Darjeeling Spark

Darjeeling is amazing set in the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India. The oncoming monsoon season brings with it great rain and, sometimes, lightning storms. I snapped this pic on one such night.…

Asian Attitudes on Foreigners

China, I thought, preferred to keep visitors out; many Southeast Asian countries invited foreigners in, with ambiguous wink and smile; Japan smilingly greeted visitors at the door and appeared to admit them without ever really doing

…

Darjeeling: Queen of the Hills

The one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse of the rest of the world combined.

-Mark Twain on his 1st visit in 1896

…

Tongba: Himalayan Beer

Tongba is the traditional and indigenous drink of the Limbu people of eastern Nepal. To Limbus, Tongba is analogous to what vodka is to Russians, wine to French, Guinness to Irish and saké to Japanese.

-Wikipedia

…

SteveO Saves a Life

You may remember Stephen Michael Kulkhe from such “classic” blog posts as Kumamoto Cliff Jumping, Surfing in Miyazaki, and of course as my trekking partner on my first journey to Nepal.

We knew each other from university …

Baba Srinath

Back when I first visited Nepal in 2006, I met a local villager named Ram. You can see Ram and his house in Episode 2 of the video series I created about that trip.

On that trip and after my …

To Be Defeated

He explained that to be defeated was a condition of life which was unavoidable. Men were either victorious or defeated and, depending on that, they became persecutors or victims.

-Carlos Castaneda, A Separate Reality: Further Conversations with Don Juan (1971)

…

Comparitive Internet Cafe Studies

Photo courtest Flick user Marc Shandro

Over the last few months I have taken buses, trains, boats, rickshaws, bikes, and horses through a multitude of cultures and minorities therein. It occurs to me that a lot can be inferred about …

Michael Palin’s Himalaya

Michael Palin may be best known as a member of Monty Python, but I’m fond of his travel documentaries produced with the BBC. Before I started my trip I watched his series entitled Himalaya where he traverses the cultures in …

Death and Life of Buddha

With my Indian visa quickly expiring, I decided to take heed and depart Benares. Off to Nepal I head for a refresh of both my visa and head in the crisp mountains.

I entered the train station to await my …