Saturday, March 15, 2008

where is he going?

Worst attempt at route map ever created with Photoshop*

Departing June 17th for the shortest frequent flier ticket I could find to Bilbao (~24 hrs)
Embarking June 24th from Azkoitia, Spain in a newly purchased used car
Associates/Fellow Drivers: Thomas Chris Kelly, James Kelly (brothers)

1. The Drive: Driving through Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia
Arriving Ulan Bataar ~6 weeks later.

Blue means driving

2. CHINA: Next step is a train ride down to Beijing - a day or two of OLYMPICS! Also an opportunity to stock up on some clean shirts - other shirts = most likely perma-stained

Dotted = flight to Chengdu. Blue was going to be a motorcycle drive through Tibet to the capital but that is looking less likely due to politics.

3. Volunteer in India: Flight or train to Uttarakhand, India where I will volunteer with Avani-KUMAON to develop water sanitation and alternative energy programs in the rural areas at the feet of the Himalayan mountains.

4. Southern India: the green is around a thousand mile bike ride down to the southern coast of India in April and May

Returning with stories and maybe a new haircut: ~May 29th (longest I can hold off on getting my return ticket with frequent flier miles)

*more poor attempts at photoshopped maps to come until access to program is discontinued

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Social Work in India

Philanthropy and the Third Sector (India) - information about the history of and current situation for philanthropic work in India.

Gautam Yadama - WashU's Brown School of Social Work's director of Int'l Studies. Interests: "Micro-institutional strategies of development; Social and economic development; International development; Role of non-governmental organizations in development"

Glen Stone's Brave New Crops (Syllabus) - section on GMO's in India

Dolly Daftary (ddaftary@wustl.edu) - WashU
PhD student; M.A. in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, food security in rural areas

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Other Blogs

The Adventure Blog


Sierra Blogging Post

other stuff?

India Himalayas


BestHike.com recommendations -

Milam Glacier & Nanda Devi

Miliam Glacier Teahouse Trek - from IndiaMike.com (India Travel Forum)

Nanda Devi Sanctuary <guidebook>

Kauri Pass <guidebook>

Source of the Ganges <guidebook>




HimalayaExpeditions.com - stuff

Annapurna Circuit


24 day trek around the Himalayan peak of Annapurna in Nepal
(short personal account)

Nepaltrekking.com Map (best)

Volunteers.org.np Map - rivers

Nepal Handbook (google books) about it

Tour Guide description

Serious Source (yetizone.com)