Looking back on Kee Beach from the Kalalau Trail

Last time, we visited dropped off our packs at Hanakapei and then walked to Hanakapei Falls, another 4 miles round trip. By the time we got back, we were ready to settle in for the night.

First stream crossing at Hanakapei Beach

This time, we skipped the Falls and proceeded along the trail. We expected to reach Kalalau Beach by dusk, but shortly after Hanakoa campsite (the only official midway site), we realized that we were losing the sun. This was shortly after crossing the notoriously steep, exposed area around mile 8 of the trail.

These "Hazardous Cliffs" signs abound on the Kalalau Trail -- we call these "No Fall Zones"!

We pitched our tent at a small bald area on a gorgeous cliff instead.

Morning at our first campsite; gear ready to go.

In 2009, our second day of hiking (covering the bulk of the trail) was dominated by a powerful rain storm. This made for many rainbows, but extremely slick hiking conditions, since the red soil has the consistency of clay when wet. If you’re considering the trail, be aware that a dry day bears little resemblance to a wet one, in terms of difficulty. If you or someone in your group is inexperienced, then a wet Kalalau Trail is not the place to cut your backpacking teeth. However, a dry trail is manageable for any fit person without a terribly heavy pack. Rick took his large Osprey 70L bag, but I just brought a 35L pack.

We pack very light camping gear, and no extra clothes, but we bring quite a bit of food and cooking gear. That’s so we can make amazing things like these beans, rice, and scrambled egg breakfast quesadillas!

Rick has perfected the backcountry quesadilla. Not your average trail food!

With an early start, we reached Kalalau Beach well before noon, since we only had about four miles to go.

Back on the Kalalau Trail, Day 2

A wooden sign ushers you into the magical Kalalau Valley.

Welcome to paradise!

And shortly after, the secluded beach reveals itself, sidled next to the gorgeous green cliffs of the Na Pali coast.

Kalalau Beach tucked between staggering green cliffs and vast blue ocean.

At last, we found the perfect campsite, and set up our luxurious hammock. We didn’t bring a hammock last time; but you really shouldn’t go without it!

Relaxing at Kalalau Beach, Kauai

Happily, our car was neither towed nor ticketed, even though we parked in a No Parking area along Highway 56 near the trailhead. We honestly didn’t have a choice because the nearby beach was so crazy. Kauai is definitely in Spring Break mode and it’s a far busier place than we left it at the start of 2009.

We’re settled in and have already enjoyed a veggie puka dog and a locally brewed beer in the shower–a post-hike must.

We’ll get the photos uploaded soon, and share a few trail stories. But for now, here’s a representative photo from the Kalalau trail.

We’ve just arrived in Kauai. We won a week stay at Hideaway Cove, a fantastic, independent place on the south side of the island.

But first, we’re going to revisit our old friend, the Kalalau Trail. More to follow!

Married at the San Francisco courthouse in jeans and a t-shirt.

How sweet it is.

A bit misty but nothing a wide brim hat can't handle.

Seconds later, we spotted a wombat! They look like a koala faced overweight rodent.

The track consists of a fifty mile horseshoe beginning at Cradle Mountain and finishing at Lake St. Clair with a handful of side trips to summits (including Mt. Ossa) and waterfalls. Much of the track is boardwalk (some new, some old) although there is quite a bit of tree root and rock hopping/dodging. I’d advise some high ankle support on this one.

So here’s how our 5 days went…

Why can't they make rain pants that breathe? Within minutes, the layers had to come off and Katy realized Bill was wearing an old pair of her pants!

It was pretty flat up until this point and then came Marion's lookout, an intense 30 min. uphill climb.

The stairs were nice but an elevator might have been better.

At the top, things got a little windy.

I can fly!

And a bit foggy.

But eventually the sun came out to play again... and so did the greenery!

Full bloom in Tassie.

Even the rocks grow bright green.

By day 3, the rain had passed and it was all smiles.

Even through this maze of forest.

And around the rock wall.

