The Reunion, Italian Dinner, Debate, Farewell

We're together! Amazing as it may seem, all of our planning actually worked out and we ended up in Delhi at the same place at the same time. When I pulled up at The Oberoi I grabbed my bags and started for the entrance - through the 30 or so guests and staff cajoling for cars. I hadn't seen Karin and Anjum standing outside but luckily Anjum spotted me and called out my name just before I disappeared into the abyss. Here's the scene:

I heard my name and turned to see Karin smiling in the distance. Our eyes met, and suddenly everyone went silent, stopped moving, and turned their attentions intently on us. Then some classic Bollywood tune started playing. All the men gathered behind me and all the women gathered behind Karin... and started dancing. Oh how they danced! Time slowed down and we started running into each other's arms. Karin's hair was blowing in the wind, her sarong falling particularly beautifully in the moonlight... and I looked dashing in my Armani suit and white tie. As the dancers became more and more frenzied, we ran faster and faster into each other's arms, culminating in an incredible passion-induced embrace that seemed to last only a moment but in fact went on well into the next number. I wish you could all have been there (can never hurt to have more back-up dancers, you know).

Well, it was great to see Karin - and Anjum. They were outside because Anjum was just about to leave. And leave she did. After three and a half weeks together, Anjum and Karin bid each other adieu and Anjum drove off, leaving Karin with me! We made our way into the hotel chatting about what her trip had been like.

We then went upstairs and [PORTION EDITED OUT IN THE NAME OF DECENCY BY THE INDIAN MINISTRY OF INTERNET DIGNITY AND BLOGWORTHINESS]. Harry came back from the spa soon thereafter and by 10:00 PM we were having dinner in the ITALIAN restaurant here. Karin and Harry are apparently done with Indian food for a long long time (that's what Karin thinks). Dinner was delish. Inspired by a particularly good pasta dish, Harry will be learning Italian next year and we intend to parlare solamente in italiano thereafter.

We discussed their impressions of the trip, of India, of capital punishment, and of legalization of drugs. Harry is going to send out an email eventually but here is a brief summary of what they (primarily Harry) expressed to me (correct me if I'm wrong) in the form of debate and dialogue:

1. The ratio of lack-of-comfort to difference-they-were-making was too high. While they were willing to endure being cold and wet, without toilets and plumbing and general rudimentary conveniences, they would have preferred to make those sacrifices somewhere even more remote, helping people who had even less access to health care. You just can't satisfy these people when it comes to helping people in need.

2. Harry had his fill of India.

3. Harry supports a basic libertarian view of how governments should be approaching legislation in general.

After an enjoyable meal and at around midnight, we gathered Harry's things and accompanied him to the lobby for his farewell scene (fewer dancers but still good energy). He then left for the airport for his 2:30 AM flight (international flights arrive and leave at crazy times in India - usually in the middle of the night).

By the time he left I had been totally exhausted for hours... following my 2 hour sleep the previous night (if you call 6AM to 8AM "night") and no nap! We got back to the room and I passed out. I think Karin was using the internet at the time. I slept for almost 6 hours! I think I have finally acclimatized.

It's 9:30 AM now. We will have breakfast and then will explore Delhi. We are scheduled to do a day trip to Agra tomorrow and then to leave for Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan the next day. Karin and I have not had a chance yet to finalize our itinerary but will do so by tonight.

Hello from McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)

Just arrived in Dharamsala. It's cold and wet. Again. But we had 2 dry days in a row previously. So the 1st thing we did on arrival: Anjum soaked clothes for laundry, Harry checked himself into the nicer Hotel next door. A + I were debating if we should join him, but I thought that as acting lead I should suck it up and stay with the group. The 'Hotel' is the same as the others- 40 yr old carpet and bedding, unheated, one small space heater. Small water heater. But it is a luxury after 6 nights of camping.

Can't say much yet about Dharamsala except that we have spotted some white people and monks. There are many small Tibetan shops that we plan to visit. Don't know if the Dalai Lama is in town, but we will find out about visiting his complex.

