btk out
abaduh-abaduh-abaduh-abaduh thats all folks! (porky the pig rules!)
Friday, May 1, 2009
18,380 feet...I was there!
'ello 'ello this is your captain ben speaking, we are crousing in life at about 11,000 feet and will be arriving in heaven in approximately...NOW !!! let me just start off by letting you of you reading this know that, well you are all beautiful people, but that we are in ladakh and it is heaven on earth people! I only have one wish in my life right now, that is that everyone has a chance to see what all of us are seeing, pure and utter beauty that has been here for...well a long time. we are seriously missing our other half, it is like being the headless horsemen, you have a seriously sweet horse to ride on, but you can't see where you are going (i am not sure if that made sense, im rollin with it though). anyway miss crissy left you all off with us going to nubra valley and yes she was right we did go on the highest morotable road on the planet, i know i know calm down i will tell you all about it. it is approximately 4 to 5 hour journey from leh to nubra. starting off on an amazing road going up into the mountains, breathtaking views of the himalayas that slap you in the face they're so gorgeous (nothing you could capture on a camera, but we tried) stopping about every 30 minutes to snap a quick photo and take a wizz, at 11,000 ft+ the water you drink goes right through you...literally, trust me. we finally get to the top of the pass (yes 18,380 feet i'll say it again) and stop for another satisfying release and to check out the souvenier shop and take some snaps wish each other next to the world famous sign. anyway it was then a long trek down (trust me with plenty to look at out the window) and about 3 hours later...are we there yet!? we arrive in a small (and i mean small) town called hundar. we stay the night at the snow leopard guest house, after some rigorous haggling with the owner, getting a elegant dinner at a army camp cafe (sarcasm there folks, we ate this stuff called maggie noodles, roman but not as good, and some very very mediocre dosa and samosas). f.y.i. nubra valley is absolultely littered with military presence, army trucks here and there, army camps here and there, you caqn't escape the madness! no no it wasn't that bad, just the food they eat blagh, if i had to eat that every day i would honestly just walk across the border of pakistan and let nature take its course. but that is neither here nor there, back to the goods. so we woke up in hundar and had a very expensive 150 rupee (about 3 u.s. dollars) breakfast which consisted of bread, eggs, and butter, oh oh almost forgot the tea, thats what must have made it so expensive, aaaaaaaacha. after that we lightened the mood with possible the highlight of my trip. we hiked up to the gompa in hundar which was about an hour, which desmond (a.k.a. cruch-and-stuff) with me, no offense dizzy. and we walked around the top and just had an amzingly wowing moment staring face to face with one of the most beautiful scenes i have ever seen, its good, goooooooood. ohh almost forgot dizzy removed his cast (all u know he had broken his foot in sikkim) on the first day in hundar right after we got there, let me tell you the thing stunk! ohh it was bad! but it is cool to see him pretty much learn to walk again, he is slowly developing an even stride and, news flash, he hiked in the himlayas the day after he was free of the little devil. it was like seeing a 6 year old eat chocolate, just the look on his face as he says, "holy crap i can bend BOTH of my legs now. i haven't done that for six weeks", ohh good stuff. so after our magical hike chris and amber, the french girl we went to pangong with (she also came with us to nubra) went to ride camels! pretty sweet, ohh yeah hundar is pretty much surrounded by sand dunes so there are camels there, funny looking animal if you ask me. but after the camel ride we went all the way around nubra to a small town called sumor, stopping for dinner along the way, and ended up just getting into a guest house, that was actually quite nice. the next day we had breakfast (bread, butter, and tea) and went to panamik, the town that is closest to the boarder of pakistan, for tourists at least (still 100 kilometers from the actual boarder). in panamik there is pretty much only one thing to see, and that is hot springs, yes yes i said it hot springs. these springs are about 100 degrees and smell like sulfur, actually pretty magical and awesome when you are in the middle of nowhere and used to taking cold showers. we dilly dallied around the spring for a while and then went over tot he bathing section. here are the showers (i use that term very lightly) and we all got a chance to bathe, defanitally the most memorable shower i took in india. when i say shower this is whats goin on, you walk from outisde into one of two rooms, these rooms have about