Thanks - India in Numbers - Reflection & Goodbye

Thanks
First, I would like to thank all of you for reading and leaving comments. It has been very enjoyable to share my experiences with all of you.

India In Numbers
Bollywood Movies In - 2
World Wonders Seen- 1 (2 down, 5 to go)
Indian States Traveled Through- 9
Hours on Trains - 110
Hours on Planes - 2
Hours on Buses/Shared Jeeps - 70
Highest Altitude (feet) - 18,380
Cheapest Meal ($) - 1, veg curry, rice, and sprite
Most Expensive Meal ($) - 10, french fries, pizza, 2 king fisher beers, and icecream
Weight Lost (lb) - 15
Cheapest Hotel ($) - 2 (Leh)
Most Expensive Hotel ($) - 10 (Mumbai)
Consecutive Days Without Seeing a White Person - 39
Blog Posts - 31
Days in India- 84

Reflection & Goodbye
I am pretty proud of my first travel blog. It was far from perfect though. I often was too caught up in the moment to take photographs. I also made a conscious decision not to pervasively photograph people I don't know. My only major regret is not being more adventurous. I also regret not getting a motorcycle. Next time it will be different.

Next time? Yes, I will return to India. There is still much to be explored in the north, and I have not even seen the south. The charm of Andhra Pradesh, the amazing temples (and friends) of Tamil Nadu, the backwaters of matriarchal Kerala, and the tourist-friendly beaches of Goa.

I am planning to blog my future travels. Hopefully my 2nd travel blog will be more comprehensive, and more interesting, then my first. Along with India, there is talk of an Alaskan road trip. And then there is the rest of the world. We will just have to see. Anyway, thank you soooo much for reading my blog and commenting. I hope you enjoyed reading the posts as much as I enjoyed writing them.

singing off,
Dave

Life Is Grand

I have been really enjoying my time here at IIT. The people are great and my research is going well. The campus is also very peaceful and relaxing.

Animal Update: Sam Shoulders and his friends still chirp at night. They also poop on my desk. The goat does not seem to remember me, despite our magical night. I occasionally see him and his goat friends skidding full-speed down the hallway with the security guard in hot persuit. I have become friendly with a stray dog who likes to have his ears scratched. He is very handsome and friendly. Everytime he sees me, he come running towards me with his tail wagging furiously.

The friendly stray dog.



Walking home from the lab.



Bike parking lot.

A Night Out On The Town

Last night my friend Romio, from Manipur, and I went to have a beer. He had offered a week ago, and I decided to take him up on his offer. When Romio picked me up from my room he informed me that their are no wine shops (as they are called in India) in walking distance of IIT. Instead, Romio would take me to a 'secret place' to get a beer.

We walked for about a kilometer, mostly in the pitch black, and we finally arrived at a shop where people can make phone calls. These are actually called STDs in India. You can find STDs everywhere in India. Anyway, we enter this small shop , and the guy takes us out back to his home. His home was essentially a hut with a bed, small stove, and table. The guy was really nice, and it was interesting for me to see how the less affluent Indians live. We ended up having a few beers and some snack before heading back to the hostel.

Romeo in the hut. I know he does not look like a 'typical' Indian. It is because he is from Manipur, in the far northeast of the country.


Party time!!