Asian Time Dim Sum- Mar 27, 2011

Though Cincinnati does not have a large Asian population, it does have a few good Asian restaurants including our go-to dim sum spot, Grand Oriental.  It'd been a while since we got together and we ate enough to feed a small village.  (All finished with our favorite sweet tofu with sugary ginger syrup of course).

St. Patty's Green- Mar 18, 2011

Who doesn't love wearing green and drinking a beer?!  It was a gorgeous day in Cincinnati so we hit the parking lot behind Hap's Irish pub and enjoyed the sunlight and festivities.

Lady Gaga!- Mar 12, 2011

Posing with the lucky fan who met Gaga at the concert

I expected the Lady Gaga concert to be a spectacle and it lived up to the hype.  Her Monster Ball tour attracted lots of crazed fans and she totally worked the stage.  As Emily said, "she killed it."  Unfortunately, we had not had that much time to prepare and we were completely underdressed for the affair.  I needed 100x more fishnet and feathers to fit in.

Dawn's Tea Party Baby Shower- Mar 12, 2011

For Dawn's 2nd baby, a baby girl we're told, Dawn requested a tea party at Bonbonerie.  It was a lovely afternoon tea with an amazing assortment of scrumptious goodies served with our tea.  It was fun to have just the girls for once, a different dynamic for sure.

Delhi and the Lotus Temple- Mar 9, 2011

Before heading to the airport for our long journey home, we made one last stop at the Lotus Temple in Delhi as it was closed when Kim and I were here last.  A Bahai worship center, it encourages non-denominational meditation and worship underneath the eaves of its 48 marble walls that form the intriguing lotus flower shape.

Back to the Taj- Mar 9, 2011

Since Sara hadn't been to the Taj yet and it is definitely a to-do when in India, we headed back down the bumpy road to Agra from Delhi, driving overnight so that we could make it for sunrise over the monument.  It's a special time as the white marble takes on a yellow hue with the morning sun.  It was as amazing this time as the last.

Goa Carnival- Mar 8, 2011

Part of the reason we chose Goa, besides the amazing beaches, was that the primarily Catholic state has a huge Carnival celebration every year.  So, we headed to the nearby town of Mapusa to see the parade.  Unfortunately, we had to leave for the airport before things really got underway.

Go Go Goa!- Mar 7-8, 2011

Goa is the beautiful beach state on the west coast of India.  We spent a couple days bumming around the beach, hiding under the shade of a giant beach umbrella, enjoying frothy drinks complete with little umbrellas, and overall enjoying life.

Wouldn't be India without the cows

Mumbai- No Bollywood for us- Mar 6, 2011

Unexpectedly, we got to spend a bit of time in Bombay after missing our connecting flight to Goa.  The Bombay we saw was not glamorous in the least, more like Slumdog Millionaire.  The crowding and poverty evident.  That said, it was lively and vibrant, streets filled with kids playing cricket.

What to do? Kathmandu!- Mar 5, 2011

Buddhanath

Durbar Square

Pashupatinath

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and was a completely different experience than Pokhara and our trek.  It has the rich history of Durbar Square and the religious epicenters or stupas of Pashupatinath (Hinduism) and Buddhanath (Buddhism).  We spent our quick day hopping from one place to the next and soaking it all in.

Chilling in Pokhara- Mar 4, 2011

The first time through Pokhara we really didn't get the opportunity to enjoy the town as we were busy preparing for our epic trek.  This time around, we took advantage of the cute, small town.  We spent a morning paddling around Lake Phewa, ate a lot of ice cream, and let our blisters heal.

Day 7: Finishing up the Trek- Mar 3, 2011

It was the end of a glorious week of tranquil hiking.  Just climbing and breathing and just focusing on moving forward/up/down in the quiet serenity of the mountains.  While the nights were cold, the days were gorgeous.  We were all a little bummed when we heard the sounds and sights of civilization again.

Celebrating Shivaratri in Hile- Mar 2, 2011

Roasting sugarcane on the bonfire

Shivaratri is the Hindu celebration of the god Shiva's birthday.  We happened to be in the town of Hile for the night and were invited to hang out with the locals for the night.   We started out the night trying out the local Raksi wine, a strong fermented rice wine, then we roasted and "banged" sugar cane on the fire-- firework-like explosions echoing through the valley-- and had a merry time.

Day 6: Poon Hill- Mar 2, 2011

We woke up before dawn and hiked up to the 3210m of Poon Hill to see one of the best panoramic views of the Annapurna Himalayas in the region as the world was waking up.  To one side we saw the blue misty hills melting into the skyline and to the other we saw the giant peaks of the Annapurnas.

Day 5: Tadepani to Ghorepani- Mar 1, 2011

 So this was the first day we experienced the treacherous ice and snow of the mountains.  Don't worry, I only wiped out once. :)

Day 4: Chhomrong to Tadepani- Feb 28, 2011

By day 4, I finally got my altitude legs underneath me and sounded less like a really pregnant lady hyperventilating.  It was another up and down day where we went down one "hill" and up another.  Funny how they are not considered mountains unless they are over 6000m here.  Not so in Kansas.

Cutest little kid in Nepal