We are not actually in Dharamsala. We are in Mcleod Ganj which is the smaller, nicer, tourist spot where the Dalai Lama lives (upper Dharamsala).

As for the last few days, we had 2 busy clinic days. yesterday we saw 211 patients. Our busiest yet. Overall, we did not see as many patients as expected. Only about 1500 total. So many dermatologic and eye complaints. Also a lot of osteoarthritis and general wear and tear from the difficult lifestyle. Occasionally we come upon someone with a rare disorder that we vaguely remember reading about in med school. I am keeping a list of things to look up upon my return.

Our last camp site (outside of Chowari) was lovely. But due to rain we were bummed out for much of the 6 night stay there. Also, everyone was sick (by everyone I mean ~75% of the team). And we revolved some people in and out of a local guest house- basically room with a toilet, heater, and shower- so they can have their diarrhea without having to trek to the bathroom tents (hole in the ground that became disgusting after prolonged use). Harry was there for 2 nights. Anjum stuck it out in the tent. It is unclear what the illness was, but most people are treating themselves for Typhoid. We will probably all de-worm ourselves as a precaution. And will throw in some scabies treatment to boot.

I am dependent on hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and pepto bismol. So far it has worked for me. Except that my hands have lost several layers of skin and perpetually taste like chemicals. I immediately washed them with soap and water on arrival- what a luxury.

When we get back to our room A+I plan to shower. We have do do that very quickly so as not to use up all the hot water in the heater. The second showerer gets the shaft. I have not taken a proper shower since I don't know when. But I have become very efficient at the bucket-bath.

So we have 2 nights here, and on the 23rd take an overnight bus to Delhi. No more clinic. Just free time. We plan to explore and relax. We have internet and phone access, so feel free to write!

Love to you all.

Karin

Beautiful, Productive Day In The Himalayas. Karin In Charge. Singing. Dancing. I'm Leaving Tomorrow.

I just received a call from Dr. Rash. Today was a gorgeous day in the Himalayas. The team saw over 150 patients and there were many interesting cases. Lots of scabies and rashes. A fair number of years-old untreated spinal fractures. And they are seeing more of the heart-breaking mental-retardation cases where there is little that can be done.

Only 6 people out of the entire team has avoided sickness. Of our Intrepid Trio, only Karin has stayed consistently strong. I have had Karin on a steady diet of hearty Indian fare for the past decade and I attribute her resilience to my own resolute commitment to banghan bharta, saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, and raita.

The other physician on the trip decided that, since the sickness was of unknown origin, they should treat for typhoid (a la Dr. House for those of you familiar). So everyone was put on antibiotics. Karin's thought that more of a wait and see approach might be better - as in wait and see who slips into a coma and then treat.

Karin also described an incredible hike they took from a high mountain pass. They all got our of their Jeeps at 10,000 feet and had a wild no-holds-barred snowball-fight with the drivers. They then hiked up an additional 1500 feet and arrived at a peak that was absolutely spectacular. Incredibly memorable experience.

The lead of the trip has now departed. I think that means that Karin is now in charge. She's so modest about these things that it's hard to be sure but I did the math and according to my calculations when #1 goes home, the assistant to #1 becomes #1. So, I haven't completed the proof yet but I'm pretty sure she's numero uno.

The other night they had a serious rain storm. Everyone retired to their tents for the night. Some time later, Prem the Sherpa unexpectedly came around to make sure everyone was dry. Prem, on the other hand, was going from tent to tent in a torrential rainfall without any rain-gear whatsoever. He was sopping wet. That, in the eyes of our Explorers, made him even cuter than before (he's Karin's height).

Evening activity has improved markedly since Harry reported on the (possibly) rabid dogs that they would name, play with, and run from. The staff have been getting together with everyone and playing music, singing and dancing. Apparently their Indian hosts are talented musicians and it makes for wonderful entertainment. Inevitably the staff asks the Medical Team to sing something they know from their culture. Karin reports that the group then sheepishly tries to figure out something they all know and ultimately are stuck singing childhood camp songs such as "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore". They all feel quite pathetic when it's their turn but they swallow their pride and do their part to expose the gathered Sherpas, cooks and other Indian staff to quality North American culture. I'm going to suggest that they move on to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Hava Nagila tonight if they feel up to it.