a 3 foot boarder and then a pit that is about a cubic meter. stpes lead down to the pit and near the top of the pit, about waist height is a pipe. constantly pouring out of this pipe is 100 degree sufur hot springs water, magic was in the air. a bar of soap was conveniently waiting there for us, no need to prepare. and after you were done bathing, me at least, just went directly outside and dried off in the sun (keep in mind what you are looking at is the himalayas) pretty much one of the best feelings i have had in this country. so after that we started to head back to sumor, and on our way stopped for a small, 15 minute, hike to a lake in the middle of a mountain, kinda. it is hard to explain but it was pretty sweet, green water and surrounded by hills, you wonder how and why that is there. starving we jumped back in the jeep and headed back. we got a good lunch, rice dal and chapati, at a little restaurant in sumor (the best and most filling food we had had in days) and then headed back. some went for a walk to the gompa while others chillin and read and caught up on rest at the guest house. we had an amzing dinner at our guest house and then went off to bed, very nice sleep. the next day (today) we got up early, ate the standard bread butter and tea, then jumped in the jeep for the ride back to leh.. once again the most amazing landscape in the world in the other direction, and it didn't stop even when we arrived in leh. it is nice to be back and settled, even though we are flying out tomorow and going to delhi, train to aggra to see the taj, then trasin back the next day. its all good in the neighborhood and we are stoked to meet up with the head of the horsemen tomorow. wow, i just wrote an insanely long blog all by myself, im a big boy mommy! sorry if i bored you, if you could see this (*and i hope all of you do some day) you would truly and will truly know. peace easy for now, hope you all enjoyed my rant. i am sure all of you will hear the great details in a couple of days in person as we only have 4 days left in india, wowzuz!!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Swine Flu - Update from Carpe Diem HQ
The following is a post recently made to our FAQ page that we wanted to include to all of you who might be reading this blog.
Swine flu has recently been confirmed throughout Mexico and parts of the US. A few other countries have also reported possible infections. While we're in touch with the CDC and monitoring all of the international news we can put our hands on, we also feel we are uniquely placed to handle the situation given that all of our field staff are trained in Wilderness Medicine; two of our office staff are currently Emergency Room nurses; and the other is a Wilderness EMT. We also have contact with a variety of local doctors (including a few with advanced training in international and tropical medicines) that should needs require we can reach out to.
Our spring & fall 2009 programs will continue to run as scheduled although we plan on requiring flu shots for our fall programs as they have been proven (with Avian Flu for instance) to much reduce any severity of infection. We may also choose to outfit our medical kits with extra supplies such as extra hand sanitizer and the like.
Swine Flu is an offshoot of the 1918-19 flu: just as every flu since then has been. In that strain of flu as well as most that have followed including Swine, Pneumonia has been the actual concern and the one we're most on guard for. The good news is that once recognized there are very good treatments for Pneumonia and we are very familiar with good doctors in the areas our students travel. Of course we plan on continuing to take the proactive approach and deal with any medical potentialities quickly and professionally. Since that initial pandemic in 1918, the subsequent strains have historically been more and more benign. The Swine Flu is presenting thankfully as a low-mortality flu (currently, in the US as an example, there have been 50 suspected cases and only one took an overnight in the hospital before being discharged in good health). So, while this particular flu strain is stronger than the typical seasonal flu, we are hopeful that it will continue to be as easily treatable as it has been.
Swine flu has recently been confirmed throughout Mexico and parts of the US. A few other countries have also reported possible infections. While we're in touch with the CDC and monitoring all of the international news we can put our hands on, we also feel we are uniquely placed to handle the situation given that all of our field staff are trained in Wilderness Medicine; two of our office staff are currently Emergency Room nurses; and the other is a Wilderness EMT. We also have contact with a variety of local doctors (including a few with advanced training in international and tropical medicines) that should needs require we can reach out to.
