Safari in India

We went on a safari and it was so much fun.  We all piled into jeeps and took off into the tiger preserve.  We didn't actually see any tigers, but we did see birds, monkeys, elephants, and deer.  Our guide had a fantastic camera and superb vision.  He would stop the jeep to to point out a bird that might be perched high in a tree 100 yards away.  I coud only see some of these birds with the help of the powerful zoom on his camera. 

At one point we were driving along the path and we came across a monkey sitting on the side of the road.  It settled into a tree as we stopped to take photos.  Suddenly it lept from the tree to ground right next to the jeep.  I know I was startled.  I was hoping he hadn't intended to join us in the vehicle.  Davey Ann got a really great photo of the monkey in the air.  Later we came a whole group of monkeys.  Sitting amongst them was a mother monkey holding her baby.  They were so cute! 

We also saw a huge herd of elephants.  They are such beautiful and majestic creatures, while still seeming so gentle.  Some of them were eating the tall grass and other were taking dust baths.  I really enjoyed seeing them.  I was so glad that we had this experience.      

Finally arrived in Rishikesh...

My trip to India so far has been an eye opening experience. The more time I spend in India the more i grow to love the people and the culture. I wasnt really sure what to think when i first arrived at Delhi, and now i understand why i didnt like Delhi so much is because its mainly a city focused on the selling of goods and not on the historical and cultural aspects that India has to offer. When we took the 4 hour car ride to Rishikesh i was amazed by the amazing landscape of the mountians and surrounding towns. Things here seem so much more peaceful then the hustle and bustle of the bigger citys down below. So far Rishikesh is proving to be my favorite place because i feel more intimate and connected to the town and people. I cant wait to find out what else Rishikesh has in store for me but i know patience is a virtue therefore i wont rush things and just enjoy them as they come.

-Bojan Poluga "Boki Bear"

My Birthday

May 27, 1992 was a special day for me because it was the day I was born. I was very fortunate to share it at such a beautiful place and with such beautiful people. The time spent was at Corbitt and the agenda for the day was to go to safari on a jeep to view nature at its most natural state. If you're a nature geek like myself, nothing could get much better. The trees, plants, birds, monkeys, deer, and elephants made the day that much more special. And yes I said elephants, about thirty of them including one crazy one that attempted to uplift a couple of the jeeps. Except for that crazy elephant you would be surprised how gentle the elephants are  After about four hours of observing some of the most beautiful creatures we made our way back to the hotel to eat dinner. Even though everybody cannot sing except for Kimberly, I was greeted with the "Happy Birthday" song and a cake made by Shayna and Hethul that consisted of skittles, gummy bears, almonds and nerds. Shayna added the almonds and honestly I don't know why. My good buddy Tyree bought my dinner so I took advantage and feasted like a king. After dinner and when everyone went to bed, the owner was kind enough to invite me and Sanch to hangout with his friends and enjoy more good food and drinks outside. We got into a deep conversation about the importance of love over money and our relationships with our parents. Just from that one conversation I found a deeper appreciation for my mother so this blog is for you and I love you. No doubt the most memorable birthday of my life.

John Yarbrough

Birds, Deer, Elephants...but no Tigers

This morning we woke up at the lovely hour of 4am to do nothing other than ride elephants!!!! Even though it was incredibly early, i can't really complain because honestly how many people get to say they rode an elephant in India? It was so amazing. The elephant i was on really was not that big, but i still would not want to get caught on the underside of their legs! The ride was really nice though, taking pictures was kind of hard though because they all kept coming out blurry. We rode them for about 2 hours looking for tigers, but unfortunately none were to be found....although we did get to see a freshly killed animal...not that that was very exciting...it more just smelled awful! It was great though because when we were coming back our guide jumped down off the elephant to take pictures of us. It was so cool, but i was kind of worried about how he would get back on. Apparently they train the elephants to help the riders get back on, so he literally climbed up the trunk of the elephant. It was the coolest thing ever!
Its so funny because i still can't believe i'm in India, let alone riding elephants! The Corbett Tiger Preserve was really beautiful! There was so much to see and all the wild life was amazing. Although the guide my jeep had was really into birds so we were constantly stopping so he could take pictures of birds that were miles away and only he could spy them. It was kind of funny. 

