Just flew into Delhi. Yes, flew. Some countries have amazingly cheap flights & India is one of them. A 24hr bus ride to Delhi cost $24 whereas my flight was $44 -- so $20 more. Well, that's a no brainer. Besides, my foot & ribs are still hurting. The thought of not being able to elevate my foot for over a day & subjecting it to a very bumpy ride... so all around, it's a no brainer on the flight.

But I am very sad to be leaving Kashmir. If you're a mountain person, it's the most beautiful place in India. (If you're a beach person, then Kerala's the spot for you.) But really is wonderful about Kashmir -- the people. Yes, there are bad people here & even had a seriously bad encounter with one. But for the most part, Kashmiris are some of the nicest people in the world.

Leaving Kashmir is really hitting me hard. Because also... this means that it's time to 1) skip outta India & 2) go to Nepal. Yes, I can come back to India. (After I renew my visa.) But it's still sad to be forced to leave. But more than that, I'm super scared about Nepal.

For newcomers to my site, in '93 I spent a year studying in Nepal. And used to be fluent in Nepali. But places change. My old hood is now a historic zone & I'll need a ticket to go there. Heard it thru the grapevine that many of my old Nepali friends have gone bad. So worried that the place I used to love & have such great memories of will be a place I now hate. That is a big reason why I prefer not to go to the same place twice. But we'll see... it's more than time I for me to go back.