A trip to Rishikesh is not complete without a visit to the Ashram of Yogi Maharishi Mahesh, also known as the "Beatles Ashram." The old, long-abandoned ashram was made famous after the Beatles stayed there in the late 60's... a visit that ushered them into an era of prolific songwriting as a result of their … Continue reading The Most Famous Ashram – Rishikesh, India
February 6-17, 2017 Rishikesh is one of the very few places in all my travels that I made a pointed decision to revisit. I fell in love with this small Himalayan town on the Ganges just over a year ago and I admit that as I planned this trip, I had a moment of wondering … Continue reading Coming Home – Rishikesh, India
February 5, 2017 Old Town One of the best ways to see any city is to walk it, and my favorite way to go about that is to just set off on my own and wander, exploring off the beaten track and discovering hidden gems. Varanasi, however, is not the place for such initiative. Even … Continue reading Old Towns and Fire Rituals – Varanasi, India -Part 2
February 3, 2017 Varanasi will incite you. Coming here throws you into another universe and it seems an impossibility to visit this place and not be provoked on some level, which if you are paying attention is an excellent opportunity to expand your current perspective and look at the world with greater objectivity. Varanasi is … Continue reading Enticed by the Flames – Varanasi, India – Part 1
February 1, 2017 The Ladies The big excursion for the day, and something I had been looking forward to for quite some time, was a visit to an elephant sanctuary. But before I describe my time with the elephants I must talk about an unplanned experience that in retrospect almost supersedes my excitement about the … Continue reading Ladies and Elephants – Jaipur, India
January 31, 2017 First things first: the Pink City isn't actually pink. It's more of an apricot color, but the charm of the walled Old City holds fast no matter the color descriptive. Arriving in the dark, starving and tired, we are thrilled to find out that the rooftop restaurant in our hotel, The Peacock, … Continue reading Jaipur! The (Sort of) Pink City
January 30, 2017 After a quick one-day, jet-lagged visit to Delhi, (which I will summarize after my return visit on the way home) we set off for Jaipur, taking a long detour to the small village of Abhaneri in order to visit one of the oldest baoris (step-wells) in India: Chand baori. Step wells are … Continue reading A Road Less Traveled: Delhi to Jaipur
Here I am, back on Indian soil, and despite the familiar chaos I couldn't be happier. I learned a thing or two last time around... most of it the hard way, and now I get to use the experience and familiarity to my advantage. After 20 hours of travel, my close friend Annabell and I … Continue reading India, I Have Arrived
Just over a year ago, I spent a month by myself in India, traveling to different cities, meditating, and seeking as much cultural, historical and spiritual experience as possible. It was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult things I have ever done... being alone in a place of such diverse intensity. And yet, … Continue reading Revisiting India, the Land of Beautiful Intensity
October 28-30, 2015 Getting to this antiquated hill station is no easy task. Having been in India for over 3 weeks now, I fully understand the traffic (total insanity) and the roads (completely unmaintained) but did not anticipate these two factors hosting a 2-way thoroughfare on a single-lane road going up the side of a … Continue reading Darjeeling, More than Tea – India
The Wanderlusting Files 