Archive for December, 2007
Thursday, December 27th, 2007
A CRY for Help
While travel has innumberable benefits, one of the greatest is perspective. When you see how others live and the challenges they face, you can better understand your place in the world. Although I’ve visited many places, I’ve never found a better place to learn perspective than in India. I’ve always said that I wish all […]
1 Comment » - Posted in India, Community Service by Derek
Thursday, December 20th, 2007
Monsoon Wedding, Sans Monsoon
Until last week, all of my impressions of Indian weddings were based on Monsoon Wedding, my favorite movie of all time. Little did I know that some Indian weddings are of a variety even better than the ones seen on the big screen.
The stars of this show were my cousin, Priya, and her now-husband, Druv. […]
1 Comment » - Posted in India by Shanna
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007
Life in a Postcard
It’s a unique experience when you realize you’ve discovered perfection. Seconds after crossing through the tropical forest abutting the beach and dipping our toes in the poster-board white sand, Shanna and I looked at each other with all-knowing eyes. We instantly knew that we had just stepped onto the most beautiful beach in the world.
The […]
2 Comments » - Posted in India by Derek
Sunday, December 9th, 2007
Tea Time in Munnar
After the houseboat docked (sad! We weren’t ready for the trip to end…), we climbed aboard an antique-looking Ambassador (the ubiquitous car of India) and set off on an arduous, 4 1/2-hour drive into the hills of Munnar. Munnar plays home to a number of tea estates and spice plantations, whose greenery combines to give the […]
No Comments » - Posted in India by Shanna
Friday, December 7th, 2007
A Return to the Fatherland
After a long day of flying and the discovery of a new airline nemesis in Jet Airways (Air Asia may have had interminable delays, but at least they didn’t destroy my backpack!), we stepped out into the tropical air of Kerala, a meandering and idyllic state in Southern India.
Interestingly, in 1957, Kerala became the first […]
No Comments » - Posted in India by Shanna
Thursday, December 6th, 2007
Walking in Awe
A hike through the mountainous areas of Nepal is the holy grail for passionate hikers. While I don’t think I fit in this category, the hike that we finished a few days ago has been a dream of mine for many years.
There are many different trekking options in Nepal - the most popular being treks […]
No Comments » - Posted in Nepal by Derek
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
Christmas Comes Early
Many of you already know about our October visit to the orphanage in Yangxi, China. We fell in love with the girls during our time with them, and we really struggled with the fact that they slept (and, really, lived) in metal cribs with rough, wooden bottoms. Overwhelmed by their many trying circumstances, we left determined […]
10 Comments » - Posted in Community Service, China by Shanna
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007
I’m Going to Kathmandu
Kathmandu. Long a backpackers’ haven, the celebrated destination of a Bob Seger song and the place where we, along with Nashville friends Michael and Kelly, spent a fantastic few days.
Among the highlights were a walk around the kora with Buddhist pilgrims at the Bodhnath Temple, time spent with the gaggle of monkeys at the Swayambunath […]