Our spring & fall 2009 programs will continue to run as scheduled although we plan on requiring flu shots for our fall programs as they have been proven (with Avian Flu for instance) to much reduce any severity of infection. We may also choose to outfit our medical kits with extra supplies such as extra hand sanitizer and the like.
Swine Flu is an offshoot of the 1918-19 flu: just as every flu since then has been. In that strain of flu as well as most that have followed including Swine, Pneumonia has been the actual concern and the one we're most on guard for. The good news is that once recognized there are very good treatments for Pneumonia and we are very familiar with good doctors in the areas our students travel. Of course we plan on continuing to take the proactive approach and deal with any medical potentialities quickly and professionally. Since that initial pandemic in 1918, the subsequent strains have historically been more and more benign. The Swine Flu is presenting thankfully as a low-mortality flu (currently, in the US as an example, there have been 50 suspected cases and only one took an overnight in the hospital before being discharged in good health). So, while this particular flu strain is stronger than the typical seasonal flu, we are hopeful that it will continue to be as easily treatable as it has been.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sitting on Top of the World
Well, sort of. Our half of the group is in Ladakh, which is at around 10,000 ft. elevation. The four of us agree that this is one of the coolest, most amazing places we've ever been to, hands down.
To get here we took an overnight bus from McLeod Ganj to Delhi, which wasn't exactly fun, but was actually more comfortable than some (much longer and less nice) trips I've taken on the Greyhound bus. We got to Delhi and our favorite hotel, the Shelton, in early morning, took naps, and set out for our day. We went to the Baha'i Lotus Temple, which was pretty spectacular. It's designed by the same person who designed the Sidney Opera House in Australia, and the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the acoustics inside were mind-blowing! We sat inside the Lotus for a bit, heard some prayers and a woman singing this amazing song that seemed to reverberate all through the temple. After the temple, we went to go see a movie (Monsters Vs. Aliens) which was hilariously ridiculous, and ate at Ruby Tuesday's, which I would not recommend doing in India!
The next morning we got up super early for our flight to Leh, the main city in Ladakh. It was short, but one of the most beautiful flights ever! Looking out the window, once we got out of the smog of Delhi and up over the mountains, there were high, defined snow-covered peaks as far as the eye could see. It was a pretty awesome experience flying over the Himalayas!
After our arrival we spent the first two days exploring the city of Leh. It's super quiet and clean, and there are awesome trees. The people are so friendly. It is really like nowhere else in the world, at all. I don't know if words would do it justice. Ladakh was an isolated place, with almost no contact from civilization until recently (maybe within the last fifty years or something? I watched a video about it seven years ago, can't really remember the specifics), and is in the northernmost Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. The elevation makes it pretty cold at night, but warm and toasty during the day. It's now a heavily touristed place, but we are here before all of that begins for the year, which is pretty nice.
Yesterday, we went with two other travelers we've met (one from France and one from Israel) to Pangong Lake. To get there we drove through a snow-covered pass on the third highest motorable road in the entire world. It was breath-taking, driving through soooo many mountains like that. As Karen put it, it felt like we were driving through a painting. And the elevation was insane. We were at 17,586 ft! We stopped for a bathroom break, and the bathroom was actually covered in frozen pee! This was at an Indian army stop, and they had tea and (disgusting, supposedly boiled) water for us to fill up on. We drove through lots of checkpoints and made our way to lower ground to the lake, which was pretty deserted, and still a bit frosty at some parts. The lake is right on the border of Tibet, as in a quarter of the lake actually belongs to Tibet, and so we walked/drove to the point, also called the Line of Actual Control, which was pretty much deserted and uneventful. It was cool to know we were that close to Tibet, that now makes two borders we've been super close to.
We headed back on a wild ride through the same snowy passes and back down to Leh, at which point 10,000 ft felt like nothing. On the way back we had some English pronunciation lessons with our Israeli friend which I can't repeat on this blog but which Karen caught on video. Never-ending laughs.