Meanwhile, back in San Diego (where it's storming today), I am doing some last-minute planning and packing. I had sent this website out to some beautiful hotels in India to see if they might consider discounting our stay to become part of this noble, yet entertaining, effort. Aman has graciously offered to do just that and I'm waiting to hear from a couple of others.

And here is the message you will be confronted with if you try to log into the website for booking trains in India today:

We are currently facing problem with the credit card payment gateways at the moment. Your booking may or may not materialize due to the same.

Harry's Email (Lite)

Well hello.

Before I start, I want to let all of you less accomplished readers (you know who you are) know that at the bottom of each paragraph I will be writing a one-sentence summary in bold print so you don't have to read everything. If you think that paragraph would interest you, you can go back and read the whole thing.

After a long day of travelling, I arrived in Delhi at 11pmish to make the exciting discovery that India has another rush hour at midnight. I don't know why, but it was standstill traffic for an hour, and it sucked. Also, you have a better chance of getting to your hotel in one piece if u jump out of the plane as it flies above it, than if u take a taxi there. However, the Indians take their street decorations very seriously. At many intersections you will often pass red, yellow or green lanterns that the city has generously set up for the tourists' viewing pleasure. The locals seem not to appreciate these ornaments and ignore them completely.

Driving in Delhi sucks.

I was taken to our hotel, which was in the middle of Delhi's red light district, and stayed up the few hours left of the night. We took a train to Chandragarh where we met the Indians who would hold our lives in their hands for the next few weeks. I had planned to sleep on the 5 hour drive to Bilaspur, and although keeping my eyes closed sheltered me from the edge-of-your-seat feeling of impending doom of driving the winding mountain roads of the outer Himalayas, the winding, rocky, bumpy, jerky roads of the outer Himalayas did not allow me any sleep. Occasionally, when I was able to ignore the vibration of the land-rover type car and relax, the window would meet my head quite aggressively to remind me to stay awake.

Our hotel in Delhi was in the middle of the red-light district. My head hurts.

We started clincs the next day. We set ourselves up in army-style tents on the roof of a brand new but not yet operational medical clinic. (they didn't want us tramping on the new floors...) I worked in the pharmacy. Apparently, indians dont' like hearing they are healthy when they come to the doctor. In fact, they don't consider it a complete visit unless they leave with some pills. Even better if they get an injection. We hand out lots of pills. Mostly ibuprofen and vitamins. Also, lots of Tuberculosis, GERD, Worms and eye problems. Thankfully, no leprosy as of yet. I was also pleased to find out it is curable, very easily curable. :)

Leprosy is curable.

I'm gonna get more general now cuz it's getting late.

Our hotels have had no real showers (sometimes a shower head, no curtain, somtimes no water comes from the shower head) no toilet paper and about 30 seconds of hot water. The bathroom floors are thinly disguised sheets of arctic ice. We have also been camping. Our toilets are holes in the ground. We wipe with the baby-wipes we brought. (I am never using toilet paper again). To shower we go into shower tents with big buckets of boiling water. We then use little buckets to pour this water on our heads. I have burns. There are stray dogs everywhere. We named one that limped around our first campsite Tripod. She was amazing. She sat and waited patiently for food, snuggled by our fires, didn't bark, didn't beg, best trained untrained dog i've ever seen. The trained domesticated dogs from across the street tried to attack me, I fought them off with a big stick. I am not kidding, I was scared shitless. At our second campsite we had an untrained stray dog who would sit on command, would give "paw" on command and was also very well behaved. I find this pretty cool.

WAAAAAAAAH! I'm dirty. Some stuff about dogs.