Eventually we found our way out of the forest and into more dramatic scenery.

In Tassie, no water treatment is necessary. You can drink right out of the stream.

Steep cliffs and broccoli trees (well, they look like broccoli stalks anyway).

Camp below Mt. Ossa

Our view from the kitchen.

Sunset and pizza bombs!

The next morning, we began our hike up Mt. Ossa

The FALSE summit.

The real summit. Way to go Bill!

A long hard hike deserves a cold drink from the puddle.

On our way down, we saw these men and women who were trail running the entire 50 miles in one day! Unbelievable!! And we thought we were tough.

Later that night, we had a visitor, a brush tail opossum. He loved crackers.

But who needs crackers anymore, we found Lake St. Clair. Our journey is over.

So I showed you the beauty. Tough to beat. But here were the problems and expenses we ran into getting to the trailhead.

1. No car means public transportation. $50 dollar one way bus ticket from Hobart (3 hours) and another $50 back. Even if you have a car, you have to park it at the end of the trail and take a 2 hour bus ($100 dollars per person) to the trailhead. Pain in the butt and not much of an advantage.

2. You must buy a parks pass as well as an Overland Track pass (total cost $150 dollars per person) and you must start on the start date you give the parks or you may not start at all. Hope nothing goes wrong. No refunds given. Do your research before you begin. For a 5 day hike, the expenses add up pretty quick. I’ve done it once. It was beautiful, but I probably wouldn’t do it again.

Signing out for a 6-day hike,

Katy & Rick

Our days are similar to what they were 6 months ago.  Lots of care for the pacas and some painting and heavy lifting here and there.  When we arrived, we were so happy to learn that there were 2 pacas born less than two weeks ago.  Here’s one now…

Katy thought she would strum this 5 day old like a guitar...

While I had the honor of handling dad, the new "macho" in town.

And here's the whole family posing for their holiday card. Happy Australia Day everyone. Look at dad giving his daughter a big kiss while tending to mom's needs too What a family man.

As if this wasn’t enough of a treat, we helped in the mating process once again.  I’ll never forget that sound.

We took Osama for another walk.

I took Osama on his last walk at Triple Peaks. He was off to a new farm the day we left.

And a couple days later, we had a new arrival.  A BABY GIRL!

It's a girl. Check out that umbilical cord!

The sniff test. Are you my baby?

Pacas on watch. Baby in the middle.

Do you like my eyelashes?

"And I'm not very good at eating yet."

A few hours after the birth of our young INDIANA (that’s the paca’s name), we decided to celebrate at the Rathdowney rodeo!

Ahhh, felt like I was right back at Country Thunder in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.

But if you’ve ever been to a rodeo, you know music isn’t the main attraction.  The first bull rider we saw was 4 years old, “the youngest man in the National Rodeo Association.  Let’s see how he does.

And this guy (as the announcer said) needed some medical attention.

To wind down our week and celebrate another great experience, Sheila invited us to her friends house for a gourmet wood fire pizza party.

Where there is pizza, there are camels??

and wallabies...

And a live in alpaca who was crazy about wood fired pizza!

And a few days later, we were off again.  Next destination Tasmania.

Thanks Triple Peaks and Sheila for some wonderful memories and new friendships.

Sheila has a set of public restrooms near her house, for the many visitors to the farm. Since Rick and I are staying in the traditional pioneer hut, these restrooms are for us as well. When I went to use the toilet, I saw that the back of the stall door had a sign saying I should leave the top lid down so that frogs don’t jump in!

A cautionary sign.

I thought the sign was some kind of joke. Then, I flushed. Despite having just read the sign, I was shocked to see *three* large, green frogs dive into the toilet bowl along with the water!

Not your ordinary flush! (The bits in the bowl are from *them*!)

I left the bathroom and went to the house, where I found Sheila and Rick and asked what I should do about these loo loungers! Sheila said, “I was hoping you’d take them out!” Being a lifelong frog catcher, I was happy to do so.

