Writing archive
New writing lives on Substack — essays, notes, and the conversations I’m having now. This page is the Vagabondess Blog Archive: articles published August 2012 through March 2024.
Somehow two months have managed to sneak by me since I last posted anything. In that time I have tried every tropical fruit available in Sri Lanka, spent a night with my family on a houseboat in Kerala, celebrated Christmas Eve with a very drunken Keralan.
On the (almost) eve of my departure, I have prepared this short rant, lest you mistakenly believe that I liked everything about my home of the last 3.5 months. The things I will not miss about Nepal are:1.
A little slice of life in Kagbeni and some more thoughts on authenticity. Next post will be on a new theme, I promise. In academic discourse on tourism and authenticity, we often mistakenly assume that either tourists or local peoples can authoritatively define what is authentic.
Around Kagbeni — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
Yesterday, after eight years of not eating red meat. The flavor had a quality surprisingly similar to raw milk, a bit salty and, of course, metallic. I won’t go into details about the chewy bit that I couldn’t finish.
This is truly the edge of the world. I know I have written those words before, but I never felt them so avidly to be true as I did on Tuesday morning, my first day in Mustang, Nepal.
Fair & Lovely — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
A Poem About Traveling — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
I wanted to offer a more complete answer to the question what is Boudha like? Boudha tastes like endless variations of rice and potatoes most days, the occasional vegetable momo (dumpling), a cup of masala tea, dust, Everest beer, hot lemon honey ginger, prayer amplified by.
Shit Buses Say — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
How about an update on my seventeen-day trekking adventure in fast-forward journal mode? Let’s go!Day 1 (September 26): Kathmandu (elevation 1400 meters) to Arughat (elevation 600 meters). Ten hours by bus, pointy seats, enough said.Day 2 (September 27): Arughat to Lapu Besi (884m).
The Goats of Nepal — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
Never point your feet at someone.” While we sat on cushions around the edges of the room, our Tibetan instructors listed for us the dos and don’ts of their culture. “Don’t kill bugs; in Buddhism, you should show respect for all sentient beings.
Through the Bazaar: My First Nepali Journey — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
First access to internet since arrival, so more to come soon, but here’s something for the moment.***“This is a deeply Buddhist country,” Isabelle, our academic director, told us in her proper English accent.
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