We've had more medical clinics at some schools, at our campsite and at the house of the ex Health Minister. I learnt to take blood pressure, hear rate and all that stuff at triage. I also decided to organize the camp since patients were pretty much running around with their heads cut off. Little old ladies continuously escape the waiting room and sneak into the tents where doctors see patients to try to skip the line and also to laugh whenever the doctor asks the patient about the condition of their poop. Occasionally, I have to call out the patients' names and tell them where to go, what to do, etc. Unfortunately, the names are illegibly scrawled on pieces of paper by the guys at registration and also they are indian names. The locals make me repeat them over and over just so they can laugh at my bad pronunciation. After a while, one of them feels bad and comes over to help me out...and then asks me to read out his friends' names a few times so they can have a laugh too. Bastards.

I am licenced to practice medicine in the state of Arkansas.

The night of february 9th, Karin, Anjum and I stayed up with a bunch of the Indian drivers to wait for my b-day at midnight. Karin surprised me with a little bottle of champagne and a mini-bar grey goose. The cook brought me a plate of chocolate chip cookies with a candle in the middle. The next day we had clinic in a tornado, birthday cake for lunch, and then drove for 4 hours on the edge of cliffs at .5mph through fog, rain, high winds and mud. I was in bed by 9:30. Happy Birthday to me...

My 20th birthday was to my 19th birthday as Rolle/South Brunswick/Abitibi is to St Tropez/Vegas/Montreal.

Now I'm in Manali. There was a bar in our hotel yesterday so I tried to get drunk for my belated birthday...and failed. We played kings, I took shots, but by midnight, everyone was in bed, so I gave up.

It's cold here. we're in the middle Himalayas now. It's not that it's so cold, probly around zero. But ther's no heating in the hotels or in the cars, so it's 24 hours of cold. I'm wearing layers to eat my meals, to watch tv, to use the computer. I will be cold for the next 2 weeks. This sucks. The food does not. Our cooks are really good and we've been stuffing our faces. Everyone has gained weight...go figure. Today our clinic was at a school and all the little Tibetan/Nepalese kids were ridiculously cute.

Just skip this one.

Yeah k, this has gone on too long and i'm tired. You get the picture. Thanks for all the b-day wishes.

Love to all,

Harry

Bad Weather, Hard Work, Harry In His Element (and XL2 success)

When I last spoke to Karin she was just coming off 12 hours of sleep following the hell-ride she had coming out of the mountains. She had done the Gravol-Dramamine thing (read sedation) in anticipation but even that wasn't working so she had doubled up... which did not work either. By the time she arrived at the hotel she was extremely nauseous and even more medicated and went straight to bed. Even after 12 hours of sleep she was still in a bit of a stupor.

When Team Himalaya had arrived at the home of the Ex-Health Minister, they had each been treated to a bindi and a garland. A bindi is the red decorative dot that is worn on the forehead. Wikipedia describes its religious significance as follows: The area between the eyebrows (where the bindi is placed) is said to be the sixth chakra, agni, the seat of "concealed wisdom". According to followers of Tantrism, this chakra is the exit point for kundalini energy. The bindi is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration. It is also said to protect against demons or bad luck.

The team then went to work seeing patients. Over the past 4 days, the Team has seen an average of 150 patients per day. Karin, for some unknown reason, had been advertised as a "child specialist" (she is a family doctor). She thus has been seeing children almost exclusively since our last report. What's interesting about these children is that they often come in without parents. Dr. Rash says it's quite something to have a 5 year old boy come in alone and to have a discussion with him about his condition, symptoms, and treatment options.

A number of the cases are of developmental delay and mental retardation. Those are particularly tough as there is very little that can be done for them. For many other patients the doctors are able to give a few samples of medication but it's frustrating because they know the patients will not follow up by securing more once the sample runs out. And for others the resources that the physicians have are too rudimentary to properly test and/or treat. For extreme diagnoses they get referred to a hospital in a city but there are many borderline cases where additional equipment would be welcome.

It's hard work. It got particularly rough when the weather turned and they were suddenly confronted by strong winds and pelting rain. Since Karin is in a supervisory role, she had no choice but to run between the tents where patients were being seen. Within a short time she was completely drenched.

