Thailand, Nepal, and India (March-April 2001)

In March 2001, I arrived in Thailand for my first visit to Asia. I stayed only a few days in and around Bangkok, and took a day trip to Ayutthaya, a nearby city which is a former capital of Thailand and the site of many ruined temples.

I then flew up to Kathmandu and went for a trek in Sagarmatha National Park, around Mount Everest. After my trek and meeting up with some friends in Kathmandu, I traveled to India overland, crossing the border at Sonauli, and headed on to Agra.

I visited the Taj Mahal, a Krishna consciousness (Hare Krishna movement) ashram near Agra, Delhi, Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj, and Chennai (Madras), where some friends were living and working.

It was a challenging trip, probably the hardest since my very first, in Ireland. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun, and didn't escape the truly south Asian experiences of violent illness, deception and frustration. Here are some of the pictures I made during this two-month adventure into the unknown.

Thailand:

Nepal:

India:

Antarctica (Oct 2000-Feb 2001)

Zenith: a few more days left!

Hello again, intrepid readers of my very intermittent newsletter!

All is well here on the Ice - the season is winding down. The fuel ship has been and gone and the next ship in will carry Dad, who will be in town here for only a few hours before departing and continuing the cruise he's on to various historic sites around this side of Antarctica...

I'll be heading north to NZ sometime around Feb. 9. Nobody has left on schedule yet, but the high-capacity C-141 flights begin on Feb. 1, so that might pick things up a bit...

After that I'll be around NZ for a while before heading to Thailand, Nepal and India for March and April. It remains to be seen how much time I'll spend in each country, but I'm looking forward to the trip! I'm planning to visit a few friends in various places, if the timing works out...

I'm expecting to be back to the U.S. in the very early part of May, and I'll be in Vermont for a little while and then will be moving to Portland, Maine if all goes well! Many experiments in journalism await in Portland, from radio to a book project to more freelancing and who knows what else?

It's been great to make a few new friends down here, and to think about running into them in all sorts of crazy places around the globe in months and years to come...

I hope you're all well as January comes to an end! Write when you get a chance!

Love, Jeff