Lucky for you, this has been happening a couple of times a day, every day that we’ve been here! Here are the highlights.

Making new friends.

Stiff neck from living in a toilet?

Taking a shower break from the bowl . . .

But first… let’s see that log cabin we started 6 months prior… 

An Australian authentic log cabin w/ a few updates.

Complete w/ a wood burning stove thought the 105 degree heat has kept us quite warm during the days and nights.

And an outdoor tub.

And some of the best views in Australia.

Paca Play!

"Who are these people? They look familiar but I don't know if I trust em'."

It’s a strange feeling when you look around at each other in the dining hall and know that no one in here should be eating this much this late at night yet we all can’t stop ourselves (Think late night Denny’s, or a “burrito as big as your head” from LaBamba’s if you know the fine establishment).  Normally we would all be asleep dreaming of kangaroos and alpacas by now.  But… here we are over eating just to wake up in about 5 hours  and do it again.  Mmmm… I hope they have baked beans tomorrow.  I really love baked beans in the morning. 

Sure enough 5 hours later, I was eating the same mini eggrolls (Dang, those are good, but in a horrible way.) and Katy found herself dodging another inchworm/maggot in her salad   I’ll upload the photos later.  There’s a nice video of “the worm” making his way across the plate, through the leafy green forest, around the oil and vinegar pond, and onward to the potato garden!!

Should be in Darwin in 9 hours, hopefully Brisbane in 12, and at Triple Peaks Alpaca Farm in Rathdowney soon after that!  Stay tuned…

We listened to Singaporean lounge singers belt out American (including Country) classics in our hotel lobby bar.

We saw more Merlions!

Merlion . . . cub?

Rick even got a Merlion t-shirt while we were in Chinatown!

At first glance, you might think, "G.I. Joe, American Hero?" But look closer. That's not camo. That's Merlion.

As you can see, Rick also got a haircut . . . at a high-tech barber shop.

Yesterday we spent several hours in Chinatown, including a stop at the Chinatown Heritage Center, a remarkable new museum reenacting the Chinese immigrant story. I’ve been on kind of a Chinese history kick lately (weird, I know) and am knee-deep in a dumb-founding Mao biography (by the Jung Chang, the same woman who wrote the amazing book, Wild Swans). The Heritage Center added another perspective to the history I’m learning. We also picked up Rick’s Merlion t-shirt there for 4 bucks! What a steal!

In a few hours we leave Singapore for Brisbane via two flights. We’re getting pretty sick of the airport routine . . . hats off to people who travel a lot for their jobs! We’ll be at Sheila’s for another week, where, she’s assured us, there is a chore list awaiting us along with plenty of paca poo and happy hours! Yeah!

The largest statue in all of Singapore is a "Merlion"! Wait...what? That's right...a MERLION! Isn't he beautiful?

Sentosa Island (Singapore)

The Shipyards off Singapore (Sentosa Island). This is where all comes from!!

This is where this bird lives. How appropriate

Crime and violence is everywhere!

A pretty neat green leaf.

The Geography of Bliss calls Singapore the Switzerland of Asia and though I’ve never been to Switzerland, I can say with confidence that Singapore is a very well-run and strategically planned out city, or state, or island, or whatever it is.  They’ve managed to keep their city clean, free of traffic jams, and full of easy to use public transport.  There’s just about anything you want to eat less than a few blocks away.  They’ve figured out how to use their waterways for business and pleasure.  They’ve kept the city full of parks, trees, and native plants.  And they’ve even created a weekend/holiday getaway minutes from where the majority of the population works.  Very impressive.

The only beef I’ve got w/ Singapore is the ridiculous number of mega malls on almost every block in the city.  I would venture to say there are over 200 malls in Singapore (a city-state just a few times bigger than Washington DC).  And many of them have the same stores and restaurants in them.  I don’t quite get it.

But we did indulge in the Vivo City Mall one day… caught a movie (Sherlock Holmes), played some video games, and grabbed a bite to eat.

