May 31:

I've never had so many insects on my body at one time. Soon my skin will be completely covered in bites, even my fingers and toes. I'm realizing that so much of this trip is mind over matter. Convincing yourself of one thing when your body is screaming another. No, I'm not hot. No, I'm not hungry. No, I'm not tired. No, I'm not uncomfortable. No, I'm not full. No, I'm not sick. That's the hardest one. Faking not sick. I had myself and everyone else fooled until dinner tonight. I just couldn't eat.

Tonight was spent along the Haridwar Ghats, the markets and walkways along the Ganges. At sundown thousands, literally thousands, of people gather to pray and place offerings of floating flowers and candles in the rushing river. We participated in the service which was so powerful Jared and I were nearly brought to tears.

After that Suds and I ran around Haridwar and snuck on to roofs of hotels and apartment buildings in search of a point to get a good shot from. We found 3 of the locations that we need to shoot scenes at. Equipment is difficult to find here. Not many people shoot on 16mm. Another problem we've run into is that our actress is Muslim and we are shooting on a Hindu worship ground. We need to acquire special permission for her to be there.

After finding the locations, I sat down next to Suds's mom near the water. What followed was the best conversation I have ever had. We talked about the differences between arranged marriages and "love" marriages. She really changed my views on many issues. Ask me about it when I get back, I'll tell you what she had to say.

One of the best days of my life.


June 1:
The Ganges has been dubbed the dirtiest river in the world. People bathe in it, wash clothes and dishes in it, even lay their dead in it. This morning I took a dip in the Ganges. You only live once right? It's believed that if you dip in the river that all of your sins are absolved, and so every morning hundreds of people enter the water to cleanse themselves. So looks like I'm sin free :)

After that we spend more time exploring the Ghats. While I was sitting talking to Ashley a line of about 15 children formed at my side. Each of their parents wanted to have them take a picture with me. I'm not sure if it's because they're making fun of me or because I'm so obviously foreign. Probably both. The five of us stand out here so much it's insane. I can't get used to it. We're an easy target for street merchants and beggars, who will often follow us around for up to half an hour hoping to get money out of us. People still stare at us wherever we go and being grabbed my men in crowded markets has become a common occurrence.

Extremely sick today. Nausea, dizziness, and fatigue made just standing a chore. We've been traveling a lot. This evening we left Haridwar and went to the city of gods and goddesses, Rishikish. I have never seen landscape so beautiful. My day had to end early after I felt like I was going to collapse.

June 2:
Everyone is sick. I have seen everyone on the crew puke at least once. Jared had the most interesting episode with his projectile vom that went all over the van. Yummy. See that "Think Summer U" shirt he's wearing in the pictures below? It was thrown on the side of a highway somewhere between Haridwar and Delhi after we used it to clean up.

June 4:
Now that we are back in Delhi, the past few days have been pretty chill. Everyone is starting to get better. I'm back to normal. We played Cricket today, which is the craziest sport ever! We're all so playing when I get back. I was in a great mood all day. Life is good.

P.S. If you haven't gotten skype yet do it. www.skype.com If you get it we can talk for free! Yay!
Also, sorry I'm having problems with pictures. It's really hard to upload them here. I'm working on it.