Sorry for being out of touch! i am limited with computer time. here are some highlights:

Darjeeling

-i was living in a cloud (quite literally) -wonderful. beautiful. cool mountain air. view of the himalayas. tea garden tours. motorcycle rides. i am very spoiled here.
-Buddhist temples
-friendly Nepali people
-Nepali refuge center (hand spinning, weaving, dyeing)
-Himalayan mountaineering institute (i thought of melanie the whole time!)
-tons and tons of tea!
difficulties:
-making friends and leaving them behind (unsure if i will ever cross paths with them again) -woke up to a strange sound one night and i am pretty certain that it was the himalayan yeti
-at night frogs and insects that make sounds like the "smoke monster" (from lost)...not really a difficulty but it was creepy
-leaving this place, knowing that it may not be the same when i return (so much change is happening)

next....flight to Delhi and crazy crazy bus ride to Vrindavan (2 hours outside of Delhi)

Vrindavan
- known to be the birthplace of krishna
- stayed in an ashram and saw some temples but decided to leave a little early
-lost my mind a little here due to:
.the heat/dehydration
.the difficulty of transportation
.the number of people (this is like the Vatican for Hindus)
.the constant chanting of krishna worshipers on the ground of the ashram....sometimes mystical, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes manic, at times draining
.and lastly i lost my mind because i accidentally ate a chili pepper

onward to Agra!
- another crazy bus ride and some heat exhaustion but i arrived at a hotel with an AC room!!!! -plans to see the Taj Mahal at sunset!
-am traveling on my own now...and it is pretty tough...i have good advice for any of you who have plans to come here!

promise to write soon! i will add pictures and more stories when i can (in the case of the pictures it may not be until i am home....please keep checking!)
love to you!
p.s. please, please go swimming for me!