trains held together by roaches...

let me just start by saying first class in this country is totally different than what my western mind had expected and i did not have huge expectations...

allow me to tell you about our first class train ride....

first, we check out of hotel in kolkata and head off to mother teresa's house called the "mother house". it was a simple building filled with much love. her tomb was large and covered in flowers saying "jesus is love" and behind the tomb a sign saying "i thirst". we were given charms for love and protection, which we later needed. we then continued on the the zoo. i know, i know...a zoo??? but please remember the great love sarah shares with nature and i am of course always game. so, we get there and the only animals that are truly on display are US!!! we leave within minutes agreeing it wasn't our brightest idea and go to our favorite internet cafe until our 7 pm ride to the train station.

now, our biggest fear so far on this trip is kolkata taxi drivers ever since we were almost killed at least 5 times the first night of arrival. so we enter this cab with already psyched out thoughts and hugging one another. the traffic was very bad, which we later figured out was due to the ending of the work day and along with us...EVERYONE is heading to the train station and i mean EVERYONE. bikes, cabs, rickshaws, barefoot workers and buses so long & continuous they look to be the train.

india houses 1 billion people but my eyes overwhelmed & in wonder counted at least 2 billion going to the kolkata train station.

getting there with 20 minutes to spare, we notice much of the same activities taking place in the station as on the streets, there are dogs, cows, women carrying produce and people occupying every inch of space.

we board our train relieved we have made it in time, find our beds in the indian version of first class. we chat among ourselves wondering about the other 1 billion passengers also boarding lesser classes of space on the train?

how do they do it? such strength, such limited space, and such chaos.

we were not alone in our cabin...we were greeted by cockroaches and creepy peeping tom's (and not of the average curious indian fashion) ready to join us...yuk.

we then decided in unison that we would not be sleeping on this train ride. but rather we worked as a team killing roaches all night and monitoring the curtain for intruders. we then realized that the train does not have a system of announcing arrivals whether by intercom or by person. now on top everything we worry about missing our stop in varanasi.

14.5 hours later we exit the train starving because we disposed of all our snacks to keep the roaches away and tired because we have been up or 27 hours.

we immediately agree the next train ride we already have booked to agra, which mind you is longer and of a lower class of cabin is now going to be avoided at all costs!!! we immediately book our airfare. we just can not fathom doing it again. looking at one another we are proud to have tried but have agreed the indian railroad has won!!!

my awkwardly beautiful place....

as most of you know sarah and i are in india. we flew into delhi and caught up on some rest and then 2 days later boarded a plane for kolkata or better known by the west as calcutta. delhi was not for me. although kolkata is my new found love.

tonight, we head off to varanasi (holy city on the ganges) for a few days by sleeper train. this should be a an experience. although. we've managed incredibly well thus far without hot water, with drivers more interested in watching us from their rear view mirror then doing their job, the always lingering smog in delhi and being female in a male dominated country.

the poverty is numbing at times. however, we push on and help where we see fit. india has a way of cracking egos, doubts and needs.

but, it does feel refreshing to be without normal routines and schedules of home. however, i do miss the smell of clean clothes and sheets. i also miss chris. hearing his voice yesterday helped to relive some of the home sick feelings that were creeping in. sarah is a delight to have around for many reasons like, her love of researching the historic sites, cities and wildlife. she is also very organized and i am finding myself trying to keep up. my bag is now way more organized then before i left on this journey.

yesterday, we found ourselves enjoying the food and sites of kolkata. we even manged to buy some clothes to replace smelly articles in our bags, however towards the end of our walk we found we were losing our voices from constantly telling merchants, "no thank you", "please stop following us" and "no we do not want to go to your store". but all in all the city of kolkata is close to the name it calls its self "the city of joy". i know i have experienced joy here. and plan to return again with chris.

some pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sstorklipglossfool/

2 blondes (one real & one assisted), 2 planes & 2 weeks in india

so in 9 days sarah and i'll be flying to india to explore, discover and fall in love with the beautiful settings of the unknown.

we planned this trip many mouths ago and it is finally just around the corner. i've been there once before when i was a bit younger and a bit more naive. i wonder if the past seven years of finding myself will add to the experiences and moments in the most beautiful place i've ever laid eyes on?

sarah is by far the best travel companion one could ask for...she's creative, practical, resourceful and fun. i look forward to our adventures together traveling from new delhi to kolkata. we've refranined from planning too much, because we desire for the adventures to unfold for themselves. however, the taj mahal, varanasi, the ganges and a couple bird & animal sanctuaries are on our list.

if anyone has any advice, comments or suggestions, please pass them on.