Bloody Sunday

So today we headed out to a morning softball practice. Danielle bought a new bat and thought it would be a good opportunity to break it in. Right before it was my turn to hit, I went to catch a ground ball, and it popped back up at me and jacked up my finger. Danielle wrapped it up to stop the bleeding and took me to Urgent Care. It took four stitches to tack my nail and skin back down to my finger. I also broke my fingertip, so now I have to take antibiotics for the open fracture. Enjoy the pics. Hopefully you don't have a weak stomach!

And if your laughing at the beard, some friends and I are doing it for the Hockey playoffs. If the Sharks lose it's gone.

Kiss It Mother Nature

Mother Nature really knows how to piss you off. She decided to provide us with a ho-hum winter, then teased us with weather in the 80s earlier in the week, and followed it up with a nice dusting of snow on Friday.

Holi Celebration India

While I was in India I was lucky enough to be there during the Holi Festival. I really enjoyed spending the day having fun with the locals. It's really just a big party, everyone runs through the streets putting a powdered color on each other, within 10 minutes your every color of the rainbow. If you are going to India plan on being there in March for Holi, you will not be disappointed.

Below is a brief description I got from a website.

Holi celebration takes place with lots of joy and verve throughout the India. The enthusiasm of the people reaches its peak and matches with the nature which is in full bounty at the time of Holi.

Holi is being celebrated in Indian since time immemorial but the popularity of Holi celebrations seems to be rising with every passing year and so is the level of hoo-ha. As no other festival gives so much liberty to the people to let their hair loose and enjoy their hidden crazy self.

Differences of any sort are drowned in the colored waters and powders of Holi and people just enjoy being a play animal. Then there is total wildness as people dance to the rhythm of dholak and sing traditional folk songs in loudest possible pitch.

Aces Lose 3-2

We'll we seem to be bad luck for the Aces. We went to our 2nd game tonight and they lost again. It was a good game until the last at bat, but they lost 3-2. Go check out the Aces the stadium is Awesome.

Reno Aces AAA Baseball

We've got a new AAA baseball team, the Reno Aces. This has been in the works for the last 5 years and the time is finally here. There is a brand new $50,000,000 stadium in the heart of Downtown Reno and it's a great ballpark. Danielle and I bought a quarter season or 18 games with My Aunt Ginger and Janet. We had tickets to the opener on Friday night but I decided to sell them for 7x face value to cover some of the season, people were looking for them on Craigslist and I couldn't pass up the deal. Today was our first game and I was impressed by the park there isn't a bad seat in the stadium. The Aces were playing the Salt Lake Bees, they traded off runs for the whole game and lost in the 11th inning but were fighting tell the end. The crowd was hyped and into the game, lets hope the fans in Reno can keep up there interest and keep the Aces in Reno for years to come.

The Aces are the AAA team for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They were brought to Reno from Tucson, formally the Tucson Sidewinders.

Paris the End to a Great Trip

My final stop before returning home was a 26 hour trip in Paris. I was really excited about this stop when I was planning my trip, but after leaving India and seeing the weather was in the 40’s and raining, which I wasn’t ready for, I wished I was just going straight home.

But after spending a day in Paris freezing my but off I really enjoyed it, and it makes me want to come back prepared, with Danielle and a big bag of cash.

I felt like I saw a lot of the city in my short time there. I took the train from the airport to the city for 8 Euro. I started off at the Notre Dame Cathedral which was empty, I spent about 30 minutes wandering in amazement by the size and detail, the stained glass was my favorite. I then jumped back on the train and went towards the Eiffel Tower. I stopped for breakfast at this cool little café and had an omelet and crêpes which ended up costing me 20 Euro’s this is starting off to be an expensive day.

When I got to the Eiffel tower it was still early and not that busy, you have two choices to get to the middle platform 2 take the stairs 4 Euro or Elevator 8 Euro, I’m sure you can all guess which method my cheap ass took. It was really cool but the wind was blowing and it was freezing, I ran to the top trying to get warm. Once on the 2^nd platform the only way to the top was by another elevator, I was going to take it not even sure of the price but the line was a few hours long and it was way to cold, and I only have one day in Paris so it will have to be on another trip.

After taking a ton of pics at the Eiffel tower I jumped on a tourist bus that took me to all the places I wanted to go and you could jump on and off as much as you wanted, and they came every 15 minutes which worked well, it was another 24 Euro for a 2 day pass. I then took the bus for an hour to figure out the city and get warm.

My next stop was at the Arc de Triomphe which was, erected by the Emperor Napoleon in 1806 to commemorate France's military prowess. Must Americans recognize it as the end of the Tour De France! I heard it was really cool to walk up the stairs to the top, and I really enjoyed it, there is a museum in the middle that is very interactive and informative. The view from the top was my favorite of Paris. It is in the center of a huge round about and really gave me a sense of Paris. It’s at the end of the west end of the Champs-Elysées, the city's most famous avenue, at the juncture known as the Etoile (star), where 12 prestigious avenues radiate out from the arch. I would recommend anyone in Paris to go up in the Arc de Triomphe.

