Links To The World

India 2/1/2000 to 4/3/2000
USDA Choice

Here are the E-mails that I sent while I was in India and Nepal. The trip was wonderful and I am working on next years trip back. The year after I will try something new but I must travel the southern part of India in 2001. The Plan (January Y2K)
I have my airline ticket in-hand and my visa is in the mail. I start off this trip in Delhi but with a quick exit to Rajasthan. This a city in India to the South East of Delhi. I will spend a full month there and then travel to Dharamsala for about a week. From here I am looking into ways of getting to Nepal. I will spend two weeks in Kathmandu. Then fly to Amsterdam for 10 days.
Things may change.

The Post Cards

Happy New Year 2/5/00

Hi Kids

Well it only took three days but I made it to India. I am now in Dharmshala which is north of Delhi. The flight was about 22 hours with a stop in Detroit and Amsterdam. Then I spent a day in Delhi getting a ticket to Kathmandu and a bus ticket to Dharmshala. The Dalai Lama is in retreat till the 22ed of Feb so I don't think I will see him. It is however the New Year and the party has started. There were fireworks in the street last night till it started raining. I hooked up with two guys from Calf. and we are rooming together. The internet is everwhere so I will try and send e-mails when I can.

Take care
Love Ronnie

First Week In India 2/7/00

Tashi Deli

Having a good time in the hills. The weather today got better and the sun came out. It was a good day to take photos and video. I hooked up with two guys from Oregon names Mike and Leaf. Leafs family supports a tibetan family so we have spent much time with them. Today we rented a taxi for two hours and visited two monastarys in lower Dharmshala. We were going to see the Lama that just came from Tibet but there was a four hour wait so we had to pass.

Yesterday I got to entertain all the Tibetan children. It was a new years party at the local school where there was a gift exchange. There was about 200 kids in all. I didn't make them all balloons but while they were all waiting for there gifts I shot balloons in the air. They were all running after them and having a good time. I did get to make Leafs friends family balloons and all the local children.

I will leave Dharmshala in the 9th and head south for the rest of my trip. I did get a ticket for Kathmandu on march 1st. I have been keeping myself from shopping but its hard. I just don't need the extra weight. I have been looking at silk rugs and I know I am going to get one but I can't carry that for very long.

I needed this trip. It has been work but not at the same pace as at home. Take care all and I will e-mail soon.

Ronnie

In The Land Of Ganesh 2/12/00

Well I have completed the Golden Triangle with a visit to Jiapur. The other two cities are Agra and Delhi. It was a long trip from Dharmsala with a 4 hour bus ride then an over night train ride on a hard seat then a 10 hour bus trip in which I got sick and was vomiting all over the side of the bus. I spent the first 12 hours in Jiapur sleeping. The next day I walked all over town doing some sight seeing. I visited the Hawa Mahal other wise know as the Palace of Wind. This is where the King kept all his wives and it has over 600 finely screened windows and balconies. This is so the women could see but not be scene. I also saw the Amber fort from a distance and a park full of sun dials. Being the fact Jiapur is a tourist hot spot it is full of shops and scammers. I did well at avoiding them all.

Now I am resting in Pushkar which is a small oasis is the middle of the desert. Pushkar has about 100 small temples around a small lake. I is a quite little place with a bunch of "hippy" shops selling clothes, pipes and just about every thing else. There are also many cows, monkies, holi men, camels and tourists. I will rest up here for a couple of days before heading to Udaipur.

Ronnie

Happy Valentine's Day 2/14/00

I will admit on the plane ride over here I did ask myself "what am I doing?" After adjusting to that 3ed world feel, and what a crazy feeling it is. I have once again found my lost love of traveling. Its not a matter of how much you can see but what there is to learn about life. I am still in Pushkar warming my bones in the desert sun. The desert is a funny place with hot days and cold nights. I have been spending a lot of time on the lake side doing writing and blowing off the locals. How many times a day can I handle being asked where I come from, My name, work and would you like to buy.... Well I now come from Japan and my name is Raja (king) not Ronnie (queen) and I'm a poor student. They get the idea and move on to the next tourist. Its a good thing I speak some hindi which really gets the point across.

Pushkar being a relaxed place is full of hippy shops selling cloths, pipes, wood carvings and just about every thing else. It is very much a part of India but with a small town feel. You still have all the hindu gods and there bright color posters. Having to bicker with shop keepers over rupees which are worth 2 cents if that. This should give me a good skill in looking for a new truck when I get home. The holi men and kids are every where with the never ending open hand. They want money or anything that they can use or sell. In hindi I ask for a rupee back at them and they just smile.

As for the kids, about 10,000 of them. I have to be very careful where I take out my balloons so as not to draw too big of a crowd. Yesterday I did make a Holi man a cow balloon and he was happy with that. I also did a balloon jam with a local vendor who was selling balloons.

Love Ronnie

Good Bye Pushkar 2/16/00

News coming from the other side of the World.

Well I will be taking an overnight (10 hours) bus ride to Jaisalmer. Tomorrow starts a camel fair till the 19th. After that than Udaipur before returning to Delhi on the 1st for my flight to Kathmandu. Just keeping you posted. There are many postcards in the mail lets see if any of them make it.

Ronnie

Now in Udaipur, India 2/25/00

Hello

Well I'm on my last week in India and it sure has been a fun time. After the camel fair in Jaisalmer I went sight seeing around the city. There is a large fort built on a hill in the center of town. The city was very nice but everyone wanted to sell me a camel ride in the desert. Sitting on a camel for days on end looking at sand just wasn't my cup of chai.