When we arrived back in Leh, we watched a parade for Tenzin Gyatso, the fifteenth Llama, as it was his birthday.
Today we're going to a palace that's up in the mountains and possibly to a monastery as well, and might visit the Tibetan Medical and Astrology Center where our friend Norbu's sister's husband works. I can't wait to check it out!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Nubra Valley for a few days and nights. To get there we will be on THE highest motorable road in the entire world! It's going to be an adventure. While there we're going to do some trekking and camping. Desmond still has his cast on, so he and I might ride horses instead of hike so we can keep up. Oh, and my glasses got broken while being tossed around in the back of the jeep on the ride yesterday, so that is a bummer, but we're going to see if we can make them last a few more days.
Our homestay is awesome, in beautiful rooms with an awesome family, who cooks us delicious Ladakhi meals and makes some of the best tea we've had in India. We've only felt really minor altitude affects (minor headaches and lightheadedness) and really wish the other half of our group was with us to be experiencing this most amazing place. All of us have talked about wanting to come back someday.
That's all for now, I'm sure we'll have more to report about our adventures after we return from the Nubra Valley.
~Chrysanthemum
To get here we took an overnight bus from McLeod Ganj to Delhi, which wasn't exactly fun, but was actually more comfortable than some (much longer and less nice) trips I've taken on the Greyhound bus. We got to Delhi and our favorite hotel, the Shelton, in early morning, took naps, and set out for our day. We went to the Baha'i Lotus Temple, which was pretty spectacular. It's designed by the same person who designed the Sidney Opera House in Australia, and the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the acoustics inside were mind-blowing! We sat inside the Lotus for a bit, heard some prayers and a woman singing this amazing song that seemed to reverberate all through the temple. After the temple, we went to go see a movie (Monsters Vs. Aliens) which was hilariously ridiculous, and ate at Ruby Tuesday's, which I would not recommend doing in India!
The next morning we got up super early for our flight to Leh, the main city in Ladakh. It was short, but one of the most beautiful flights ever! Looking out the window, once we got out of the smog of Delhi and up over the mountains, there were high, defined snow-covered peaks as far as the eye could see. It was a pretty awesome experience flying over the Himalayas!
After our arrival we spent the first two days exploring the city of Leh. It's super quiet and clean, and there are awesome trees. The people are so friendly. It is really like nowhere else in the world, at all. I don't know if words would do it justice. Ladakh was an isolated place, with almost no contact from civilization until recently (maybe within the last fifty years or something? I watched a video about it seven years ago, can't really remember the specifics), and is in the northernmost Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. The elevation makes it pretty cold at night, but warm and toasty during the day. It's now a heavily touristed place, but we are here before all of that begins for the year, which is pretty nice.
Yesterday, we went with two other travelers we've met (one from France and one from Israel) to Pangong Lake. To get there we drove through a snow-covered pass on the third highest motorable road in the entire world. It was breath-taking, driving through soooo many mountains like that. As Karen put it, it felt like we were driving through a painting. And the elevation was insane. We were at 17,586 ft! We stopped for a bathroom break, and the bathroom was actually covered in frozen pee! This was at an Indian army stop, and they had tea and (disgusting, supposedly boiled) water for us to fill up on. We drove through lots of checkpoints and made our way to lower ground to the lake, which was pretty deserted, and still a bit frosty at some parts. The lake is right on the border of Tibet, as in a quarter of the lake actually belongs to Tibet, and so we walked/drove to the point, also called the Line of Actual Control, which was pretty much deserted and uneventful. It was cool to know we were that close to Tibet, that now makes two borders we've been super close to.
We headed back on a wild ride through the same snowy passes and back down to Leh, at which point 10,000 ft felt like nothing. On the way back we had some English pronunciation lessons with our Israeli friend which I can't repeat on this blog but which Karen caught on video. Never-ending laughs.
