Day one - in the plane headed to mumbai

"Day one - in the plane still"
Alright... I'm a bit behind on posting this but typed it on the plane on the way over...

Gosh, twenty minutes in and I'm already looking like an out of place tourist... diner served on plane... Plane food, how hard to decipher can it be? Alright, usually a little...anyhow... I figured out what was rice and I figured out the panir (ricotta cheese that I had eaten before), but then there were other things... Thank god for labels! But What is this mango and chilli thing? More importantly.. Does it go into the plain yogurt? Or maybe into this yellow milky thing? How do you eat the seeds... The packaging is all confusing... And gosh, that is the biggest chili in such a tiny salad... Oh hey parmesan creamy dressing! I know that one!
After being puzzled and determined to eat I ask my small airplane seating area neighbor if I should mix the mango mix with yogurt or milk... Turns out it goes with the rice, it is extra spicy! Oh and the milk thing... It was sweet sweet desert.
I tried a little of everything... Passed on the seeds... My neighbors stashed their seeds in their purse... Maybe it's a snack for later?! No idea....
Survived my first unsupervised, non english menu, indian dinner.'>Day one

India Bound

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

December 15, 2010 – Newark International Airport, terminal C

So I kicked off the decade and the year in Turkey… now, just shy of a year later, I am on my way to another fantastic, full of history, spice and fervor place... across the globe from home. Oh India! For a whole month! One month is certainly a long time. I am excited and scared. This time for some reason I think I am more anxious than I usually am… I barely prepared but then again everyone says no matter how much you prepare you are never ready for India. It hits you like no other place… we’ll see… I hope to keep you posted on how it goes.

Thousands of dollars spent and now the time is here… across the world for Christmas, New Years, 27^th Birthday… beaches, canyoning, sightseeing, safaris, volunteering, competitions, shopping… it is just now hitting me. I think it’s fair to say I am about to rediscover and redefine myself by experiencing with all my senses a world that is is truly foreign to me.

15 hour flight… bring it on!

remembering the edges

They take pictures of mountain climbers at the top of the mountain.
They are smiling, ecstatic, triumphant.
They don’t take pictures along the way. Bcuz who wants to remember the rest of it?
We push ourselves because we have to, not because we like it.
The relentless climb, the pain and anguish of taking it to the next level. Nobody takes pictures of that. Nobody wants to remember.
We just want to remember the view from the top, the breath taking moment at the edge of the world. That’s what keeps us climbing... and it’s worth the pain. That’s the crazy part. It’s worth anything.

tonight, thinking of my climbs and my breathtaking moments

pree

(quote from Grey's)