Remember the guy who was really good at Dance, Dance, Revolution from our Sydney Australia post a few months back…

We thought we’de take a whack at it.

Check out that follow through! Business casual just went the way of mens activewear. I don't think the locals ever saw a man sweat that much.

Every great arcade has some good prizes. Still sparkling from pop-a-shot, we went w/ the pen/eraser combo.

And let the celebration begin. No bubbly... a few happy hour pints should do.

And for dinner, a Steamboat. Think Chinese fondue.

...and lets cap the night off w/ some 7-11 mashed potatoes? Woah!

And how’s about a little street luge??

And lastly…surfing. 

Note:  Neither of the Singaporians in this video are Katy or I. 

See what I mean about the DisneyWorld theme park vibe.  But without the crowds.

Katy started the week w/ an IV. Bye Bye UTI

While I sat and wondered...are we in the right hospital? Maybe Scout should be here too.

But all ended well and we celebrated w/ some new clothes (1st in 51/2 months) and a trip to the Science Museum.  Photos weren’t allowed in the Body Worlds exhibit (it was excellent) but we did sneak one in the kiddie wing.

Top score of the day! Eat that little Asian children!! But wait... the jokes on me! Check out the writing on the wall. "Living with viruses". Katy set me up!

We found the U of C Singapore Branch.

A little piece of home half way around the world.

We thought about getting tattoos but then saw these two and thought again!

Angel wings?? Really??

A local on the river.

Before the big game (which Katy wrote about in our last post), we walked along the river, and had a nice dinner before waiting in line for our tickets…

Oh wait... I was one of four people that bought tickets online. Huh?? But I did get to bypass ten people and go to the "special" window.

In the stadium… the crowd roared when the Slingers came out for warm-ups.

All 15 of us!!

Even in Asia, the fans can be unruly!!

After the big win… we all celebrated with a complimentary half gallon of chocolate milk!!  It does a body good.

Choco Malt Flavor. My favorite post game drink.

The teams consistently sub 5 in at a time. Also, no beer in the stadium! There is free wifi, though!

Score is 48-30, Slingers! Yeah! Good thing, too, because this game determines who makes the playoffs!

Post-game summary: Singapore’s going to the playoffs! With a Center from Oregon State and a Forward from UCONN, the Slingers dominated the Dragons, 92-74. Yeah!

We have other reasons to be excited tonight! For the first time in 5 1/2 months, we got a change of clothes, and I got a haircut! We bought our shirts at a discount sidewalk sale. Rick went (his words) business-cas with the signature Singaporean plaid button-down tee (total Science teacher). I picked up a t-shirt claiming “brown bear like coffee.” I didn’t question the truth of this until we saw the Omnimax flick after Bodyworlds yesterday, “Bears,” where I learned that brown bear no like coffee. Brown bear like salmon. And ants. But the T-shirt (and my haircut, done by a punkrock-looking guy who repeatedly told me, “My normal customer–Malayasian,” but in the end seemed very pleased with his first American job) is special in an Asian teenager kind of way.

I’m also overwhelmingly pleased to report that, after 3 doses of IV antibiotics, my infection has finally resolved. Probably my greatest cause for celebration tonight. Central Asia has been hard on our bodies. We’re back to our NOLS weight, but we’re on the path to recovery by eating our weight in breakfast buffets every morning!

We saw ESPN will being covering tonight’s game, so we were going to make a sign. This blog post will have to do. More updates to follow!

Tomorrow we’re headed to island just off (the island of) Singapore, called Sentosa, where we’ve heard there’s a luge (Rick’s really excited about this, and I don’t really get it). We’re going to have a proper vacation, assuming no more illness!

Air India got us to Singapore at about 7AM local time. We navigated the ultra modern subway to our City Hall/center stop, took the escalator up and found ourselves surrounded by mega malls, hybrid cars, paved roads, and silence! There couldn’t have been more than ten human beings in sight. What a strange world this is Hotel check-in wasn’t til 3PM but we thought we could drop our bags off and wander for a bit. The front desk happily took our bags and even told us we could come back in an hour and they would have our room ready. Awesome, considering we hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. So we wandered (running on pure adrenaline and excitement of a new landscape free of touts), passed parliament, the Singapore river front and Clark Quay (similar to our Navy Pier but with well over 100 restaurants, all of a different variety), into a few of the malls, a grocery store with FRESH FRUIT, and then back to our hotel for some rest.

