My love is back! | 05.31.11

Namaste! Guess who's back from India! What an amazing adventure full of friendly people and a beautiful back drop for them to live in, outside of the garbage, the smells and poverty that is in almost every direction you look. Varanasi, Mumbai, Varkala and Darjeeling to Gangtok are my personal favorite highlights of India by far. Of course, it isn't fair for me to toss in the negatives above but they are a reality of India that you cannot ignore if you go there but once you accept it for what it is, India is a very wonderful country. Crossing the border from Nepal into India I was taken back by having to pay to use a public washroom and felt bad when I had no small change to offer those who kept it clean and in working order. As time went on, I learned to carry small amounts for such unexpected encounters - like the boy following me around carrying an empty potato sack, his young innocent face covered in streaks of dirt, his ruffled hair a home to clumps of dust and his clothing nothing more than tattered rags we'd use to wash our car, asking for small change to get to the next day. He wasn't poking me or lifting held fingers together to simulate eating, he just followed me in the street and whenever I'd turn around, he'd stop and stand, gazing right back in return. Sadly I did not have my camera on me and if I did, I'd had given him a lot more for the opportunity to take his picture. You want rupees for this? Goa is well known for its beaches but if you're looking to get away from the crowds of Palolem and Goa in general, hit Varkala in Kerala instead. Rather than flying from Delhi International to Goa, you can go from New Delhi to Trivandrum International Airport and grab a taxi to the beaches of Varkala. The hut resorts and dotted hotels are on the cliff, with the beaches below, so your view of the surrounding region is done from a natural high point already, giving you a nice view of the entire coast. Sunset, swimming and drinking - Goa! Even though it had not reached summer highs as of yet, being in Rajasthan along the Pakistan border was brutal. Hot days of scortching heat with an equally unrelenting and unforgiving sun caused tempatures to soar in Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Bikaner, making travel uncomfortable, although camping under the stars in the Thar Desert made getting out there worth the hassle of fighting with the heat. A packed alleyway The Thar Desert Colourful textiles So I've been working on a side project for the Neverwinter Nights Community, putting together some new loadscreens and I've been fiddling with this off and on since my return, while I run through the Fate of the Auren to get back into the flow of things. These are specific to Fate of the Auren but will also be released to the community as an individual package. Things will slowly return to normal, as they always do but until then, I still miss the great people I met along the way and continue to think of you all.