Regresando

It's that time again-- I finished my six weeks in Mexico, and I'm en route back to the US. Boy do I have a lot of awesome stories to share with you guys. From the Equinoccio celebrations of Guachimontones to the Easter processions of San Miguel Allende to the creepy, fascinating mummies of Guanajuato. So stay tuned.

A quick word from Indira Ghandi International Airport-- Definitely Doing It Again

When my friend Ali got back from India her first trip she told me that she had met other travellers who claimed that "I-N-D-I-A" stands for I'm Never Doing It Again. Well, it hasn't been easy (although of course I never expected that) and in some ways, specifically having to do with time limits, it was disappointing-- these are factors that I will look forward to exploring in future entries. But it was fascinating, too, vibrant and beautiful and utterly different. I participated in a wedding, I saw the Ganga Arati in Haridwar (a ritual for goddess Ganga of the river involving thousands of people), I bathed fully clothed in the Ganges, I took a 22 hour jeep ride through remote Jammu & Kashmir, and I visited a stunningly beautiful lake 2/3 of which is in Tibet. 

I can't wait to tell (and show) all of it to you. And I will definitely be coming back, wiser than I was and for longer than I had this time.

For now I have an hour to kill until my flight to Amman, Jordan. After 4 months I am leaving Asia and moving west to something entirely different. As always, a new adventure awaits.

A little taste

Boy, the pace of life these past few days here in Sydney has really taken me by surprise. I've been getting up and out early and coming back late (at least what seems like catastrophically late to me; I am still way more jet lagged than I'd like to admit.) Today especially, as I woke up at 5:30 am to go with a new couchsurfing friend to see the fresh catch auction at Sidney fish market (the biggest in the southern hemisphere, supposedly the most impressive outside of Tsukiji in Tokyo.) The day kept going and going; I got a traditional Sidneysider breakfast, wandered around an as-yet undiscovered part of the harbor, listened to Men At Work on my iPod on the steps of Sidney town hall (it had to be done), met 13 other surfers for coffee in a super trendy area called Newtown, took the ferry across the harbor to Manly Beach and watched the waves, bought a two-liter of ice cream from a super market and ate it with the others looking over Manley inlet, then lastly went to a pub in the old part of town and talked and drank cider and ate free sausages until I was ready to fall over.

So you might understand why I'm tired, and why I find it daunting to begin to write. I think this sort of thing will be easier a) when I am better adapted to the time difference b) when I have a better grasp of the rhythm of travel and c) if/when I am staying with someone who has wireless.

So I will continue to endeavor to post as much as possible. Do not give up hope! There are gorgeous photos of the Opera House and a funny story about cute Sydney goths obsessed with Disneyland in your future. But first: 10,000 people descend on Sydney for the First Night Festival tomorrow night. Santogold will be there (and like 150 other artists and dance companies)! Wesleyan, represent.

Back After These Messages

As you may have noticed, it's been a few weeks since my last entry. Although I don't intend by any means for this to become a trend, the first month and a half of my senior year is proving very demanding, specifically because of preparations for two fellowship applications which would allow me to continue my wanderings in this lovely world. As such, I'm afraid it is unrealistic to expect that I will have a new entry for y'all (continuing the recording of my adventures in Fugong and beyond) until after October 4, the deadline for the Fulbright Scholarship. So, I suggest you go about your business until that date, and then check back on this very page for a brand, spankin' new account of Chinese hijinks, including but not limited to: the Chinese medical system, my trip to a Lisu wedding, the lovely nightmare that was Laomudeng, and a three-day adventure to proto-Tibet and the wilds of northern Nujiang

Coming soon to a travelblog near you...

I'm back in Kunming now, which feels very strange because no one I know is here. I'm living in the same dorm we lived in during paper writing time, actually only in the room next to where I lived, the same suite. But there are no SIT students living upstairs, no Diana across the way, no Thai girls to run into. The international students building is oddly empty, I'm currently the only person in the computer lab. It's possible that John will show up with his girlfriend in a few days, which would be nice, and I made a new friend last night in the area we call Wai Guo Lu ("Foreigner's Street.") But for now, I'm on my own. It feels very strange.

But: it means that I'll have plentiful time to catch up on blogging and, if I can get my computer to connect to blogger (which hasn't been happening up until now, I'm in an internet cafe now) even some pictures! Hallelujah!

So, (for real this time), expect the following soon:

+Liuku
-My Pumi friend/translator/adhesive strip
-Being a celebrity simply because of my skin
-My forays into the Lisu countryside
-Going drinking with soldiers
-Bathing in insects. Ew.

+Kunming
-My one and only night clubbing
-Presentations and writing my 36 page paper

+Xi'an
-Terracotta Soldiers redux
-The very best spoken English I've ever heard here
-Sophie becomes a jiaozi ("dumpling") and other hijinks

+Beijing
-Great Wall redux
-John, my parents, and the start of a lovely (and slightly disturbing) friendship
-Our failed Mulan drinking game
-Panjiayuan, the antique market

+Xinjiang
-Kashgar: Everything. Oh, man. But seriously: the animal market, the Bazaar, the mosque, the tombs, the Central Asianness of everything.
-Urumqi: Russia Lite, Tianchi Lake and all of its stunningness, our Mongolian guide
-Turpan: A real live oasis, a 2000 year old irrigation system, a 2500 year old ancient city, riding camels in the Gobi Desert
-Dunhuang: Our amazing bad luck, our amazing good luck, climbing a huge sand dune, sliding down said sand dune on a wooden crate-type-thing