After Jaisalmer I took the over night train to Jodhpur. It is another city built around a fort but much larger then the one in Jaisalmer. The city was nice but it was too busy and there wasn't much to do or see. I did find a balloon shop in the market and I bought some Indian balloons. They have different sizes and shapes but the quality was the same (BAD). Its like everything in India, It works just not very well. On my 2ed and last day in Jodhpur I went to see a magic show. Samrat Shanker the Worlds greatest magician (India must be the whole world). The show was done in an Indian flare with a light show, dancers, unicycle, many props and bad costumes.

I am now in Udaipur and am setting up some business. There are about 200 art shops in the center of town. I am having an artist draw me some Flower Clown cartoons. I will pick them up tomorrow and see how they come out. While I'm in Udaipur I have to confirm my flight to Nepal and book a train ticket to Delhi. So far I have not spent the night in Delhi but it looks like I will have to before my flight.

Udaipur has a small lake in the center of town with the palace built on the water with a couple of temples. It is a very beautiful city and I'm lucky I have about four days to enjoy it.

I will e-mail you all from Nepal!

Love, Raja, Ronnie, Phul, Flower (I use many names in India)

In Nepal 03/03/00

Hello

Well I made my flight to Nepal. I am staying with my friends here. Its good to be back and see how things have changed and how they have stayed the same. I am having my first clown costume made and it should be done tomorrow. If it comes out well I will have about 8 more made. I should look good for Great Lakes Mall. I will also get some other cloths made here as well.

Tomorrow there is a festival in Kathmandu where there are fire eaters and other street shows. In three weeks it will be Holi which is a color and water fest. Ever one takes to the streets and when you return you are covered in color and wet from head to toe.

Ronnie

Keepin' buzy in Nepal 3/10/00

Hello all, or should I say Nimen-Hao

Well I have found many ways of using my time here in Bhaktapur. Every morning I am taking a class in Modern Chinese. I have mastered the tones but am still having a problem with some of the sounds. They are sounds that we do not use in english and when I hear them I can't speak them. When I do the make the sound I can't keep it for very long but I'm getting better. I am also learning the Chinese characters and how to read them. There is no ABC's in china but every word has a character. As of now I know about 30 words and can write about 5 characters.

In the evening I am teaching an english class and tutoring a girl in her english. I also have an hour where I get tutored in chinese. I spend about four hours a day in school. In the middle of the day I am getting all of my clown work done. The bags are coming along but I'm having a hard time finding the patterns I want for the costumes. I found the number for UPS and I am going to set up an account with them.

Next week I am going to join my teacher in his grade school and show them my clown and balloon act. This should be good fun. I found some magic in Delhi and I have use them on everyone. The hardest thing I'm doing is getting my friend Pradeepman to quit smoking.

A funny story that happened last week. I was in the shopping mall in Kathmandu and there were some people from the country side there. Well they have never seen an escalator before and they were having a lot of problems getting on. It was fun to watch something we all take for granted.

See you all real soon.

Ronnie

Mary Beth where are you? 3/22/00

Well I made it to Amsterdam yet again. MaryBeth I am at Bob's Youth Hostel. I you just exit the Amsterdam central Station walk to your right and at the 2ed road there is the Kudaster building and across the street there is The Cafe' Karpershoeke and Fancy Free. Walk down that street and ver to your left just past the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Bob is on the lefthand jut about 20 doors down.

Herb, I will give you a call today or tomorrow and we can hook up from there.

To all my other friends, I am well and sad to be out of Nepal. I did a lot of work while I was there and I have so much more when I get home. Andy, I need your help in setting up a total internet store. I have 75Kg of stuff that I'm bringing home as well as some other things that were shipped. Al, you owe me BIG. Because of weight most of the gifts I have are silver but I do have 40 balloons bags which is over half my weight. Then for myself I picked up a 12Kg and 2 foot Ganish made from brass. I have left a lot or work to be done so These items will be shipped later.

Holi was a blast. Holi is the coming of spring fest in India and Nepal. It is a day of colored power and water. Balloons play a big part in the whole thing. I did save some balloons because I did a magic and balloon show at a school in Bhaktapur Nepal for about 300 kids. On my return I will be at Damon's on Wed and Great Lakes Mall on Sat and Sunday.

See you all very soon,

Love Ronnie

I need balloons / found MB 3/23/00

Hello everyone

Things are well. I found Mary Beth or should I say she found me. I forgot to wait at the airport for 6 hour till she got in. She did come to Bob's and now we are getting things together, well the best way we can. We are in Amsterdam. I ended up having 165lbs in baggage at the airport. I had to pay Royal Nepal an extra $58 but one of my bags got damaged on the flight and they never charged me for the extra weight from Delhi to Amsterdam which should have been an extra $600. :o) who's happy! Everything was still in the bag but just the side ripped out from the weight of a Brass Ganish, all 27lbs of him. I just need to find a box and ship him home. Mark there is a box coming to your house it should take a week or two. Al, your i getting shipped tomorrow. The rest is going to my house or on my back.

Amsterdam is nice. The music is just like WCSB with out the Hindi hour. I may not of hit that hour yet. The day after tomorrow we will take a train to Rotterdam and then work south.

Every thing is well and now I have to wake up MB and get to the art museum.

Have a nice day :o)

Ronnie

*******

Back in Amsterdam 3/28/00

Chello

Well after living in India and Nepal for two months I don't need Amsterdam's weather. Marybeth and I both cought a cold. We did make it to Rotterdam and got to see Fantasia at the IMAX. Today was a day of rest but tomorrow we will see some museums. My friend from England is coming in for the weekend.

There are boxes coming home to different places. Keep your eyes open. Most of them are filled with bags.

Love ronnie

Asia Trip 96-97

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