When we arrived back in Leh, we watched a parade for Tenzin Gyatso, the fifteenth Llama, as it was his birthday.
Today we're going to a palace that's up in the mountains and possibly to a monastery as well, and might visit the Tibetan Medical and Astrology Center where our friend Norbu's sister's husband works. I can't wait to check it out!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Nubra Valley for a few days and nights. To get there we will be on THE highest motorable road in the entire world! It's going to be an adventure. While there we're going to do some trekking and camping. Desmond still has his cast on, so he and I might ride horses instead of hike so we can keep up. Oh, and my glasses got broken while being tossed around in the back of the jeep on the ride yesterday, so that is a bummer, but we're going to see if we can make them last a few more days.
Our homestay is awesome, in beautiful rooms with an awesome family, who cooks us delicious Ladakhi meals and makes some of the best tea we've had in India. We've only felt really minor altitude affects (minor headaches and lightheadedness) and really wish the other half of our group was with us to be experiencing this most amazing place. All of us have talked about wanting to come back someday.
That's all for now, I'm sure we'll have more to report about our adventures after we return from the Nubra Valley.
~Chrysanthemum
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Varanasi, one billion degrees
SO!
we just finally landed in Varanasi
the previously lush land of FAR too many people
is now dusty and deserted.
although still amazing.
we are currently staying in the plushest and poshest hotel any of us have stayed in, while in india
it is AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!
let me repeat that AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!!
and it is so hot here that nothing could be finer
except perhaps attractive people fanning us with palm branches
but that just didn't fit into our budget.
we do have to say that we miss the other half of our group during this most rouge of traveling times.
and nina too!
its strange having this separation but traveling is far easier in small groups!
we miss you crazy guys and gals
hope free travel isnt kicking youre arses!
peace out from Varanasi!!
~Swamp Butt
we just finally landed in Varanasi
the previously lush land of FAR too many people
is now dusty and deserted.
although still amazing.
we are currently staying in the plushest and poshest hotel any of us have stayed in, while in india
it is AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!
let me repeat that AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!!
and it is so hot here that nothing could be finer
except perhaps attractive people fanning us with palm branches
but that just didn't fit into our budget.
we do have to say that we miss the other half of our group during this most rouge of traveling times.
and nina too!
its strange having this separation but traveling is far easier in small groups!
we miss you crazy guys and gals
hope free travel isnt kicking youre arses!
peace out from Varanasi!!
~Swamp Butt
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Rogue Travel Begins (aka Free Travel)
Ok, lets get down to business.
We finished our time at Deer Park, doing our volunteer work, meditating, hiking, watching sunsets, sitting in the sun and finding a bit of a haven from the madness of India. The boys, aided by Willa, Chrys and Hilary, made a compost system. All in a days work. Karen made a huge statue out of trash for Earth Day. Some of the projects were really far reaching and demanding, but we still did get a lot done, which they were grateful for. Most of us were pretty sad to leave the calm and beautiful confines of Bir Colony, especially me.
Then on to McLeod Ganj, home of the one and only; His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. We stayed with Tibetan families, our Amalas (moms), Pallas (dads) and whatever kids they had. It was so nice to be in a home, even though our Amalas were really protective. It was out of love. We all got stuffed with excellent Tibetan food and watched a lot of Hindi or Chinese soap operas. Some of us (aka Hilary) got really into them. We took classes of various kinds. Yoga, massage, Reiki, and jewelry making. It was so strange to go a day or two without seeing the whole crew. It made me realize just how much time we spend with one another. We did check out the Carpe Diem restaurant, which lived up to its reputation as being pretty great. There's a lounge area with an insane view of snow-capped mountains (one of which Andrew slept on to celebrate his birthday). And a sign that says "no outside food or drinks. no hashish or drugs." hmmmmmmm.. I think, though, we all kind of grew tired of the tourist-y nature of McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala. So many many many Westerners.