Eventually the weather got so bad that they decided to wrap up early to get on the road to Bilaspur and then on to Manali. That's when they packed up, loaded up the bus, and had that terrible ride.

The celebration of Harry's birthday continued last night at the hotel. Harry, as he is wont to do, held court in the hotel bar. Most of the revelers went to bed at 10. Karin retired at 11. But Harry and the trip leaders were still going strong when she headed off. This morning Harry chose bed over breakfast.

Today the group will be seeing children in a mission-school. Sounds like they are all doing well and are seriously enjoying being back in a hotel. I have yet to hear of anyone that is overly-excited about getting back into the tents - at what will be even higher elevation and with significantly colder weather.

I do have one complaint about calling them at the hotels in India. Every time I call, a man typically answers and says "Hello?" I then say "Hello, may I speak to Karin....?" Then I hear "Hello? Hello?" as if they do not hear me. So I will say again, more loudly, "Hello! May I speak to Karin....?" Then they will say "Hello? Hello? Hello?" as if all they hear is dead air. And so it goes, back and forth, getting louder and louder. This usually goes on for a minute or two, until the phone is inexplicably passed to another person. The second person says "Hello?" and I say "May I speak to Karin..?" And they say "Certainly, just one moment please." As in, there was never anything wrong with the line! The first person obviously heard me but chose to keep on saying "Hello? Hello? Hello?" anyway. Anyone care to explain?

And in case anyone is interested, all went well in the XL2. There's a story there too but this isn't the right forum for it. If anyone wants to go flying, let me know.

Happy Birthday Harry!

Our Team will be driving back to Bilaspur from Kotdhar today. And it's Harry's birthday! Too bad I'll be missing that. I did get him a gift, though... I shall post a picture of it later today. Happy Birthday Harry!

I just called the hotel. Apparently they will be there in 20 minutes or so (it's 4:20 AM here so 5:50 PM there). Expect a hefty update later on today.

Update: Just spoke to Harry! Wished him a happy birthday. He sounds well. Karin is asleep as she became nauseous during the treacherous bus ride they took today. It had started raining so they expedited their departure. The tiny, poorly-maintained, cliff-side mountain roads that they were traversing then became wet and muddy. Overall it sounds like a really awful ride. And Karin doesn't do well even on good roads in decent vehicles and in stellar weather... so I imagine it was quite hellish for her.

Harry, Anjum, and Karin stayed up until midnight last night so as to kick off Harry's birthday properly. At midnight Karin brought out the Champagne and some other mini-bottle of something that she had been hauling around the Himalayas just for the occasion. Someone else got a plate of cookies together and even a candle for Harry to blow out. Harry's plan for the rest of today is to talk to many of you and to continue the celebration tonight.

Harry has continued with his triage duties but also took on organizing the chaotic manner in which people were gathering to get service. He came up with a system whereby he would have the staff write the names of individuals down and then he would call them when it was their turn. Unfortunately, Harry's Hindi isn't quite fluent yet, and the staff didn't have very good handwriting... In the end, Harry's name calling turned into serious sport. Each name he would call would bring howls of laughter. People were asking him to "Say my name next!" Eventually, the group figured out ways to get him to repeat names such as by saying "Who?" or by just not coming up for a while.

And then there were the people trying to sneak through his system. One particular group of 5 elderly women were slipping by and going to the tents without waiting for their names to be called. Harry would catch them and bring them back but they were relentless. Eventually Harry found a translator and explained to them exactly what was going on (read them the riot act). Thereafter, the 5 elderly women became Harry's enforcement team. I think he may bring them to Princeton in the fall to help handle the new pledges at his fraternity.

Their campsite was reasonably nice. It was at the top of a hill or mountain so the view was beautiful. Evening activity consisted of being entertained by stray dogs that roam the area (they even named a couple of them - Tripod and Mongoose). Apparently these dogs have somehow trained themselves and are a pleasure to be around. At one point a group of dogs did turn on Har however - growling and being aggressive - but Harry beat his chest and made it clear who was boss and they gave him no more trouble.