UFO sighting

So first blog for me! pretty late in the game but im sure no one really cares! yesterday was a pretty exciting day although we didnt really do much. it was a pretty early rise because we went to watch the sun rise at the Ganges. Took a boat down from Assi Ghat all the way to the second cremation ghat. On the way passing the launders at the dhobi ghat and even some religious practitioners taking their morning baths, all the while the sun crept up slowly on the right of us. Dr. Maher had got us a guide for the morning, Prakash. He seemed very knowledgeable about the building on the banks as well as the ancient city of varnasi in general. After the rather enlightening boat ride we hopped off and went for a walk through the narrow alley ways to snatch a glance at the top ofthe golden temple. After that we went back to a little shop to have some chai tea. Then we went back to the hotel for a free day. I have grown to realise that the sights are not even the greatest part of this trip. The people here India keep catching me by surprise almost everyday. Just yesterday i made two new friends bopal and Manoj. Bopal is a friendly man who has a little shop close to our hotel who i regularly bought Limca from and Manoj was the masseuse, who's services and company i enjoyed for about an hour yesterday. Just 11 days cant wait to see what else is in store!    

My boy Boolie

Varanasi has been a great place filled with great people, crazy people, and a mix of both. As we arrived to our hotels the first day on a jeep, the driver played his CD and I fell in love with the first song. So much I asked him to play it over at least ten times as I annoyed just about everyone singing it as loud, proud, and incorrectly as I possibly could. The only person that seemed to like it was a rikshaw driver named Boolie. As I hopped in his pimped out ride he started singing and I thought he was the craziest man I had ever met. Then I realized that I am probably the craziest person he has ever met. I started singing the tune I had recited many times in the jeep and he actually understood! Although we were not in harmony and I had absolutely no idea what I was singing, we sang along and found a true bond through music. You my boy Boolie!r at least ten times as I annoyed just about everyone singing it as loud, proud, and incorrectly as I possibly could. The only person that seemed to like it was a rikshaw driver named Boolie. As I hopped in his pimped out ride he started singing and I thought he was the craziest man I had ever met. Then I realized that I am probably the craziest person he has ever met. I started singing the tune I had recited many times in the jeep and he actually understood! Although we were not in harmony and I had absolutely no idea what I was singing, we sang along and found a true bond through music. You my boy Boolie!

Varanasi has been a crazy time. The Main Ghat is chaos like you've never seen it, and the men don't hesitate to tell a pretty girl they like her! Yesterday myself, Becca and Maddy went shopping in the main ghat to look for shoes. This is a chore alone. First you have to look for the right shoe, then the right price and if it doesn't match up you begin the process all over again at another story. After about our fourth store we found what we were looking for. As Becca tried on shoes Maddy and i chatted with some locals. We made of the completely false elaborate story about how we were from Delhi, and that we spoke English because we had attended international schools. I'm not sure if the men believed us, being that we don't look remotely Indian, but they didn't really argue it. Then out of the blue one man whom we were talking with looks at Maddy, points at me and goes "i like her, will she marry me?" So of course Maddy and I immediately claim to be married. The man proceeds to look at Becca and say "but there are two of them!". So them the story became that we were both happily married and that seemed to disappoint them, but they respected it.
Later on today, Becca, myself and some others went to the same shop in search of shoes for someone else. The same men were there and all asked where our Husband was! They then wanted to know how our marriage was! It was a fun little charade to play for the day. And we got multiple pictures taken with the men as part of our bargaining price. It was definitely an unforgettable situation.Varanasi is full of amusing little adventures!

WRITTEN BY:
ERIN LUEDERS