I'm in Katmandu!

I'm here! In heaven! I love Katmandu! Okay so it is a city, but I grew up in the city and after Dehli this is a cake walk. Oh so much to say about my time in India...but first I wanted to thank everyone who wrote to me. I do feel so far away and hearing anything helps. So my trip so far has been Dehli to Kashmir then a very loooong trip by land from KaSHMIR to Katmandu....I do not recommend. Maybe when I was younger...no on second thought I just don't recommend. Perhaps I am a travel wimp. That's okay I can live with that. In India driving is a whole different game. Weaving in and out of traffic at 40 km per hour going around tight corners on ten thousand foot cliffs through the Himalayas.....I really have never been more afraid. I was really scared. I was almost ready to get out and walk. But I didn't and now I am in Katmandu. And I won't be doing that again, ever. Okay, so I'm going a bit out of order. First Delhi was Delhi. It's a very overwhelming city. Luckily while I was there I was still in a place of complete bliss from the newness of it all. Then Kashmir, which was breath taking. I spent time with the gypsies who live deep in the Himalayan mountains. That was magic. They live so simply and so close with natural, it's beautiful. I was climbing a mountain and I hadn't seen another persome for like an hour and I get to the top of this mountain and there are two gypsy kids at the top just playing. I went up to them and said "Where are your parents!!??" And of course they just look at me, because they don't speak english. And even if they had spoken english I'm sure they would have reacted the same. These people live with the mountain. They are free. It was a life changing adventure. Oh and the best part was the time I spent with their children. We didn't speak the same language, I mean some broken english, but there is a light that children have and these children were like firecrackers. We sang and danced and laughed and played games. Oh I just fell in love. And Kashimir itself was breathtaking. The Muslim family I was staying with was so sweet. They took very good care of me. I was sad to leave. So then from Kashmir to Jammu by crazy Indian Jeep, it's like a carpool. Then from Jammu to Godakpur which is south of Nepal. I got there at 1:00am after a 27 hour train ride. I stayed in a nasty 2 dollar hotel and woke early to take another crazt jeep ride to the border of Nepal. This driver drove the car into a ditch and so we got out of the car in the middle of a tiny village. They were all looking and pointing at me. I heard the kids mimicing me speaking and laughing. It was funny to hear them imitate english. So then after crossing the border I went to Lumini where the Buddha was born. From there I took another crazy bus ride through the Himalayas. And now I am in Katmandu. I love it here. It's good to be out of India. I ,mean it was a great experiece and I'm sure I'll come back, but not alone. I was too much of a target, especially with the men. The Nepali people are great and they all look like me...And they all think I'm Nepali...I love that. I want to make a photo album of me dressed in costumes from around the world.....Like it's a small world after all in Carrie's face..ha ha. Okay so I will be going into the monastary for a month tomorrow, so no more emails.....but I would love to come out and hear from all of you. I Love YOU ALL so much, and I feel like an alien here sometimes, especially when they stare at me like I'm an alien. I hope you are all treating each other well and enjoying this beautiful gift we call life. This trip has given me such a chance to reflect...I am so blessed and all of you are a part of that. Sometimes on this trip it's really scary, but I feel like everyday I am jumping off a cliff, and rigth when I'm about to cry God catches me and again I am freed. Faith is something that is a verb and I'm learning so much about it. The other day I sat in the Jeep next to a man who was the President of all of Hindu temples in the region of Jammu he lived in. He had so much knowledge to share with me. He invited me home to meet his wife and son and wait for my train, but I was worries about missing the train so I declined, so he escorted me to the train station, showed me all around and got me tea and sat with me until he was sure I felt comfortable and safe. He said he knows God sent him to make sure I was okay. There have been angels like this all along the way. I feel so full of love and light....like I'm flying. I can't wait to see how things are after the monastary. Maybe I'll pop. Wouldn't that be funny if I just burst. Okay that's enough. I'll write more in a month.