More later when I speak to Karin. If you feel like wishing Harry Happy Birthday call him at the Sagar View Hotel: 011-91-1978-223095 (it's GMT + 5:30 in Bilaspur).

TB, Scabies, Where's Harry?

I spoke to Karin this morning. She called me around 6:30 AM. I answered and we agreed that I would call her back 5 mins later. Sooo... I went downstairs, turned on the computer, and got comfortable with the phone. Then I dialed. But it did not connect. So I dialed again. This time a recording came on in Hindi. I tried again... and again and again. Then I resorted to different numbers, different combinations... Twenty minutes later I was ready to murder both the phone and the innocent plant next to the phone. I gave up in frustration and called Cathy. Thankfully, she had the number. And it wasn't the one I that I had been calling. I had pulled 2 numbers off the internet for her hotel and neither worked. Sooo... I called Karin's hotel and actually got through to the front desk. Then I had to try to get the front desk person to understand her entire 17-letter last name. Oy vey. By the time I got through to her I had bruises on my forehead from banging my head against the table.

Their trip to the northeast involved a 4 hour train ride followed by a 5 hour bus ride. The train was comfortable but the bus was... less so. The bus covered 90 miles in 5 hours. For those of you less adept at mathematics, that comes to an average of 18 mph.

So far they have seen about 70 patients. Things started off slowly in Bilaspur, largely because the doc there had neglected to properly advertise the arrival of this crack team of American and Canadian do-gooders. But tomorrow, when they get to their first (apparently crappy) campsite, they will be seeing hundreds of people!

As for the team make-up, I have only been told that there are 5 or 6 Canucks, who hail from Queens, Dalhouse and UBC (universities in Canada). The rest are Americanos.

Harry has been doing triage! He takes people's blood pressure and pulse, and then any loose change he can find. Anjum, who speaks Urdu (did you know that Urdu = Hindi?), has been translating for many of the patients. When I called, Anjum was busy shaving the back of Harry's neck (doesn't anyone edit this thing?).

One bright spot for Harry is that he is one of only 3 men on the trip. And Karin does all the scheduling - so Harry gets to influence whom he works with, if-you-know-what-I-mean, and-I-think-you-do. As soon as that neck is cleanly shaven, WATCH OUT HIMACHAL PRADESH!

The hotel has no heat. Instead, they provide all the guests with giant blankets. I think it's time to let the hotelier know about this central heating invention that is sweeping the western world. I don't think it's just a fad.

And now two potential "contraction" stories: Yesterday, Karin was asked to see a family member of the owner of the hotel. She agreed and examined this woman without wearing a mask (foreshadowing). Now Karin thinks that the woman has TB. The second story involves Anjum and a very cute baby that was brought in. Oh how they played and played... just Anjum and the baby. It really was something. The baby, it turns out, has scabies.

And one last story. Apparently upon arrival at some destination, Harry was suddenly nowhere to be found. No one could figure out where he was. After careful, level-headed analysis, they decided Harry had been................ kidnapped! They eventually figured out that he had run off early to be first on the internet.

LINKS: There are links all over this blog, people. Apparently not everyone knows that words that show up in different colors are links. Try clicking on them. They will take you to interesting places. And yes, Roy, I actually know people who do not know about links!

Departure Day

We didn't have any heat last night. At one point Karin came into the bedroom totally bundled up in fleeces and shivering and said "I wonder if it's going to be any colder in the Himalayas." She then picked up the thermometer: 65 degrees. There's a reason she had to buy a sub-zero sleeping bag, and I don't think it's because it's going to be 65 degrees.

Dad, Annie, Hanna Mei, and Shayna stopped by last night to say good bye to Karin. Karin and I then had our final meal together - Vietnamese take-out followed by chocolate and other yum yums. I "made" a fire California-style (as in turning on the gas) and turned on Michael Palin's Himalaya as Karin did her last minute organizing and packing. Michael Palin's series is excellent, by the way. He travels through very isolated and hard-to-reach regions of this world on trains, ultralights, ATV's - whatever it takes. The Himalaya production was done in 2004 and follows his original 80-day round the world travelogue from 1989.

