I'm back from India and in full effect. India was an eye opening experience. I don't think I will ever forget about my travels there. It doesn't look like I will be going back to India in the near future. I was looking forward to going back and seeing Varkala Beach in Kerala, the Sunderbans near Kolkata, Rajasthan, and the India Himilayas, but I guess I will have to wait until my next opportunity to fly to India for free :)

For the past couple of months, I've been engaged in a lot of continental US travel. I spent a couple of weekends in San Francisco (what a relief not to go to the airport for once) and weekends in New York, Las Vegas, and Monterey. There is something nice about knowing what to expect when I travel in the US like lines on the road that actually mean something or no cows/random animals lying on the road after a blind turn, but that's another story.

Anyhoo, I took my new D-SLR camera for a spin in Monterey. Take a look at my pictures!

The management on my project dropped a major bomb on me last week. They told me that I have 2 options: 1) Continue to stay in India for an additional month or 2) Go back to the United States immediately for 6 weeks and then come back to India for a grand whopping total of 5 months. After thinking it over for a total of about 10 seconds, I decided that 5 months is just way too long. I need to be in the states this summer because of Lina and Charlene’s weddings, and also, I can’t be away from my family, friends, golf, and cow for that long. Needless to say, I opted for the 1st option. I did, however, bargain a fly back to the states and a much needed 1-week vacation from 3rd worldliness.

This means that my trekking plans in Nepal will have to be postponed until after the 1 month stint and instead of heading to Nepal on Friday, I will be heading home to the glorious U.S. of A. On the way home, I scheduled a 1 day stop in Kuala Lumpur and a 3 day stop in Seoul to see my brother. It’s a good thing because I’ve been craving Korean food and I don’t think I can make it all the way back to Los Angeles without having some ASAP.

All in all, I'm very happy to be heading home. I just hope that the cows are ready for me. MOOO!

I finally posted pictures of my travels in India! For the past of couple months, when I'm not at work in Chennai, I've been venturing around India and snapping a lot of pictures for all you andyshin.com fans out there. Do you hear crickets chirping? Anyways, on to my travels..

For my first available weekend, I flew up to northern India and visited Delhi and Agra. I had the opportunity to witness the breathtaking beauty of the Taj Mahal. Even with all the hype from my Indian co-workers, it was every bit as immaculate and stunning as I had imagined.

The next weekend, I went on an overnight camp and trek at the Periyar Tiger and Wildlife Sanctuary in Kumily. I saw elephants, bison, wild boar, black monkeys, flying squirrels, sambar deer, but no tigers. :( We camped on a tiny island in the middle of a lake, so that we would be protected at night from the wildlife. An hour or so after nightfall, a family of elephants came to the edge of the water for a drink. We heard splashing water and saw silhouettes of the elephants about 100 meters across the lake. By this point, the 6 armed wildlife rangers who guided us into the reserve were flashing their high-powered flashlights into the trees and surrounding areas to make sure elephants or other wildlife weren't circling around us. The elephants were dangerously close (in prior trips, the elephants stampeded the island), so the rangers decided to scare them away with a firecracker. This ended the heated stand-off, but the occasional beastly roars that echoed through the Jurassic Park-like valley all night didn't really put me at ease while I was sleeping.

The following weekend, I went to Kerala, India's land of milk and honey. I took a boat ride from Alleppey to Kumarakom where I stayed at the Whispering Palms, a wonderful riverfront resort. The following day, I ventured back up to Cochin and saw the Vazhachal and Athrirapally waterfalls. Dozens of people die each year from wandering too far into the river and falling off the cliff of the waterfall, so I made sure to keep my distance.

Then, I went to Mumbai, formally known as Bombay. After hearing a lot about the pollution and poverty in Mumbai, I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised! The food in Mumbai was absolutely amazing, quite possible the best food that I've had in India and there was so much life and vibrance in the city. The 'New York City' of India, definitely didn't disappoint.

For my final travel weekend in India, I went to the beautiful Indian state of Goa. I spent 2 nights at the Goa Marriot, which was nice, but too insulated and sheltered for my liking. I spent an afternoon sun bathing on the beaches of Calangute and Baga, which was WAY too crowded and over touristy. Someone came up and asked me to buy something every minute, on the minute. I'm serious. In dire need of some peace and quiet, I retreated to the southern part of the state and stayed in a QUIET beach shack in Palolem, Goa's most idyllic beach. I finally found what I was looking for, a clean, quiet, laid back beach, but the time to pack came too soon and I was on my way back to Chennai. I will definitely visit Goa again.

As for my upcoming travels, I'm staying in Chennai for my final weekend in India and then I'm off to Nepal for 10 days or so. After I get back from Nepal, I'll give you an update!