Alas, I am home now and trying to reconnect with my comfortable world. 

I did not get to go to Dharamsala after all.  My flight out of Kathmandu was delayed 3 hours, and then the flight to Dharamsala got canceled due to snow.  My contact in Dharamsala suggested that I try flying to a flat plain area and then taking a 6 hour car ride to/from Dharamsala, but after pondering it for about 30 minutes, I came to the painful decision that I knew I could not travel there and risk missing my plane back to the states a few days later.

I will get to see the Tibetan Children's Village someday...I feel it in my bones. 

All things come in due time.

Now it is time to start working on the book from this trip with the Mt Hood Community College students, and to also find ways to raise money for the media students in Darjeeling.

Travel is great for the experience, but I love to see where it takes us once we are home.

I did not get many opportunities to photograph one of my favorites subjects (food!) during our travels, but here are a few quick snapshots of things I saw along the way in markets, plus a woman who shows one way of carrying all of the goods.




And, here is a special image dedicated to the men in our lives....apparently meat from a female is not as tender, so the people in the markets display the male genitals to show that, indeed, you are buying meat from a male.  A blatantly different type of meat market from that in the states:




During one day of walking around Kathmandu, I saw a huge mob of people flailing their arms, pushing to get in front of each other, screaming.....it looked like fierce trading on Wall Street.  I was with Indra, wife of the Mercy Corps' Nepal country manager, and she told me they were trying to purchase a fine delicacy from the best shop that makes it.  Seriously, it was mad chaos surrounding this corner store!  Off she went, pushing her way to the front, and proudly came out with a bag of this:



It is a mixture of milk and sugar, heated to high temperatures and slightly burned.  Yum.


Lastly, here is a close-up of the wonderful cardamom from the Mercy Corps funded farm we visited.  I knew I could not bring mine home with me, so I sent it back to the chef at the Hyatt on my last day there.  Within minutes, he came rushing out, demanding to know where I got the cardamom.  He said he had worked all over India and Nepal, and never had he seen such fine cardamom.  I linked him up with Tej, the project manager.....so let's put positive vibes out there that they will be selling cardamom to the Hyatt!  Look at that amazing pink hue.

Here are some videos from our travels!

Outside hotel doors during our confinement.

Nepal roads.

Kurseong demonstration voices.

Singing demonstrators in Kurseong.

Nepal Village Welcome.

Nepal Village Dance.