part 1

Srinagar: The Beauty or the Beast

Posted on May 31, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“…We become focused on the small things, the specifics, the politics and bickerings of daily life. We forget the important questions – about what it means to exist, to be happy, to explore our world and universe.”

Srinagar is considered the summer capital of this state and is said to be an astounding and beautiful place. In fact, because of its great reputation, thousands of Indians from all over the country flock to this city everyday to enjoy its wonders. Before arriving I had seen photos of houseboats quietly floating in the river, and small boats paddling in an open and serene lake. Kevin had even seen a documentary depicting it as a secluded piece of paradise.

But boy can photos be misleading.

The Kashmir Valley: A Little History Lesson

Posted on May 29, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Find what you love and let it kill you.”

The Kashmir valley is a gigantic green expanse of land winding through the Himalayas in Northern India following the Pakistani boarder. It is an absolutely beautiful area, a sanctuary of nature and tranquility in such an overpopulated country. Like Ladakh, Kashmir and Jammu are disputed territories, but unlike the Buddhist Ladakh which is comprised of Tibetans, Kashmir hosts Muslim Arabs who would much rather be part of Pakistan.

Jammu

Posted on May 27, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“You live your life and tell me it can’t be done, I’ll live mine and show you it can.”

There are girls with burkas running arm and arm with each other down the street surrounded by men in flowing grey, white, and black outfits. Colorful headdresses have replaced saris, and Arabic is seen instead of Hindi on posters and signs. In everything but name, being in Jammu is a bit like being in Pakistan (alright, a much less controlled Pakistan that is). This predominately Muslim area is part of the disputed territories, a region in northern India which borders Pakistan where many of the “Indian” inhabitants would rather be part of their neighboring country instead.

A Slightly Unconventional Night

Posted on May 25, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”

There are some nights that stay with you forever, here is the tale of ours.

They found us. Kevin jumps out of the tent with his small machete in hand to greet whoever has been shinning a frighteningly bright light straight at our tent for the past hour. It’s eleven p.m. and we are trying to sleep in a field in Punjab, a northwestern state of India. We have already had to move once, just a field over and behind a wall, to get rid of annoying young Indian men who would sit around watching us and laughing. They never frightened us, harmless bored men with nothing better to do, but it was frustrating none the less. Now though, it’s a different story.

The Pakistani Border

Posted on May 23, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon.”

Besides the Golden Sikh Temple, the other tourist attraction in Amritsar is the changing of the guards ceremony that takes place every night between India and Pakistan, a border that is only thirty kilometers outside of Amritsar. Now, “changing of the guards” brings to mind a serious and important ceremony, at least in my mind, but I quickly realized that it was anything but that.