Temporarily Lost

After nearly a month of touring around Northern and Central India, my time in the country has finally come to an end.  I’ve passed through majestic mountain-top forts, narrowly survived the chaotic flow of traffic from my vantage point inside a speeding tuk-tuk, marveled at the vast array of colors and aromas that characterize the marketplaces, navigated the […]

Much like the country itself, eating in India is an adventure in strong, forceful flavors, of pungent smells that aren’t necessarily always appetizing, of stepping out on a ledge and sampling the whirlpool of unknown ingredients, and of the blending of any influence that is readily at hand.  Additionally, given this is the region of the world where […]

Whether it is weaving through a sea of white-knuckle traffic on the back of a motorbike, harking back to the memory of a bygone era in the back of a human-pulled rickshaw, cruising the rural countryside on the back of an ATV, watching islands and beaches slowly drift by from the deck of a touring boat, or […]

To the West of the Indian capital of Delhi, and stretching all the way to the border with Pakistan, lies the storied and oft-visited state of Rajasthan, a land of deserts and camels, of clustered cities teeming with life, of medieval walls encircling historic old towns, and of majestic forts perched atop hillsides.  Originally the home to […]

Whenever planning one’s first trip to India, there are normally a few usual suspects that top this list as far as potential places to visit: Delhi as a port of entry, Varanasi for the spiritual bath in the Ganges, Rajasthan for the forts and temples, Mumbai for the modern city vibe, Goa for laid back […]

After finding my seat on the airplane, I looked up to watch the remaining passengers board and began the game of mental Russian Roulette as to which person walking down the aisle will be the lucky one who has the seat next to me.  Shortly thereafter, a short man with a silly smile on his face that I had seen sitting at the […]