Our first impression…after being in Nepal and India for around 2 1/2 months… Singapore is just what we need for the week. It’s a chance to experience an ultra modern foreign city, a chance to get healthy and boost the immune system again, and a chance to let our guard down and just be with each other (and actually be able to hold hands in public. This act is often frowned upon in Nepal and rarely ever seen in parts of India). Though we’ve been together 24/7 for 5 months, we’ve felt a little separated and distant b/c of the local customs. Now, it’s no-holds-barred hand holding from here on out. But I promise Sister Thomas Leo, I will always leave room for my guardian angel.

We’ve already made a few plans while we’re here. Today, we’re off to the Science Museum. I’ll finally get to see the Body Worlds exhibit I wanted to see while it was in Chicago. Also, we just bought tickets to a Singapore Slingers basketball game. They’re part of the Asian Basketball League. You may not have heard of it YET, but I’m sure it’ll be taking the world by storm soon. In fact, I’m not sure Singapore really knows about them seeing that we scored some 4th row seats for $18 Singapore dollars (which is about $13 US dollars) just two days before the game! Look forward to that post!

And as for the big worry that Singapore is extremely expensive… I’d say it’s quite comparable to the US. Our hotel is one of the nicest I’ve ever been in and we booked it online for $100. That’s very expensive by our trip’s standard (I think our average hotel cost per night for the whole trip is something around $10 US dollars) but this will be our last hotel stay of the trip and most likely our last hotel for a very long time. We’re really looking forward to some at home on the couch time with Scout!

Going out to dinner is a bit pricey (avg. entree is around $25) and right now using the internet for an hour is costing me $10. Ok, that’s a rip off! But all in all, we’re excited to be in a new place and experiencing a new culture. Here’s a few pics for our first day…

The customs card is a bit concerning...

... and this might be a little over the top.

But as you might have expected, the technology is incredible… and for a large city, it’s so darn clean!

Christmas Light Kites!

The Police Station (w/ a very fast moving bus driving by).

The Fire Station

All street performers and vendors must display their license. The vendors must even display their cleanliness rating on the license! So you really know what you're getting here.

We just had a really thoughtful comment from someone named Humaira, which contributes  a new perspective (along with Edmund) from someone obviously  more familiar with India than we are. On the advice of many people who’ve traveled in India, we’ve decided to, well, table the matter. I’ve traveled in Africa, Central America, and other parts of Asia, and I’ve never had such a confrontational experience. India is a society disemboweled: you see all the really raw and rough stuff right out in the open. We have poverty and pollution at home, but we contain it really well (neighborhoods and landfills come to mind) and basically forget about it. I really can’t say which is better for the poor and the planet–neither seems to promote improvements.

Rick and I have talked for hours every day, trying to articulate just what makes India such a challenge. We *want* to find that hospitality, culture, and uniqueness, regardless of the class (remember, we just left a great 7-week experience with some of the poorest people on earth in Nepal). But this is a tough nut to crack, especially after being on the road for so long and with poor health.

We’ve written a post on the challenges of India, but we’re going to hold off on putting it up. I’m inclined to learn more about this place. The novel the Inheritance of Loss was a good read and particularly meaningful because it takes place on the India-Nepal border. Also, the novel Sold shed an uncomfortable light on the trafficking of girls from Nepal to India. Having read this and met so many wonderful Kamlari girls in Nepal, I’m finally going to tackle Martha Nussbaum’s Women and Human Development. . . It’s sitting on my bookshelf at home. If you know of any, please recommend other books that might help us better understand India.

