Madrid Madrid is freaking awesome. Despite once again wandering for an hour before finding my damn hostel, my time here was far less stressful. From the airport I arrived in the famous Plaza de la Sol in the center of the city and was immediately in love. In Spain, things are calm, laid back, sunny …
Culture Shock
I landed at the Cherleroi - Brussels airport, about an hour’s drive outside of the city (another little RyanAir head fake, as they don’t mention that the airports they fly are typically an hour or more further than the city’s “main” airport). Here I was picked up by Arend Jan, an awesome Dutch guy who …
West, Toward California
...as I often like to say. Except I really couldn’t say it between New Zealand and Thailand, because California was really more east from there. Well, at any rate. I landed in London feeling slightly better after sleeping relatively comfortably through most of the nine-hour flight, where I was promptly introduced to the worst immigration …
Keeping India With Me
Having been staying in the accommodation directly across from the Mountain Cleaners office, I was the unofficial MC secretary by the time I left, taking messages, collecting donations, writing notes and directing potential volunteers. I could have gone full-time, which I think Tashi would have welcomed. Unfortunately though the world awaited and I had to …
Feeling Fear
Having decided to stay in India, I spent a few of the days following Triund kicking around in Dharamsala and deciding where I would go from there. I’d checked into the same guest house as Sunny, Baba, Raj and the rest of the guys and was enjoying being there. Since I had some more time …
Exploring the Subcontinent
Thanks to Meera (and Shonali, who put me in touch with Meera and who checked in on me every day when I was sick!) I was finally back on my feet and it was time to get out of Delhi. After kicking around a few ideas, including calling Imran again, I decided to go to …
Agra: The Taj Mahal and a Religious Experience
Back at the Bombay Palace, I had been considering Imran’s package deal since the day before, but I finally decided to save the cheese and and give it a go on my own. To that end, San jib booked me a bus ride to Agra and back the following day to visit the Taj Mahal …
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Three Days in India with 1.2 Billion of My Closest Friends
For my first day I’d decided to go around on my own and navigate the train system to visit some of the tourist sites in Delhi. 100 feet from my guest house I was approached by Jack, a good-looking, fast-talking young Indian. He asked me things like what is my country and where I was …
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My Arrival in the Big I
Incredible India had been lurking in my mind as probably the most intimidating country I will visit this year. I’d heard so much about it, mostly that it can only be described as chaos. I’d heard that India is a roller-coaster of experiences; on the one hand that it’s dirty and dusty, there is extreme …
Moments That Define You
I made it back to Bangkok with no further close calls. I made one last stop at the Bumrungrad International Hospital to get the third and final installment of my rabies vaccination. All said and done I spent probably about $250 on vaccines and healthcare in Thailand, all in top-notch facilities. I’d estimate that I …
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