“The language of friendship is not words but meanings.” — Henry David Thoreau Anu greets me at the door with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. Before I can even take my shoes off or set my bag down, there’s a cool glass of fresh lemon soda in my hand–and the sugar-to-soda ratio … Read More
“Many travelers find themselves saying of an experience in a new country that it wasn’t what they expected, meaning that it wasn’t what a book said it would be.” — Edward Said, ‘Crisis [in Orientalism]’ India, so it seems, is a popular place. Whether visiting the three points of the Golden Triangle [what the cities … Read More
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” — Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright Before leaving for India, a friend who did the Rickshaw Run last year sent me a few emails with advice, tips and … Read More
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust Normally, I’d be inclined to agree with Proust. But after passing 3,000km through India in a rickshaw, I find myself disagreeing…our own voyage of discovery through the subcontinent brought with it so many new landscapes that … Read More
“Do not plan for ventures before finishing what’s at hand.” — Euripides It’s over. I can’t believe I can finally say those two words, but it’s true…we survived the Rickshaw Run! Citlalli and I rolled across the finish line last Thursday night at precisely 6.35pm–24th out of 72 teams! Not bad, considering we were one … Read More
It’s our day off today, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy to say that. Yesterday brought an unexpected fourteen hours of driving–the first two and a half of which were spent covering exactly 18 miles due to the world’s biggest traffic jam…ever. While the streets themselves were blocked with bumper to bumper … Read More
After three days of rainstorms, breakdowns and wrong turns, the Rickshaw Run is officially under way–I guess there’s no turning back now, right? As I type this, I’m sitting in a little one-room internet cafe in Siliguri, India–a rat has just darted past my feet and a fan moves hot air around me over head. … Read More
“The one good thing about not seeing you is that I can write you letters.” – Svetlana Alliluyeva It’s that time again. Office desk cleared out, flat scrubbed down and deposit returned, dissertation bound and turned in…so many endings and goodbyes can only mean one thing: change is a comin’. Last week was quite the … Read More
“Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car.” — E.B. White Or, I might say now to Mr. White, in a rickshaw… But the rickshaws that Citlalli and I, as well as seventy-odd other teams, will soon be driving across India aren’t your standard three-wheeled affairs. Not content to do anything conventionally, … Read More
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” — Jack Kerouac I love blogging/Tweeting trends. Trends like #FriFotos, in which everyone tweets photos for the same theme (today’s is black and white), or a somewhat smaller one in which travel bloggers … Read More