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Wow, two years! We can hardly believe it ourselves. It seems like we just set out from Berlin last week. From Germany to Hong Kong across China and Tibet to India via Nepal, year one saw a lot of movement. Our second year has been almost entirely spent on the Subcontinent. But as those who have followed along have seen, India is a world unto itself. To recall some of our adventures, we’ve put together an interactive gallery.

Well, we’ve spent a total of 15 months here. So, do we like it? The question almost seems ridiculous. We hate the country, and we love it. Every day we find ourselves cursing this place and swearing we are going to leave. And then moments later, we discover something wondrous. We’ve never witnessed such cruelty, but somehow the moments of kindness seem all the more touching. The country is one massive contradiction, so it is not surprising that our responses should be contradictory.

Hindu gods? Or South Park characters?

After two days in India, our philosophy became “Let’s just see the whole damn country and get the hell out and never come back!” But now, somehow the idea of not returning to India seems terrifying. Why? Traveling here is such an intense experience. Somehow every single day seems like it is filled with major life lessons. Or, perhaps, we just have a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome.

So we are off to Bangkok to find some cheap tickets to the U.S. But don’t worry, our adventures aren’t over. They’ve only just begun!

If you love the soundtrack “Dancing with the Goddess” as much as I do, check out Atman’s homepage or listen to and download more songs by this great artist from last.fm.

Escaping our room during one of these power outages, we decided to visit Mother House. Simply known as “Mother” in Calcutta, Mother Teresa is revered as a soon-to-be saint by Christians and a demi-god by Hindus. She is synonymous with Calcutta, and people of all religions love her here.

Although I am no great fan of organized religion, and I am quite aware of the controversy surrounding many of Mother Teresa’s beliefs, including her strict opposition to contraception, I nevertheless believe that her extraordinary work in the slums of Calcutta merits the requisite pilgrimage to Mother House. Could any visit to Calcutta be complete without it?

And the trip was well worth it. The simple, soft-spoken nuns donning the easily recognizable blue and white saris made famous by Mother Teresa were incredibly inviting, especially considering the fact that they must have hundreds of tourist dropping by each day. I was massively impressed by Mother Teresa’s simple tomb, it spoke volumes about her sincerity and her beliefs. And the small museum dedicated to her life was absolutely fascinating. I was intrigued by wording which appeared to subtly critique the opulence of the church in a world with such poverty. Even in death, Mother Teresa seems to be making a clear statement.

But perhaps the most fascinating fact appeared towards the end of the museum. On the night Mother Teresa died, she was experiencing heart problems and a doctor was called in to attend to her. As Mother Teresa lie struggling in her bed, the doctor wanted to administer life-saving oxygen, but couldn’t. Why? Because there was a power outage.

During the white-hot day, I have the continual feeling that I’m going to drop over dead from heat stroke. It seems like we spend most of our time hiding from the sun. But at night, Calcutta is perhaps the greatest location in the world for people watching. Emerging from the shadows like tropical vampires, Indians and tourists take to the streets. Strolling the filthy, steamy city at dusk, one cannot help being drawn into the manic sense of euphoria that results when the nuclear sun sets. Snacks are roasted on metal-drum stoves as hand-drawn rickshaws race through the roads. Veiled women intermix with painted holy men as hijra pop curses at passers-by. It’s like performance art on the largest scale imaginable!