Notes from Varanasi

An post-hospital email I sent from Varanasi:

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I think I'm gaining some weight back.

Homeopathic dietary remedies are indeed universal. I'm back to full capacity, all heroics having been avoided. Just a crazy place to experience being sick (and very sick) on my own for the first time.

Diwali consisted of too many fireworks going off, and cheap ones exploding loudly and too close to the ground. One took off straight at me, singing off some hair; although it's not noticeable, the smell was for a few minutes.

Election is soon. I'm really optimistic and reading way too much about it given my location, but whatever.

I'm good...taking both tabla and sitar lessons out here until Tuesday, at which point I head to Delhi and eagerly anticipate the election results that will come in Wednesday around 5am.

Tabla lessons for 150 minutes each day...I started sitar today, so we'll see how often I take those. Still, I'm making serious progress on the tabla. Bought one, and although it's heavy, it's insanely good quality and very happy about it. I'll lug it around with me so I can practice...it might be a burden, but it's one I'm willing to carry.

Things have definitely taken a great turn for the better since I've recouped. I was supposed to leave on Thursday (yesterday), but after finding this tabla teacher (who has his Ph. D in the instrument and lectures at the local university) who is all of 31 or so, things clicked, I started making progress and changed my flight until Tuesday so I could pack in as much learning as possible without spending too much time in Varanasi (there's still so much I want to see and so much I will not see...but all is good). What was planned as 3.5 days turned into 12 with a hospital stint as long as the original itinerary. Oh, how things change. Isn't it wonderful?

Met some foreigners who I've spent some time with. Still mainly doing my own thing, however. I'm pretty cool and happy on my own. I have things to do, things to see, tabla to practice, food to eat, and hours to sleep. I'm not being inactive...actually, sometimes I really am. Sometimes, I just don't feel like going to "that" museum today, and you know what - fine with me. Whatever I do is great, cause this is my time and I'm enjoying how I want to enjoy it when I want to. I'm getting a healthy mix of busyness and laziness, doing what feels right at the moment. Reading a lot, having fun, everything. All I've wanted it to be.

Scary thing: I'm more than halfway done. I have 5 months. Left 15 August, coming back around 15 Jan. Insanity. I'm not stressing, it's just crazy to think how the time has gone. I've done so much, but Beijing still kind of feels like yesterday, until I start counting all the things I've done since. But still...

If you don't mind, I kind of like some of the things I've written, and I need to make a post-hospital post...can I pull some of this email and repurpose it for the blog? Know that I'm writing this to you first, off the cuff, here at 1:30 am, at the computer in my guesthouse's office.

Sterling

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Last post abroad

But I will be sure to get back on here and write more in the US. Below is the text of an email I sent out to those who requested it:

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This email had to come.

Air Canada flight 002 departs Tokyo Narita Airport tomorrow evening at 5:20. Barring any surprises, I'm on it. I arrive in LaGuardia at 9:48, making it the longest 4.5 hours of my life. Maybe it's symbolic, given that I can savor my last 4.5 for 18 hours. How fortunate is that?

Shortly after I land I'll be heading to DC for 44's inauguration. On January 22 I fly back to LA, then on February 6 I take that final flight from the west unto the east, to my new home in NYC.

I write this to you all after having fallen off the radar for some period, though I'd call it a withdrawal. However you see it, I will be sure to write a few more posts and load many more pictures. Granted, updates after the fact are a bit anticlimactic, but I'll share them anyway. And what I do not share online I hope to share with you in person.

I return with all my limbs plus a few cuts and scars, but on the whole intact. I've made many friends, created and collected countless experiences, read voraciously, written profusely, and taken over 20 gigs of photos. All of that, both process and result, will stay with me for the rest of my life. These five months will be a part of my own personal history. Still, in my return I will find that the adventure is not yet over, only different.

New York City will be quite a test. In all of its intensity, it will challenge me to remember to breathe. In all of its distractions, it will challenge me not to forget the lessons and experiences of these five months. And in all of its demands, it will force me to persevere, to avoid the invitation to back down.

It will also be a lot of fun.

I am excited for what is to come. I am so happy that I will be able to see my family and friends so soon. I am also so thankful that I've been able to take these months to explore what is important to me in such an incredible part of the world. But what is most important is not the experiences I've had, but the awareness and appreciation for the people who have allowed me to have them.

