EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY FOR TOMORROW WE DIE . . .

"There are as many nights as days,
and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course.
Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness,
and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning
if it were not balanced by sadness." - Carl Jung

It's a rainy, cold & dreary day in Toledo . . . it's like the weather is reflecting my cold & dreary mood. Man, it's harder than I thought it would be to get back to reality. Poor me, boo hoo. Poor my parents, who have to put up with this crap for another 1-1/2 weeks. Now that's a REAL boo hoo:-)

So it's the perfect time to follow up the "Top 10 Worst Things on My Trip" list with a "Top 10 Best Things on My Trip" list. Which really is so hard to do because there were WAY more than ten things that kicked serious heiny. Like the whole four months, even the bad parts, were things I wouldn't trade for a jillion dollars.

OK, so maybe I would consider some bartering for a jillion dollars because "that's the way I roll." But assuming that a jillion dollars isn't looming in my immediate future, here are a few of my favorite things in no particular order:

THE BEST OF TIMES

1. Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels, Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles . . . HA, HA, HA. LOLCAT says "I iz liar cuz I eat poneez."

It's serious from here on out.

1. Everything about the Annapurna Trek except for falling on my ass (see previous post): Sharing it with my Dad, seeing the beauty of non-Kathmandu Nepal, waking up to that first unfogged view of the mountains, singing & dancing with the village kids, being able to walk over various & questionable suspension bridges without throwing up and/or fainting, meeting Kylie & Vishnu, the feeling of accomplishment when we were through . . . this could constitute a whole post in and of itself.
2. Nighttime tuk-tuk riding In Varanasi with Ka Ka at the wheel.
3. Annie & I tracking tigers from the back of an elephant in Bandhavgarh, witnessing the ultimate in flapping camel lips from Raz's windows and expressing our Yeti love in song.
4. Bhang in: a) Lhassi form in Varanasi . . . could there possibly BE anything more hilarious than THAT DOG????? I think not. b) Cake/cookie form in Jaisalmer . . . laughing with Nic & Steve, Mr. Potato Head come to life in the hut's exterior and the fact that I'd be DEAD, yes DEAD, if I'd had to find my own hut's interior in ten seconds or else. Need I say more?
5. Laying back on the sand and watching a clear night sky just filled with stars after riding into the Rajastan desert on camels.
6. First night of bush camping . . . THIS is what it's all about, I thought to myself, my unjaded "everyone will help" self.
7. Agonda - how I loved you. Every sandy little bit.
8. Oooty - riding on Raz's roof, starting the awesome roomie extravaganza with Nic, scary Santa, Jolly World and GoKarts, riding listless horses around the lake with Pia, thinking for the first time that my truck crush would go somewhere (which it did NOT, let's just get that out of the way NOW) . . .
9. The PERFECT DAY with Darren in Darjeeling. Seriously.
10. My fellow travelers. There are those I loved to hate, those who proved to be endless sources of gossiping/bitching fodder, those who I lusted after, those who I just loved period and those who will be lifelong friends if I'm lucky.

About to head off to the annual "Wine & Seafood Festival," so starting to drink some wine. Have a great weekend one & all . . .