As my time here in India is coming to a close, I’ve thought long and hard about how I can sum up the country, if not on paper, then at least in my own mind. As I walked the streets…

Goa: it’s green, glistening, and absolutely gorgeous. Silky sand, crystalline shores, and temperatures that soar upwards of ninety are just a few reasons I set my sights on the coastal state. I wanted to slow it down – way down.…

Pushkar has a magnetism all its own. It hums with prayers, chants, drums and gongs. Once you make it up and over the Snake Mountain, you break away from the crowded streets and clouded senses, and are overcome with calm.…

Kumbh Mela. The first time I heard those words I said to myself, “Kumba what? Kumba Melon? And I care because why?” That was before I understood the meaning. For Hindus, which make up the vast majority of India’s population,…

It should come as no surprise when I say that India is, well, dirty. And by dirty, I mean filthy. I’ve seen my fair share of waste, pollution and piled up plastics, but the amount here is astonishing. India’s trash…

The city, especially the old quarters, has a beat all its own. Navigating the narrow mess of alleyways was a challenge, but I did my best to follow rule number one of safe, solo travel: always look like you know…

Varanasi: brace yourself. It’s one of the most blindingly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic, and unapologetically indiscreet places on earth. No joke. This is the real deal, folks. It’s rude, crude, and out of control. Give it a little time, let the dust…

After two days in Agra it was time to hit the road. With my bags packed, I took a Xanax (to help me sleep, of course!) and caught a ride to the train station, with my sights set on the…

In a country of 1.2 billion, it’s hard to imagine that one might feel lonely, but there are moments here, when it’s difficult to feel anything but. Just like everything in life, traveling alone has its positives and negatives. The…

I don’t know about you, but when I think of the Taj Mahal, my mind conjures up images of Persian princes, magic genies, and flying carpets. I can pretty much hear A Whole New World blaring loud and clear. While a visit…

Oh, tuk-tuk drivers… it’s a love/hate relationship with every single one. When I arrived in Agra, I walked out of the train station to find a sea of drivers ready and waiting. Is all I could hear is, “Hey miss,…

I had my first experience with the Indian railway system and let’s just say I’m still in shock, some five hours later. Yes, it’s extensive, expansive, and relatively inexpensive, compared to most forms of transportation in the area, but yikes!…

What a journey. After twenty-six long and uncomfortable hours, my plane touched down in New Delhi, just before midnight. Anything over four to five hours has me tossing and turning, but luckily I had Ginger Ale and horrible Richard Gere…

Some days you wake up fully inside yourself. Every beat, every breath, felt. The simplest of tasks seem heavy. Breathe in, breathe out. One foot forward, now the next. Move your mouth, up and down – swallow. Every movement and…