honestly

blogging has become difficult lately. we see so much every day and have millions of little stories, it's hard to know where to begin.
we've gotten better at handwashing our clothes in the shower/bathroom/shower. we bought those genie pants that i never thought i'd wear--the ones with the super-baggy crotch, like a giant hippie diaper. so comfy. i realized that something was changing when i looked down at my outfit--baggy cargo pants, baggy long sleeved cotton shirt, and "rustic" aqua-ready trekking sandals--and thought "damn, i love this outfit---it's REALLY comfortable!" on the other hand, i can't imagine that i won't slip right back into my chucks and hipsterjeans when i'm back on the streets of nyc.

we've met some very interesting characters. one that has been recurring recently (seems to all but actually reside in this coffee shop in koregaon park, pune) goes by the name of swami divine leela. his bliss-filled eyes and "divinations" and come-to-my-apartment-invitations make us feel like the (perhaps unnecessarily, to some extent) hardened new yorkers that we are. conversely we've met some really nice and honest folk. when the rickshaw driver took us to the very very wrong place yesterday, a girl offered major assistance (and was shocked and learn that we were "travelling by rick(?!?)," which is apparently "not advisable") , and people will often want to practice their english on us. the owner of a health food store near our hotel turns out to have a sister that teaches sanskrit at columbia.

what we love most about it being here so far is finding our way, and losing it, discovering gems of towns and cities. we love seeing the wildlife. we love being somewhere new (right, M?). we love how we're getting the hang of it. even this morning when we were scrubbing our clothes with a tide bar, groaning and grunting and aching, i smiled inside as i zoomed out on this awesome and somewhat ludicrous picture. here we are, there's no getting around that.