Goa & Kerala, India

There were two places in India that everyone kept telling me to check out: Goa & Kerala. Below is my trip out to Goa; definitely some beautiful beaches there.



I had actually been told by some Australian backpackers in Vietnam that Goa was a "must-visit" on the Hippie Trail



When I made it out far enough at sea, I sat back and watched families of dolphins swimming through the open waters (but couldn't get any good pics of them)



More dolphins swimming in the distance, this guy kinda looked like jaws coming at us



Once back on the shore, it was great to finally sit down and enjoy the dollar beers



I was shocked at the volume of tourism in this town; tons of Europeans in particular. Cool place.



I was really impressed with Kerala. Jumped on a boat to sail down a river that runs right into the Arabian Sea.



This area was really peaceful, and the houseboats were very cool.



And so we made our way out towards the Arabian Sea, sailing down the backwaters.



At certain points along the river, there was nothing but silence and palm trees.



There was a heavy Christian influence in both Goa & Kerala, as I saw many churches in both places. This orange church sitting off the river bank was really nice.



Kerala, I've been told, is the only Communist run county in India



And yet, as I noted above, there is a heavy religious (Christian) presence in Kerala......interesting.

Nepal!

Nepal is an absolutely amazing and enchanting place, and it was really incredible to fly in over the Himalayas (peaking out from the clouds below)



I got into Kathmandu really early in the morning and was shocked by how many people were already out and about; it was particularly cold too



One thing that really stuck out to me in this country was the architecture of the buildings



The buddhist stupas spread out across the city are the coolest I've seen yet



On my way out from the Kathmandu airport and into the city I paused to watch so many intersections as I passed - it's crazy to think that these scenes play out every morning, and here I was unaware of it until this moment



The other great thing about Kathmandu is the various temples all throughout the city: it's like an easter-egg hunt. I was strolling past an area just down the street from my hotel when I randomly stumbled into this temple.



Early that next morning I got up at the break of dawn to catch the "Everest flight" which flies parallel to the Himalayas at sunrise. I highly recommend this if you make it to Nepal



That high peak in the center is Mt. Everest - it was one of those moments I said to myself "I can't believe I'm seeing this."



And of course, I'm always on the lookout for monkeys! These guys were roaming freely throughout Kathmandu



Made a visit over to Pashupatinath Temple, the Holiest Hindu temple in the world



I got to watch one of the processions from the doorstep; Hindus make a pilgrimage to this temple from all over the world



Strolling down one of the market areas situated in a back alley



Also made it up to Swayambhunath Temple (Monkey Temple)



As soon as I walked in I caught this monkey jacking some dude's cotton candy



The views of Kathmandu valley from this Stupa were so cool



Interesting Buddhist relics all throughout the temple



I watched this monk feeding pidgeons with a little girl - the Tibetan monks have a really calming effect



I talked with so many Tibetan monks while I was in Nepal about so many things. Gave me a really interesting perspective on (Tibetan) Buddhism.



Patan Square - these squares were immaculately preserved



Bhaktapur Square, which is where they filmed "The Little Buddha"



More scenes from inside of Bhaktapur Square - it really felt like I was on a movie set here



Shot from up top of Nargarkot Hill Station, notice Everest in the background



And probably my favorite spot in Nepal - Boudanath Stupa - the world's largest Stupa



This Stupa could be seen from so many spots in Kathmandu



I stayed here for hours watching the Tibetan Monks circle the Stupa; there were so many of them.......a really amazing experience.

Halong Bay and Hanoi, Vietnam

Flew into Hanoi from Saigon before cruising out to take a boat across Halong Bay



Halong Bay is absolutely beautiful, there were boats and massive limestones as far as I could see



I was posting it on the Phoenix cruiser - straight up baller



It was bright and early when this was taken; just getting ready to have my coffee before setting out for the open sea



The sights from the top deck of the boat were absolutely incredible - gigantic limestones shooting out from the ocean



Took a little journey out to see the floating villages



I gotta get me one of these houses right on the water



It was so peaceful being out here in the middle of the ocean



Stopped on one of the really massive limestones to venture into a cave



Coming out from the cave, caught one of these cruisers just between the trees



Stopped by a fish farm just off the coast of Halong Bay too, which was really neat to see



When we parked just off the coast of Cat Ba Island, I was amazed at the number of cruisers I saw



Shot from the balcony of my hotel on the coast of Cat Ba Island



More floating villages that I got to check out on the way back to Hanoi; I loved the glassy turquoise color of the water



Shot of Hanoi as I got back into town - Saigon and Hanoi are like night and day



Went to check out a really cool little pagoda in the middle of a lake in Hanoi



It's funny to see the stares that I get in some of these places



Of course, when I was heading back to Saigon while waiting at the airport, I ran into some monks and had to take advantage of the photo-op