So I say this to my family, my old friends and new friends: thank you for making this the most unreal dose of reality I've ever had.

I look forward to seeing you.

Sterling
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Sumo Tokyo

Going to a match this afternoon. Luckily I'm here during tournament time. I will take pictures and post them soon. Most likely the same day I post the other few hundred photos that are still not up.

Coming home Sunday. Feelings run across the spectrum, as expected.

Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto

I love this part of Japan. This area, in southwest Japan, is called Kansai, and with the rail pass I got I can just bounce around. I’m based in Osaka in a capsule hotel, which serves two functions: hilarious and cheap. But, from here, I can make it to Kobe in 23 minutes and Kyoto in 45 (or 20 on the bullet train).

So what have I done with all of this opportunity? Well, Friday night I got in and found a bar. Saturday I went to the Osaka aquarium. Can’t wait to post those pictures. They have two whale sharks in the world’s largest single aquarium tank, along with a manta ray with at least a 20 ft wingspan and tons more. And the spider crabs look kind of like the aliens in the new War of the Worlds. That evening I took the train to Kobe in search of the real deal – Kobe beef. Had to do it. Struggled to find something trustworthy until I happened upon the concierge at the Hotel Okura, where Johanna, the Aussie manager, made a reservation for me at the ideal spot. Dinner was mindblowing. Thankfully I could afford to buy myself dinner with the money I made playing blackjack on the cruise.

Went to a bar in Kobe, played darts with a guy from New York and his fiancé when that same (did I mention she was good looking?) girl from the hotel came in to the bar to meet the people I was playing darts with. Small world.

The night was fantastic although I almost missed the last train back to Osaka. Upon my return I realized I was a long way from the hotel. Tired and not with all my wits about me, I started walking in what I thought was the right direction. Thankfully, I was right. Still quite a few kilometers away with no chance for a taxi (no cash, I’ll explain in a minute), I asked two locals in their car how to get to Shinsaibashi and they told me to hop in. Lucky me. Even better that they, like many locals in this area, are dressed straight out of cartoons. Made it back to my capsule where I passed out until this morning, at which point I hopped over to Kyoto to walk around the temples. Took tons of pictures, relaxed at a perfect rock garden, walked around the geisha district, ate sashimi and duck shabu-shabu.

No snow on the ground, granted, but still an impossibly beautiful site. I’m going back tomorrow to see more, but Kyoto is so rich I could spend weeks and not see it all. Trying to get a good taste of Japan in the limited time I have here. I’ll definitely be coming back to Japan one day. Came back and went to the Umeda Sky Building in downtown Osaka. The building looks like the Grande Arche in Paris on drugs. It’s joined like the arch, but it is actually two complete and separate buildings with a “sky garden” connecting the two. On top of that, the middle of the connecting arch has a giant open circle in the center. Just look it up online. When you get to the top, the walkway around is lit with blacklights and has those funny reflective multicolored specks on the ground. Taking it all in, the only thing I could think was “only in Japan.”

After I post this I’m going back into my capsule. Funny, right? Like I mentioned, tomorrow will be Kyoto round 2. Tuesday I think I will go see the castle at Himeji, then maybe go all the way to Hiroshima. I think that would be a very important thing for me to do. Also, I have some friends at the Marine base 40 minutes from there, so that might just work out. Regardless of what I do, I need to be in Tokyo by Thursday afternoon for my flight to Hokkaido. The base is over 7 feet at the top. So pumped. Fresh fresh fresh powder, tons of backcountry and a brand new park.

Here in Osaka

Lately I've been a man of few words, I know. As I've said multiple times over the course of the last two months or so, I think that will change.

But until that point, I want to wish everyone a very happy and healthy new year. I spent mine watching the fireworks over the Sydney Harbour, drinking champagne smuggled into our spot on the grass at Ms. Macquerie's Point. Stayed up all night for my 8:35 a.m. flight back to Hong Kong, where I had a great day running around Central with my friend and his kids, then coming back for a killer Thai dinner made by his fiance. While he and I went out for a few drinks, she put together an apple crumble even better than the last one she made. A few beers later, we returned to eat and watch "The Death of Bruce Lee," starring some guy named La Pantera and the most ridiculous suits out of the 70s I've ever seen.

This morning I picked up the suits I had made and caught my flight to the place in which I reside, Osaka.

