trail letters: the art of finding home on the road

camels make the world go round in tordi garh

  Red splashes on Rajasthan’s desert landscape. After six hours of traveling by bus from Agra, I knew we had arrived somewhere magical based on the bright colors of the sarees. Neon orange, fuchsia pink and bright red sarees dotted the desert and towns through which we were passing.  Rhinestones, embroidery and jewels rimmed women’s faces, and many covered their faces with sheer fabric – altogether a different trend from Delhi, Agra and Varanasi.  Considered Read more…

By LKH, ago

taj mahal: love in symmetry

Taj in all her glory (with some work being done on two of the minarets). The world’s greatest and most magnificent tribute to love, the Taj Mahal, offers a combination of old world romance and contemporary vision. After passing through the east gate, I saw the white cupolas peeking out over the red brick barrier and felt giddy about the impressive structure located just steps away. The glory of this structure, and the history of Read more…

By LKH, ago

smoke, ashes and a new year in varanasi

The ghats are covered.   A deceased individual, wrapped in a white sheet, flowers and garlands, being carried to the ghats for cremation.   Filled with Indians of all ages, men and women, sarees and trousers.  White-bearded priests with loin cloths and young women beating laundered sheets on planks.  Little boys flying kites and teenagers in school uniforms huddled around smartphones.  Babies learning to walk with their hands held by older siblings, mothers and aunts.  A rainbow of sarees Read more…

By LKH, ago

diaries from a world-observing, people-watching rickshaw passenger

The view from the two-seater auto rickshaw is a reminder of the fragility of life.  When passenger buses and cars come within spitting distance from your head and eyes, you really wake up and stay alert. View from over Laxman’s right shoulder – close call! Day three in Delhi has served up a healthy dose of wandering the streets in an auto-rickshaw under the leadership of my new friend and driver, Laxman (pronounced “Rock-sh-man”).  Having Read more…

By LKH, ago

cycle rickshaw: best seat in delhi town

View from back of a pedicab in Old Delhi. Part of my gaining ground in a new place is spending that opening day in the streets, and discovering some of the sights that have made it historically rich and memorable.  My opening day in Delhi was no different, and I hired a guide to plug me into a list of sights to visit, including the awesome Red Fort. Following a few quick visits on the Read more…

By LKH, ago

discovering gloria steinem 31,000 up in the air

I am embarrassed to admit my discovery of Gloria Steinem at the age of 37.   And by discovery, I mean developing a greater depth of awareness about her beautiful genius and authorship above and beyond the acronyms of NOW and ERA.  She is so much more than some pretty gal who wore her beautiful hair long, and invited women to burn their bras. After hearing Gloria’s clear 81 year-old voice speak, along with my Read more…

By LKH, ago

digital disintegration in 16 hours

I thought it was pretty evolved of me to accept the loss of my iPhone minutes before my departure to New Delhi as a “sign from the universe.”  No panic, nor backpack contents flying through the air at the gate, nor tears for the loss of the opportunity to listen to Spotify for the next 16 hours of my flight. Seriously.  The timing was poetic, in a way.  I had just sent out a holiday Read more…

By LKH, ago

fire dancer in a Panamanian water town

I got in an argument with a Panamanian woman over the cost of a national park entrance fee. Kuni Indian textile on display at a market in the Casco Viejo area of Panama City Before I knew it, I was being told that “people like me, who are used to five-star restaurants and services, think that they [we] can just steal from from her.”  Then she picked up the phone and threatened to call the Read more…

By LKH, ago

cobble stones and fishing boats: paraty, brazil

Following a four hour drive from Rio, I landed in Paraty, a beautiful small town with cobbled streets and brightly Local fishing boats in Paraty. colored door frames and window sills.  I checked into my pousada, discovered their bike collection and was immediately off to the colonial center of town.  In no time, I was blazing through these streets on a mountain bike, hopping across cobbles alert to find the smoothest stones for riding and Read more…

By LKH, ago

favela wander: rocinha, brazil

    View of Rio from the apex of Rocinha favela. My wander through the Rocinha favela kicked up two observations about the relationship between permanence and impermanence.  First, the assumption that poverty is a permanent layer of city life; and the second, that the ancient, human replication of poverty has created this sense of permanence. Rio’s favelas are world renowned.  There are documentaries, books and journalists that capture the “rich and raw lifestyle of Read more…

By LKH, ago