My sources tell me that Karin's brother Harry spent his last evening in this hemisphere with Cathy in New York watching Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I don't know what Anjum did with her last night. Anjum?

Yesterday evening I spoke to Eric Bellman (who reports for the Wall Street Journal and not something I apparently made up called the Asian Wall Street Journal) in Mumbai and to Ravi Nehru in Delhi to discuss our itinerary. Given the limited time we have, we will likely have to forgo heading to the south. Traveling within the country, while not at all expensive, can be arduous and unreliable. If, for example, a flight is canceled or very delayed, that would kill an entire day for us. That's precisely what happened to us in Vietnam when our one hour flight from Nha Trang to Saigon failed to materialize - it ended up meaning an entire day spent in fear for our lives as we weaved our way through Vietnam's road chaos in a mini-mini-van.

That being said, I will most likely travel to Delhi on the 25th to meet Karin and we will begin our travels through Rajasthan from there.

In a few hours I will be taking Karin to the airport. I have made arrangements to be able to go through security with her so that I may see her off at the gate. Expect to see send-off pics tonight!

The next time I see Karin will be on February 25 when she descends out of the rugged isolation of the Himalayas and into the mad frenetic chaos of urban India (not that I've ever been there). It's really odd to think about just how little I will be able to communicate with her over the next 3.5 weeks.

I will be posting to this blog daily. Most of the posts will probably be me whining about how far Karin is, how lonely I am, and how cold our house is. However, those boring epistles will be interspersed with fascinating accounts of Karin's progress in the brutal and unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas. I'm afraid you will have to read through everything to catch those rare nuggets.

Please wish me well as Karin embarks on what is obviously a trip designed to punish me for something. I mean what could I have done to deserve 25 days away from her? And couldn't she just have gone to a spa in Arizona or something? What is so special about the Himalayas? Are they that wonderful? And what is this obsession she has with helping people? Maybe she should see someone about that. Please stay tuned as I answer these and more questions over the coming weeks.

But seriously... I'm going to really miss Dr. Rash. I will also worry about her. And then I will really look forward to seeing her again in Delhi on Feb 25.

Travel well, Karin. We all think what you are doing is unbelievable. We love you and will miss you terribly.

HARRY TAKES LAST MINUTE STAND: I WILL NOT TRANSPORT COOKIES TO INDIA!

I hate getting shots so it is with great displeasure that I find I need the following: Hep A, Hep B series, Tetanus diphtheria Pertussis, Inactivated Polio, Typhoid, Measles Mumps Rubella, Meningitis, and possibly Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies. Add to that the Malaria and.. well there was something else but I've blocked it out. I just don't like when people stick pieces of metal into my body and then force a mysterious liquid into me. I use skin as a barrier to these things. In fact I use all kinds of things as a barrier to entry into my body. It just doesn't seem right that just because someone is wearing a white coat I will actually pay them to violate me. It takes immense concentration for me to overcome the natural inclination I have to A. Run away, B. Demand to be able to stick them back, C. Beg for mercy, and D. Cry like a schoolgirl.

It's Tuesday evening now. We are 36 hours away from Karin's departure. I picked up a few last minute things for her - a water filter, hiking shoes, a camera (our little guy apparently lost a fight with some concrete recently).

And this just in: Karin just sent word that Harry has flat out refused to bring cookies and chocolates that had been prepared for her to receive in Delhi. If that seems trivial to you, you have not tasted Karin's mother's cookies.

As for my research, I just happened upon a great collection of pictures and information from Rolf Gibbs' India experience. The Indians can sleep anywhere pics are pretty entertaining.

And just to ensure that this is an entirely disjointed post, the picture below is of Karin taking a mid-packing break. The pic above is of Karin wearing her pack (or vice versa).