Traveler’s Journal
About the presentation:
When: 7 p.m., Thursday,
Where: Sequim High School library, 601 N. Sequim Ave.
Cost: Suggested $5 donation (adults); 18 and younger, free
Presenters: Lauren and Keith Denton
Presentation: “Connecting with nature in India and Nepal”
by Lauren and Keith Denton
For the Sequim Gazette
In August of 2008, we set out on a four-month honeymoon including two months traveling between India and Nepal. Having both spent extensive time in Latin America, our experiences had been enriched by living with host families and speaking the local language.
In Asia, we found immersing ourselves in the local culture to be more challenging. Being avid campers and hikers, our wilderness experiences allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the cultures we visited.
Our first day in New Delhi we found the onslaught of people, color and smells to be invigorating and overwhelming at the same time. The next few weeks we visited the Taj Mahal and traveled the tourist trail in the state of Rajasthan.
The complex history found in the forts and temples was fascinating but after a time we became weary of the crowds and the intense attention we received as foreigners.
We found ourselves struggling to appreciate a beautiful and complicated culture.
On our last night in Rajasthan we went on a camel trek in Jaisalmer. Riding the lumbering animals through the quiet desert and watching the full moon rise over the sand dunes was incredibly peaceful. Sleeping on bed rolls under the stars renewed our senses and connected us to a landscape imbedded in India culture.
We were reminded that cultural shock can only be overcome by time, patience and an open-minded approach to each day.
While in India, we visited the hill station of Mussoorie and the tranquil backwaters of Kerala. Keith also encountered wildlife and ancient temples as well as a few close calls on a motorcycle journey from Jaisalmer to New Delhi.
Through all of these experiences our appreciation of the natural environment allowed us further access to India culture.
After three weeks in India we headed to Pokhara, Nepal. We were instantly struck by the distinctions between these neighboring countries. While in India the areas we visited were primarily Hindu and the nuances of the caste system were very visible. In Pokhara and the area surrounding the Annapurna range, we felt the strong influence of Tibetan Buddhism.
Overall, we found Nepal to be more subtle in every way with the exception of the mountain vistas.
The majority of our time in Nepal was spent on a 15-day trek on the Annapurna Circuit. We climbed most of the way to the 18,000-foot pass of Thorong La without a sherpa and later learned the cultural implications of that choice.
We trekked past stupas and prayer flags and slept in tea houses. We slowly made our way from the lowland rice patties up to the treeless snow-covered pass. After the trek we visited Nepal’s Chitwan national park where we made safaris atop elephants while searching for tigers, but happily settled for rhino encounters.
We found connecting with the natural beauty of these two nations to be incredibly rewarding and we look forward to sharing more with you at the Traveler’s Journey on Feb. 8.
About the presenters
Lauren and Keith Denton, both New Jersey natives, met at a bus stop in Costa Rica in December 2000. Lauren’s love for travel began with her interest in her Bolivian-Puerto Rican roots, learning Spanish and participating in service programs while attending Villanova University. After graduating college, she visited Costa Rica to study at a language school. Keith also attended the school to learn Spanish and spent his weekends with Lauren while exploring the rest of the country before returning to his summer job in Alaska.
After living in Costa Rica, Lauren met Keith in Seattle in the fall of 2001. They spent five weeks driving across the country to their childhood homes in New Jersey. That winter, Lauren joined the Peace Corps in Honduras and Keith traveled through Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina with a fishing rod in hand.
Lauren spent two years working as a water and sanitation volunteer in Honduras. Her work with the Peace Corps led her to a graduate degree in public administration with a focus on nonprofit management. Meanwhile, Keith spent his summers working as a fishing guide in Alaska and his winters traveling in South America.
Keith visited Lauren three times during her Peace Corps service en route to South America. His love of fishing and camping drew him to Patagonia and led to his graduate degree in fisheries science. Lauren then worked as director of global programs at University Prep, an independent school in Seattle; she spent eight years sending students overseas, hosting international students and teaching a course called “Global Leadership.”
Keith and Lauren married in September 2007. Keith began working as a consultant on various rivers across the Olympic Peninsula. His work brought him out to the peninsula and the couple finally decided it was time to move in 2014.
The Dentons live in Sequim with their two children, Marea, 6, and Sawyer, 3. They recently returned from their first family international trip to Costa Rica.
About the presentations
Traveler’s Journal is a presentation of the Peninsula Trails Coalition. All of the money raised is used to buy project supplies and food for volunteers working on Olympic Discovery Trail projects.
Shows start at 7 p.m. in the Sequim High School Library at 601 N. Sequim Ave.
Suggested donation is $5 for adults; those 18 years old and younger are free.
One selected photo enlargement will be given away each week as a door prize. Creative Framing is donating the matting and shrink wrapping of the door prize.
For more information, call Dave Shreffler at 683-1734
