January 2011
11 posts
“You dance like a Brazilian, not an American girl.”
– Best compliment I’ve received this year
Bargaining in Jaipur: Clinton-style
For my twenty-first birthday (celebrated in a city where the legal drinking age is 25), my mom, brother/bff, and I went on a shopping excursion in Jaipur, a city five hours south of Delhi.
Jaipur is called the “Pink City,” and was once ruled by Rajasthani princes, who actually believed in things like urban planning and infrastructure. Thus, there are sidewalks, making it a winning...
Mayonnaisacal Musings on Portuguese
As a follow-up to my “Random Musings on Spanish” post from Buenos Aires, some interesting Portuguese tidbits:
-the phrase to describe when you get off topic is “viajar no maionese” or literally, to travel through mayonnaise. Apparently mayonnaise is the epitome of randomness.
-placemats are called “American games” (jogos americanos) because Americans serve the...
Most ridiculous/amazing blog of 2011 →
Mr. Monk(s) and the Wells Family
Darjeeling: part two. The Wells Family squeezed into a little car to visit monasteries near Bhutan.
First up was Ghoom Monastery, located 8,000 feet above sea level. The monks are close to the heavens, even if they don’t believe in the concept.
A nice monk let me spin the prayer wheel to ring the monastery bell. Monks seem to love me lately.
Prayer books inside
Paintings...
Tea in the Parlor Makes the Ladies Holler
This year, we forewent a tropical Christmas (and 2 a.m. volcano hikes) and headed for the Himalayas to celebrate the birth of baby Je-sus. After a harrowing three hour drive up bumpy mountain roads, we arrived in Darjeeling, a town near the Indian-Nepalese border.
Darjeeling is famous for its tea plantations. The area was colonized by the Brits in the 19th century and became a hillside...
A fitting song, given the amount of time I spend...
“Is there anything, apart from a really good chocolate cream pie and receiving a...”
– Bill Bryson via Quote Book 