Broke down and started a blog

After approximately 6 weeks of badgering, my mother has convinced me to start a travel blog.  I left Denver on January 9, 2015 and arrived in Varanasi on the 11th.  So many adventures and challenges have already transpired, but with 3-5 months left in South Asia, the best is yet to come.  To start I will detail the tempestuous journey from Denver to KIRAN Village in Madhopur, Varanasi, UP:

A final view of the parents as I enter into DIA's security line... I was warmly greeted on the other end of the line by a questionable pair of underwear just chilling on the ground by the benches where you gather your things and presumably yourself... it would seem at least one person failed at this. My trip from there did not go as planned.  My flight from DC to Heathrow was delayed.  In regular airport style the United desk kept saying, "We hope the plane will board in 30 minutes but we have no more information." Upon landing at Heathrow I had missed my flight to Bangkok and had to be rerouted through Frankfurt, which gave me the upgrade of switching from United to Lufthansa all the way to Bangkok  *free wine*

 After arriving in Bangkok, I had just enough time to brush my teeth, get a bottle of water and find my gate.  I sat at the small gate, feeling the January humidity and warmth of the Bangkok airport, surrounded by a hoard of Thai tourists, which included a handful of Buddhist monks.  I boarded the small plane and promptly fell asleep to wake only once we had landed.  I deplaned with everyone else and walked to the airport where the security guard turned me away.... turns out my flight had made a pitstop in Bodhgaya, where the Thai tourists and Buddhist monks were presumably making a pilgrimage to see the Bodhi Tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment.  I re-boarded the plan with another 3 confused, but generally apathetic toward our situation, passengers.  As we waited for Indian tourists returning to Varanasi district to board, I was delighted with the spectacle of a nameless, but famous I imagine, individual boarding the plane next to me, entourage in tow complete with a personal photographer and videographer.  Finally, I made it to Varanasi.... only to stand at the baggage carousel to be disappointed, but not surprised, to have no luggage.

I spent two hours waiting and trying to work things out with the Thai Air representative... thinking I had filed a report. Days later, I came to find no claim or report had been filed and my paperwork sat in the Air India office of the Varanasi airport. 10 days later, after my mom and I spent hours trying to discover its location, my bag was found in a luggage pit at Heathrow (Thank you Brian from Thai Air at LAX!). Finally, my bag was returned to me... but not soon enough as by the third day in the village the only shirt I had was chewed up by the rats who descended upon my room from the roof every night. 

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Finally, for those of you who are more spatially oriented, here is a reference point for my location. I am living and working in the KIRAN Village.  Located in Madhopur, I am about 30min from Varanasi by rickshaw and about 5min by foot to the Ganga and the famous Shooltankeshwar temple and its ghat, making this village the best of both worlds.  Check out KIRAN's website, kiranvillage.org and like our page on Facebook, KIRAN Society for more info on where I am and what we do here!