Varanasi is a city unlike any other in India. Full of life exploding at dawn and dusk along the Ganges River, a visit to Varanasi brings fantastic evening fire ceremonies and beautiful dawn boat rides along the shore.

My Indian friend almost got thrown in jail for walking with me around Jaipur, my ear piercings from Jaisalmer became infected leading me to a hospital in Delhi, and a brief, but glorious, visit into the heart of Sikhism at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

From Goa to the various wonders of Rajasthan, here are a couple of stories that stand out from my past few weeks in India. A sickness in Goa that laid me flat for many days, a sand boarding adventure in the Thar Desert, and a walk into the slightly revolting rat temple.

The island nation of Sri Lanka has stunning beaches, spectacular views, and lovely smiling faces. For two weeks I traveled the country, met up with my college pal Sam, and enjoyed the delights that Sri Lanka had to offer.

Arriving in India unprepared can leave a traveler woefully overwhelmed. The smells, tastes, sights, and noises are unlike anywhere else in the world. From Kochi to Chennai, here are my first experiences traveling in India.

A direct flight from Israel to India usually takes about 5 hours. My travels between the two countries took forty. I have a limitless amount of time and a finite amount of money for my travels so I usually take the cheapest option. Flying last minute and with budget airlines left me sitting on the ground for more than twice as long as I was in the air.

For the past month I have lived and worked on a kibbutz called Gezer. I was working 5 days a week in the olive orchard picking olives and later pruning the trees. Israel may be called land of milk and honey, but calling it the land of olives and hummus is a more fitting description of my final days in Israel.

My free trip through Israel ended and it was time to go exploring on my own. I initially had no plans to go to Jordan but after seeing a single photo of Petra I knew I had to go. I convinced a friend to join me for the adventure and we took off to see this wondrous city carved straight from the earth.

My world travels began with a trip of undetermined length in Israel. I don't know how long I will stay here, but the first 10 days were magical with my Taglit Birthright trip. I traveled from north to south learning about Israel, meeting Israeli soldiers, and eating amazing food.

In one week I’m off to travel the world. I don’t how long I’ll be gone or everywhere I will go. I have a one-way ticket to Israel and plan to travel east from there. I don’t know if I will be gone for only six months or for over two years. What I do know is that I like to travel light and moving light means bringing only what I need.