http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here A bold trek through places that millions have been before Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:31:13 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Quesadilla and margarita baby, I am coming home. I have more than a few trepidations about rejoining productive society, but I am excited to return to the people and places that I know and love. Besides, I am ready to come back. I am fortunate enough to still have a ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/well-i-am-coming-home.html It started in China, not too long into my trip. The first three times I just blew it off. They were Chinese and maybe didn’t get the same exposure as Westerners. Then, in the Gobi desert, my fears were confirmed when a yet a fourth Chinese person point out the ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/celebrity-i-most-resemble.html I saved one of the best for last. The Taj Mahal lives up to the hype. On my last full day of travel I got up at 4:30am so I could get down to the train station by 5:30 to catch the 6:15 train to Agra. The train only took ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/the-taj.html The ancient capital of the Mughals. Thriving sprawling metropolis with sights and sounds that stay with you long after they are gone. I have been four days here and haven’t even scratched the surface. I am staying in the backpacker ghetto called the Pahar Ganj. It is a filthy place. ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/delhi.html It is raining today in the Andaman islands, so I as I sit on the porch of my thatched bamboo hut I will say a little about my experiences here so far. I have been on the island of Havelock for 11 days and soon I will head off to ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/glorious-andaman-islands.html I spent only two days in Chennai and I have mixed feelings about that. Chennai was more along the lines of the India that I had been expecting. The streets were chaotic and the people were everywhere. In Kochi there were people with their hands out, but not as many ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/chennai.html Well, having been in this city for going on seven weeks now I figured it was time to do all the touristy stuff I had been putting off until later. I wanted to pace myself and now find that I am a little pushed for time. When I am running ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/rickshaw-tour-in-kerala.html I just passed the first of two certification exams. I take the next test in about 10 days, then I fly off to the beautiful Andaman islands to soak in some sun and mentally prepare myself for the impending shock of re-entry into productive society. http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/hurray-i-passed.html Oh, the food here is soooo good and sooooo cheap. I am going to be in for some serious sticker shock when I get back. I just had a two egg omelet with spicy peppers, two chapattis (like Indian tortillas), a small saucer plate of vegetable curry, and a small ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/incredible-edible-india.html Last weekend I spent a few days on the beach with a couple I met from Iceland. It was so good to get out of Kochi for a few days. I have been in the same town and hotel for about a month now. I am bored and lonely; so ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Just-happy-to-be-here/varkala.html