A day or two here would have probably been sufficient but we stayed three nights, took our giardia meds. and another dose of Cipro and logged some quality hours in bed watching the three English speaking television channels (2 movie channels and Animal Planet!).

By day two, for the first time in India (7 days now), I felt GOOD,  ready to EAT and explore!  Unfortunately, the Sunbird wasn’t known for its food and Katy was  still uneasy with “the trots”.  Needless to say, good food will have to wait a couple more days.

On our last day in Bharatpur (Jan 3rd), Katy and I both felt good enough to walk down the street to the national park and spend about four hours exploring the paths and trails.  It was so nice to be able to  hear and see nature again.  It was just us, the birds, and even some wildlife!

Ok...so the zoom isn'the greatest on this camera making my wildlife pics more landscape with a dash of color. But if you have a decent monitor, check out Woody Woodpecker on the right.

An eagle! Huge wingspan! Terrible pic

The hump backed cow. Also sacred...I think.

Red butt monkey! Or should I say red private part monkey! But this one was shy and we caught him really contemplating life

Let's play Highlights! Remember that magazine your mom got you a subscription for when you were eight? In this picture, we're looking for Katy's spirit animal... Mr. Fox. Can you find him?

An Awakening:

I’ll admit, I’ve often been quick to criticize the midwest for its lack of big parks and landscape.  It seems like I’m always wishing I was somewhere in Colorado, Wyoming, or Maine.  But having seen how it is in other countries, I have to say the US park systems and forest preserves (Yes, even in the midwest!  Even in Chicago!  Even in the suburbs!) are acres ahead of the rest.  I’ll be sure to remember that next time I’m whining about getting away for the weekend and complaining that there’s nothing exciting in Chicago or even within a 7 hours drive from Chicago.  Ha!  Right now I can think of about 2 dozen parks I’d love to be at within walking distance of my condo!  With Scout the dog!  Who we just found out helped herself to a dozen or so freshly baked chocolate chip cookies this morning.  Way to go Scout!  Man, we miss you!

The expression, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” most certainly applies here!  I know I’m starting to sound a little homesick but that’s because I am.  We are!  We’ve loved the trip.  We’ve seen and met so many wonderful people and places.

But every night before we go to bed, our conversations always come back to home…what we miss…what we’re going to do when we get back… and in the end they always finish with us being so thankful (even more so now) for what we have together, and what we have waiting for us back home…

good family, friends, health, and country.

Those four things, as we’ve learned on this trip, are irreplaceable!

As most of you have read Katy’s first India post, you know that we had a rough couple days in Delhi trying to get organized for the two weeks to come.  Traveling any new country where English is a second language is always complicated (and very frustrating at times).  Combine that typical frustration w/ some opportunistic middle aged con men like this guy and you’re left wondering… is all the hassle really worth it?  Should we go somewhere else?  After all, this is why we didn’t book any flights in advance!

He looks trustworthy...right?

To be fair to India (and ourselves for that matter), we aren’t exactly in the right state of mind nor the best health to be starting a new 3rd world country.  We’ve just come from 7 weeks in Nepal (which is a rough country itself) and with us came our friends… Gerry and Genny giardia!  If you don’t know giardia, let me tell you what webMD might say (and I’ll tell you how I felt in parenthesis).

1.  Sulfurous burps and farts ( A lot of them, and yes they smell worse than normal…don’t let any leak out from under the blankets…or your pants!)

2.  Intermittent watery diarrhea (and intermittent usually means every 10 minutes for the first few days to the point you can’t sleep through the night then on and off solid to soft for the next few days making you think it’s over…but it ain’t over by any stretch of the imagination)

Anyone still with me??