I then jumped back on the bus and went to the area near the Opera House, and was amazed by the building and the busy high end neighborhood. I then went back and strolled the Champs-Elysées and was amazed by the high end shops and amazing cafés. It is a very high end area, and the most expensive street in Europe to lease a building.

After a little walking I was freezing again and decided to go to the Louver, I didn’t plan on going there but thought it would be warm and I do like art. I had just listened to the Da Vinci Code a few days before which made it exciting. I was amazed by how big the Louver was, I spent 3.5 hours there and maybe saw a quarter of it, and they have over 35,000 pieces of art. I was amazed by how big some of these paintings were, and shocked by how small the Mona Lisa was, not sure what the amazement with that painting is. All the sculptors were really amazing. I’ll have to return with Danielle some day to really enjoy it.

I then walked along the Seine River which looks like a really nice place to stroll or ride your bike, if it were about 40 degrees warmer. As it was getting late I decided I was going to head back and sleep on the airport floor instead of getting a hotel to save money. I took the bus back to the Notre Dame and was shocked by the hundreds of people that were there as it was closing. I went back in and a mass was going on, I set there for a few minutes but it was all in French so not sure what was going on. I had dinner near Notre Dame then jumped back on the train to the airport. I got there at around 10:30 and walked around for awhile trying to find a place to sleep, which was tough since all the seats are metal with arm rest and the floor was all tile. I ended up finding a closed restaurant in the terminal that another guy was already sleeping at. It didn’t take me long to fall asleep after my busy day. I sleep well until about 2 when I was awoke by arguing, I looked up and there were about 15 people know sleeping here and two guys were fighting over a spot, I took a closer look around and most the people sleeping looked homeless. I was a little nervous after this and planed an escape route encase the bums wanted my spot. It ended taking me awhile to fall back asleep but I woke up at about five and everything was fine. I got up early before anyone else and went to the bathroom washed up then graded some breakfast. I was really excited knowing I was going to be home with Danielle that night. Paris ended up being a cool place, but it was really expensive. I ended up spending 120 Euro’s in one day which was about 10 days budget in India. I would love to come back to Paris some day with Danielle, but I need to save a lot of cash for that trip.

McLeod Ganj "Little Lhasa"

I was really excited for my last stop in India, Dharamsala / McLeod Ganj which is were all the Tibetan refugees have made there home. The Tibetan government in exile has also made this home. The town sits perched on the Himalayas at about 7000ft, with peaks behind it at 18,500ft which makes for impressive views in all directions.

The 10 hour bus ride was all on narrow mountain roads. I listen to the Da Vinci Code form start to finish which made the bus ride seem quick. The bus arrives in Dharamsala which is about 10km from McLeod Ganj which you can take a local bus or shared taxi in the day. Since our bus arrived in the night, I split a taxi with two other tourist to the Green Hotel, which was a nice Tibetan ran hotel. It reminded me of some of the guest houses I stayed at last year in Nepal, they had a good little restaurant and internet at the hotel which made it nice to chat with Danielle.

In McLeod Ganj I really enjoyed the laidback Tibetan lifestyle. I did a lot of hiking in the mountain going to little temples. I did go to the Main Buddhist Temple were all the monks live and train, it was interesting watching them debate. I did go to a candle light vigil which was an amazing experience, there were a few thousand monks and Tibetans that were there to morn for a monk that had been jailed in Tibet by the Chinese for protesting with a Tibetan flag, after a year in jail he had commit suicide. It was really sad they showed a video about all the torture the Chinese have been putting the Tibetans through over the last 50 years. Over 1.5 million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese in the last 50 years. The only way they are allowed to live free, is run away over the Himalayas to Nepal or India, on a 12 day trip that they are only able to walk at night and sleep in the day, because they will be killed by the Chinese military if seen leaving Tibet. It was really an eye opening experience, about things that are still going on in the world that might get overlooked due to trade agreements and commerce.

My 3 days I spent in McLeod Ganj were a great way to end my trip. I meet a ton of great people and heard lots of heroic stories of Tibetans leaving there homeland for freedom. I also did some hiking in the foothills to relax and reflect on how amazing my three week trip to India was. This was another highlight of my trip.

I took a 12 hour overnight deluxe train back to Delhi. I had two days one night left in Delhi, I was really tiered from the bus, so I spent half the day sleeping back at my room were I started at the Smyle Inn. I did manage to get up before the sun set and did a little shopping for the family and had an amazing dinner for 70 cents, you’ve got to love the prices in India. On my last day I walked to Caugnaught place and spent most of the day reflecting and talking to locals. I meet a few really great people that day. I went to coffee with a nice guy Rohit, we really connected after a few hours he was telling me I have to come back to India in a few years to attend his wedding , who knows maybe I will.