I've finally made it to the last country on the last leg of my tour. It really is a crazy feeling and I don't quite know how to describe it yet. All I know is that I'm really elated and I need to fill you all in on what's been happening.

For the moment let me give you my 16-day forecast. 5 days here between Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, then taking the bullet train to Tokyo (2.5 hours) to catch a flight up to Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. From there I take a 3 hour bus to Niseko, where I'll be snowboarding and/or skiing in waist-high powder, based on the current conditions. After that it's back to Tokyo for 5 more days where I'll soak in the last days with tons of sushi and maybe a drink or two at the top of the Park Hyatt so I can feel like Bill Murray.

From there it's a long flight on Air Canada to NYC, where I stay for maybe one or two nights before Gorode, myself, and maybe a few others head down to DC for the inauguration. Epic. Then it's back to NYC for a flight to LA to see the family that might've forgotten I exist. But, on February 6th, it's the one-way flight back to New York City, my final destination. At that point, this chapter of my life will officially be over, and I'll be ready for the next one to begin. Granted, the adventure is going to be a bit different now, but I still know it'll be an adventure.

I'm not going to write about my reflections on the past 4.5 months yet. I need to do that in private first. But I will write. About the past, about what's next, about it all. I just need to take some time to think it out. Currently, I'm just rambling, but I figured that rambling may be a bit better than another day of a void at the top of my blog.

I can't believe I'm in Japan. This is going to be incredible. This has all been incredible. I know the schedule of this last month is a bit over-the-top, I realize that. I'm so incredibly lucky to be able to do this. So now I'm in Japan. You know what's great about Japan? I get to see all the celebrity endorsements that they don't talk about in the US. What brought this to mind is that right next to this computer terminal is a vending machine selling coffee. On the bottom of the machine is an advertisement for BOSS coffee, with a picture of Tommy Lee Jones staring right at you. Perfect.

Lack of posts

Arrived in Sydney after about a week in Hong Kong. Incredible. Off to Tahiti tomorrow for a week of surf, then cruising with the family around the islands the next week for my dad's birthday.

Yes, this is the ridiculous sounding part of the trip, just in case the previous months haven't been crazy enough.

Just wanted to say hi...I'm alive. I'll write sometime, I think.

The constant change

Oh man...

I'm in Mumbai now. Things are fine. I was supposed to leave on Friday for a 24 hour layover in Bangkok before getting to Hong Kong for the week.

Considering there were thousands of people in my way (or one now ex-PM, depending on how you see the situation), Bangkok was no longer an option, and Thai Air had canceled my flight.

So, after arriving in Mumbai last night, I had to find a decent place to sleep, find some food, and get some rest, moving slowly and deliberately through the thick Mumbai air. A massive difference from the thin, crisp and clean air of the Himalayan north.

Today I had to figure it all out. Find a flight back to the US (now booked) and deal with how I'd deal with Thailand.

Sounds all too much like the troubles and travails of an all-too-lucky kid, ridiculously fortunate to even be able to have these problems. I know that. Still, I feel perfectly comfortable saying it's been a little frustrating.

It's the beauty of India. I love it here. I will miss it when I leave this Friday morning. Two great months of my life will be finished, wrapped up as I fly over the celebratory protestors of Bangkok on my non-stop flight to Hong Kong.

I've been off the radar for quite some time now. It's actually been really wonderful. And while I've posted some pictures, the lack of prose presents a great opportunity for me to sit down with you and share some of my experiences, including those which I wouldn't have written about anyway.

I'm flying back January 18th into NYC, then back in LA for a few weeks, then finally moving to NYC on February 6. Pretty pretty pretty soon. A friend asked me last night if I was sad about coming back. I replied that I'm not. First of all, it's still pretty far off, so some of this talk is quite premature. But, I know that the time I've spent out here has made a real and signficant impact on me in every conceivable way. I'm actually pretty excited to return. When I do, I will head into things with quite a different perspective. Had I left school and headed straight to work, I know I would have been highly susceptible to the myopia of "your job is your life." Now, and hopefully into the indeterminate future, I will experience life in a different way, having built up enough sense of self to resist the pressures of that mentality. That mentality which, it is sad to say, is all too pervasive, exaggerated in a place like Manhattan.

I don't know where to begin with recounting of my experiences. So, for the moment, I'll put it off. I've been doing a lot of that lately. But I'm perfectly fine with it. I hope you are. Let's just see it as an opportunity for us to sit down and spend some time.