3.  Bloating and cramps (I’ve never really experienced this and thought women were always over exaggerating when they said they “have cramps” but now I know and to all my lady friends out there…I’m sorry!  Now, I feel your pain!  Luckily Katy (and indirectly her sisters…thanks girls ) taught me this trick of rolling from side to side in bed and keeping your knees up to help “relieve” some of the pressure.  Worked pretty well.  I’ll pass it on to the men in my life who eat too many hot wings!  And for the record…I think around 40 @ BW3s or 20 from Hooters is probably fine… but if you throw in potato wedges (loaded w/ cheese and sour cream or international cream as they call it here) or seasoned curly fries… you might be over doing it!  My proudest moment was 50 @ Mustard’s in Bloomington IN w/ a close second being 40 @ McGee’s in Chicago on 10 cent wing night.  Adam… if you’re out there reading… it meant a lot to me that you were there by my side on both occasions toasting drumstick after drumstick while everyone else looked at us in amazement/horror.  That’s true friendship!  That’s what it’s all about!  When I come back, we’re having a meat day!!

Ok, sorry I’m getting so sentimental.

Moving on…

4.  Nausea and vomiting (If going to the bathroom wasn’t enough of a challenge… now throw in the occasional throw up party in the same toilet!  Gross!  Reminded me of a few nights in college (when I … um… had giardia??).

5.  Loss of appetite (Huh, who would have guessed?)

6.  Fatigue (This wasn’t one of those… “I just went for a five mile run on the lake at noon in July on a humid day… I’m tired.”  This was an “I just walked up ten stairs and I feel like I just went for a five mile run on the lake at noon in July on a terribly humid day.  What the He_ _ is wrong with me?”)

And that’s giardia… if anyone has any questions… ask Katy b/c she has it too!

The only meal in Delhi we were able to keep down was at McDonalds (yes, for the second time in 5 months, we broke down and went to McDonalds).  Here Katy got the McVeg #1 and I got the Pizza McPuff w/ fries.  Why are McDonalds fries so good?  Must be that genetically modified potato thing they were able to create!  Look it up.  It’s true.

The McPuff and McVeg

There were two things in India I was looking forward to most and those were (1) the Taj Mahal and (2) the food!  Tomorrow (Dec 30th) we’re on a train to the Taj in hopes of a more peaceful experience (both physically, mentally, and socially).

The express to Agra.

The train ride was nice (we each had our own bed for four hours where we napped and read).  This was a much better alternative to the typical local bus option we were use to in Nepal (and on the upside, only cost about $10).  Train is the way to go if you can get one of the higher class cars (1AC or 2AC).  But, if you are planning on coming here, better book in advance b/c India is crowded and trains fill up fast!

To the Taj Mahal (via auto rickshaw)…

After some security issues entering the Taj (no gummy bears allowed), we finally got up close and personal w/ the marble marvel many consider to be the #1 man made wonder of the world.  Here it is on a foggy (ok…smokey from so many plastic bottle street fires ) morning.

The entry way to the Taj.

Here she is. The palace built in honor of the emperor's "favorite wife".

Side view

The marble changes color in the sun.

If gummi bears are not allowed, I believe this behavior is strongly discouraged.

This guy was really into photographing his wife. Nice form!

Still very sick and now battling some bladder issues, we managed to muster up a smile.

As we dined on pizza and finger chips (fries) that night for new year’s eve, with a Kingfisher beer hidden under the table (the typical Agra answer to not having a liquor license although we heard some restaurants actually pour your beer into a tin tea kettle and allow you to do the rest) our conversation quickly turned form the Taj Mahal to the sad state of poverty in India.  It was so hard for us to enjoy the Taj Mahal (and India for that matter) because so much of it is just an illusion to what’s really going on just outside the gates.

So many Indians are living on the streets sleeping in their rickshaws, or in a good situation have a job at a hotel and are allowed to sleep on the stone floor of the lobby at night.  It, as my friend Edmund had warned me before we left, is a very challenging experience as an American.  The Golden Triangle is said to be one of the most attractive places in India to visit as a tourist.  So far on our stops around the world, India would be the last place we would recommend.  Yesterday, we saw a dog eating another dead dog on the side of the road while one man was urinating and the other was defecating, all the while a child was playing in the pile of garbage right next to them.  It’s very sad and as you continue to walk through city after city of the same poverty the feeling of helplessness only grows stronger.