My flight to Paris wasn’t until 1 am so I got to the airport at about 10 and had dinner. I really enjoyed India but was ready to get home to Danielle, but first I had a 1 day stopover in Paris.

Shimla Hill Fort, India

After spending most my time in India in the hustle and bustle of the big cities, I decided to spend my last week in the Himalayan foothills. I first went to the little charming town of Shimla, which I later found out, is the honeymoon capital of India. To get there I took the overnight train from Delhi to Kalka, then the Toy train from Kalka to Shimla. It was the coolest little train. When I booked it I knew it was the small gauge railroad but I didn’t know it was a 14 passenger engine and car built together. They have 8 trains that go to Shimla and the Rail Motor I was on is the only train like this. On the train I meet a nice young girl and here mother that were nice enough to share there food with me. The ride is amazing the train covers the distance of 96 km from Kalka through the curving tracks, up to Shimla hills- the summer capital of colonial India. The toy train trek from Kalka to Shimla is adorned with resplendent panorama of the valley and the picturesque stations along the way. The train passes through 103 tunnels, 969 bridges, 919 curves and 20 railway stations in its entire journey. The total ride was about 4 hours.

When I arrived into Shimla, I didn’t have anything booked so I walked to town which is a mile or so, were no cars are allowed in the center area of town. I got a nice room for 300 INR which is about 6 dollars. I spent most of the day walking around and exploring the cool little town, it’s definitely a big summer Indian tourist area. When the plains of India heat up past the 100’s in the summer, the well off people escape the heat by coming up to the cooler weather of Shimla elevation 7200ft. There was a ton of shopping and good restaurants. I decided to book a bus tour for the following day, to check out some of the surrounding towns. The bus was a basic Grey Hound type, but the roads were narrow 1 lane mountain roads with traffic going both ways. It seemed a little sketchy but the driver does it every day so he seemed to be under control. The one crazy part about the drive was there was a car and motorcycle Thunderbolt rally race going on which had cars coming on at top speeds even in the corners which made for a few tense moments. The bus was all Indian tourists but me. The first stop which was Kufri, which the main attraction is a small zoo, but what got all the Indian families excited was it snowed a few inches over night. I living in the snow didn’t care much, but it was cool seeing how happy all the others were, none of the Indian’s on the trip had ever seen snow, I was throwing snowballs at them at they loved it. We then went to Chail which is a 5 star hotel that used to be a palace. It was nice but really just a place they were trying to suck a little money out of you. Our last stop was Kiaright which was another hotel trying to suck more money out of me. The bus trip wasn’t the greatest but it only cost a few bucks and seeing the amazing countryside was what I really wanted to do.

I spent the evening back in Shimla walking around experiencing the town. The next morning I was off to Dharamsala on a 10 hour mountain bus ride so I went to bed early. Overall Shimla was a nice place, I wouldn’t spend more than a few days there, but I do recommend it.

Softball Season Begins

This week was the start of the Sparks 2009 spring softball season. I am playing on two teams a men's team on Tuesday night and a coed team on Friday with Danielle, And she's is playing on a coed team Thursday night and with me on Friday.

The season started off cold and windy, Tuesday night was in the low twenties and I wasn't excited to be playing softball, but at least we won the first game of the season. Thursday was Danielle's first game since the surgery and she was playing outfield to limit the chances of any collisions, she ended up playing a good game and they won. On Friday night we had a double header in the top coed league, this team hadn't practiced at all this year so we were a little rusty. We ended up losing both games, but I think were well practiced for the next game.

Varanasi and the Holy Ganges River

Varanasi was one of the most interesting places I have ever been. It's the holiest place in the world for the Hindu religious. The Ganges river flows through the city and the Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in the river ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations.

I took an evening and morning boat ride down the river and everything is done at the river, from bathing, washing there cloths, dishes, praying, yoga and even cremation ceremonies. The Hindus are cremated in public after being dipped into the river 3 times, then placed on a pile of logs and cremated. It was really strange for me coming from America were death is such a behind closed doors and sad experience. In India I saw several funeral precessions coming down the small alleyways of Varanasi, and the family was not crying, even during the cremation, they believe if you cry the soul feels bad and attaches to you, then doesn’t fully make it to heaven. The first day there I purposely avoided walking past the burning ghat because I didn’t want to see the cremations happening. On my second day in Varanasi, with a guy I meet we walked by and I decided to watch some of the ceremony, it was shocking to me but an amazing experience I’ll never forget.

In my mind Varanasi was what I thought of India. It’s a very old city with tons of history and culture. Walking along the banks of the Ganges, I was able to experience all that amazing India has to offer.