My eye lids are heavy as I attempt to recall all that has passed in these few days since we've written. For one, we finally made it into the hills for some real exercise. The vivid green of the terraced rice fields accompanied us through most of the hike. We hiked next to the steady current of a stream for most of the way, the rich vegetation fed by the clear bluish stream which flows into the swift Ganges below. My body's inability to regulate my temperature properly left me exhausted by the heat, my skin perpetually drenched from tohe beginnign of the walk to the time I returned to our room. The Ashram's powerful fan cooled me as I dejectedly stood below. Luckily our bellies were full of delicious crepes we shared at Rishikesh's infamous German bakery - from which I have yet again stuffed myself tonight. We met a British man at the Ashram today and after our yoga class together introduced him to the delicacies of the German bakery. That reminds me - yoga. What started out as a seemingly hopeless search for some true exposure to this art, ended with what I had envisioned in the first place - Thane and I sitting in a spacious room in front of our instructor. Our first two sessions, each two hours in length, introduced us to both the philosophy and the basic practicies of Yog (the correct name before the western world warped the practice into a commmercialised form of exercise). Our teacher Vivek is a small man of the Brahmin caste, whom we both found extremely knowledgeable and aware in every sense of the word. I hope to continue to practice what I have learned in these 3 lessons - only not in the confines of a deserted room, but surrounded by the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas. Yes, finally we will commence out trek on the 18th and head into the high altitudes to live and trek for about 2 weeks. Thane and I are both pretty much thrilled.

Kendall