Where to Poo

Posted on October 31, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.”

That’s right, this post is all about toilets, or more accurately, the lack there of. India has a very large toilet problem, and it’s not just the homeless who have no where to go. In many of the small farming villages I have stayed in, where people live in nice clean houses, they have no facilities. One of the issues with this (besides sanitation) is in the dead of winter when there is three feet of snow and you have to walk ten minutes to the field everyone goes in. Sometimes in these villages there is one communal toilet, but other times there is no space (or they just haven’t gotten around to it). Cities are definitely the worst since they are so densely populated and there are many homeless and slums. Plus, there are no fields to go in. The stench in some areas is horrific after the sun has been warming up the streams of sewage all day.

Monkey Business

Posted on October 30, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”

Like most children, I use to dream of having a monkey for a pet, so the idea of monkeys running around town thrilled me. After coming down from Ladakh where there were none, I was surprised and delighted to see them scampering on rooftops and riffling through the trash. Though I knew India was known for them, I really hadn’t expect them to be as prevalent as squirrels for me back home. I have been caught off guard on many occasions as I opened my door to find a monkey sitting nonchalantly on my patio or steps. I have also been frightened as they hiss at me when I walk by, or when I see a large obviously dominate male in my way on the road.

A Mini Bucket List

Posted on October 29, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“If you’re bored with life, if you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things, then don’t have enough goals.”

Whoever said you needed New Years to write a list of goals? Here are a few things I hope to accomplish during the next year, starting November 1st.

Alone Time: 3862km

Posted on October 25, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“If you don’t like where you are, then change it. You are not a tree.”

For the last few days (since my first home stay in Ki), I have been descending down, out of the mountainous region of Spiti, and into Kinnaur valley. Though the oxygen is richer and the descents have been fun, the road is now busy, dusty, and hot, an awful combination. Oftentimes when trucks pass I have to slow down since the dust makes it impossible to see, and difficult to breath. There is absolutely no flat ground (meaning no camping), and the villages are built hundreds of meters up from the road on the cliffs. It’s interesting to see how they are able to live perched in the side of the hill, and even have small farms beside their homes. Though at one point I was a mere 2km away from Tibet, there was no way to enter because of China’s unfortunate control and restrictions over the area.

A Different Kind of Home: 3790km

Posted on October 23, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes.”

Well, they say there is a first for everything, so here is mine for the day. Last night I slept on the side of the road in one of the construction slums, a place I had never previously dreamed of staying in. These groups of lopsided shacks are literally on the road (the road is just a bit wider to accommodate), and are found throughout areas where they are doing extensive road work. Though many of these communities are composed solely of men, in these parts, they include wives and children as well.

The Ladies of Spiti: 3733km

Posted on October 21, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says “oh crap, she’s up!”

I hit a low point cycling yesterday as I had eaten too much sugar and not enough real food. I felt tired and slightly sick, and had no desire to go on. Lucky for me, my afternoon got a lot better once a few local ladies in a small village I was passing through invited me for chai, then to spend the night. The women were three sisters (late twenties/early thirties) who lived with their mom, and one of the women’s child, a seven year old boy. Their husbands were drivers, meaning they were normally on the road driving tourists all around northern India. They all had children as well, but besides the one boy left, the children were at private schools in other towns. Many of the children in the area are sponsored to attend these schools with a “hostel” attached, meaning the children live there, often times starting at the young age of six. The women and their mother tended to the house and animals, and also did construction for a road work project nearby, a job which is both strenuous and tedious. They were a lovely and hospitable family, and one of the women spoke decent English which made my life a bit easier.

Monks and Children: 3635km

Posted on October 19, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Be so happy than when others look at you, they become happy too.”

I spent the morning with Tibetan Buddhist monks, and the afternoon with children, the perfect recipe for a great day. The village I have been staying in is a few kilometers away from one of the most iconic monasteries in the area. I got a tour of some of the inside temples, then sat down for breakfast with a few of the monks, and had tea throughout the morning with others. Since the tea culture is so prevalent here in India, and you could never say no to a glass, I must have had at least six or eight “chai” while I was there. At the end of my visit I ended up in a prayer room just as a few monks entered to pray (at least I assume that is what they were doing). They were chanting, playing different instruments, and occasionally doing odd things such as throwing rice and dripping water into a cup. Halfway through, one monk handed me a ritz cracker, and a few minutes later, another handed me five peanuts and a chocolate. Why they did this, I will never know. It was interesting to see that they weren’t the stoic monks I tend to picture. As they prayed, they checked their watch, picked their nose, and moved around quite a lot. I guess they are only human as well!

It’s A Beautiful Day: 3635km

Posted on October 18, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”

Today was an absolutely beautiful ride, around every corner was a new snowy peak, or a view into the valley.

Meet Max: 3580km

Posted on October 16, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Happiness is only real when shared.”

Meet Max, my new travel companion. He has been following me for the last week, and I have enjoyed his company immensely. Though he may not sit or lie down on command (though he does come to my whistle), he knows how to find his own food, he runs beside me through the mountains as I cycle, and he can herd sheep and goats better than any of your pet dogs. He apparently use to be a shepherd’s dog, though, he doesn’t know the commands other shepherd’s dogs I have met do, so I am not too sure how accurate this is. He is friendly and strong, and follows me around wherever I go. He even comes and sleep in my tent vestibule when it gets cold.

A Day (or Three) At the Lake: 3540km

Posted on October 15, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”

I have just spent the last three days at a lake. Though I had only planned to spend one night, I ended up staying longer, and with no time line to follow, why not? Though it was a detour to get there, it was a beautiful ride up.