The Carpe Diem India family/tribe is now far flung to three different corners (not really corners) of the country. In a last minute turn of events, Willa Rose, Graham, Hilary, and Andrew are going back to Varanasi for free travel. Its going to be over 100 degrees every day, but they were itching to return. Hilary is going to do some serious sitar work. Andrew is probably going to bathe in the Mama Ganga (no fear, just do it!). Desmond, Ben, Chrys, and Karen are going to Ladakh where they are going to get personally shown around by our friend Norbu's sister. Des said he found archery and hunting there and he's been wanting to do some damage, even with his cast, which is now new and fiberglass. They are going to get themselves into some unbelievable trekking, I think. And as for me, as of sunset last night I am technically no longer affiliated with Carpe Diem. I realized that the peace of Deer Park, the incredible beauty of the Kangra Valley (and the opportunity to paraglide) were all too worthwhile to ignore and tomorrow I am going back to spend a few weeks meditating and what have you. Everyone was really supportive of my decision and I'm really grateful for that. So, for whatever reason and in whatever place, we've pretty much all gone rogue in our own ways.
I think that's all for now. All you free-travelers/turkeys/party people/whatever else Drew calls you: i miss you already, but in the happy kind of way. Make some bad decisions. Have adventures. Live it up. I love you all. Thank you for everything.
Word.
Nina
ps. I don't think I'll eat the Spam. Sorry guys. Maybe if we all find each other again in the real world, we'll bust it open and have a feast. That's pretty much the only way. Thanks, though. And don't YOU forget "do not be afraid of greatness" as the can states.
pps. now i really am done. peace out.
We finished our time at Deer Park, doing our volunteer work, meditating, hiking, watching sunsets, sitting in the sun and finding a bit of a haven from the madness of India. The boys, aided by Willa, Chrys and Hilary, made a compost system. All in a days work. Karen made a huge statue out of trash for Earth Day. Some of the projects were really far reaching and demanding, but we still did get a lot done, which they were grateful for. Most of us were pretty sad to leave the calm and beautiful confines of Bir Colony, especially me.
Then on to McLeod Ganj, home of the one and only; His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. We stayed with Tibetan families, our Amalas (moms), Pallas (dads) and whatever kids they had. It was so nice to be in a home, even though our Amalas were really protective. It was out of love. We all got stuffed with excellent Tibetan food and watched a lot of Hindi or Chinese soap operas. Some of us (aka Hilary) got really into them. We took classes of various kinds. Yoga, massage, Reiki, and jewelry making. It was so strange to go a day or two without seeing the whole crew. It made me realize just how much time we spend with one another. We did check out the Carpe Diem restaurant, which lived up to its reputation as being pretty great. There's a lounge area with an insane view of snow-capped mountains (one of which Andrew slept on to celebrate his birthday). And a sign that says "no outside food or drinks. no hashish or drugs." hmmmmmmm.. I think, though, we all kind of grew tired of the tourist-y nature of McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala. So many many many Westerners.
The Carpe Diem India family/tribe is now far flung to three different corners (not really corners) of the country. In a last minute turn of events, Willa Rose, Graham, Hilary, and Andrew are going back to Varanasi for free travel. Its going to be over 100 degrees every day, but they were itching to return. Hilary is going to do some serious sitar work. Andrew is probably going to bathe in the Mama Ganga (no fear, just do it!). Desmond, Ben, Chrys, and Karen are going to Ladakh where they are going to get personally shown around by our friend Norbu's sister. Des said he found archery and hunting there and he's been wanting to do some damage, even with his cast, which is now new and fiberglass. They are going to get themselves into some unbelievable trekking, I think. And as for me, as of sunset last night I am technically no longer affiliated with Carpe Diem. I realized that the peace of Deer Park, the incredible beauty of the Kangra Valley (and the opportunity to paraglide) were all too worthwhile to ignore and tomorrow I am going back to spend a few weeks meditating and what have you. Everyone was really supportive of my decision and I'm really grateful for that. So, for whatever reason and in whatever place, we've pretty much all gone rogue in our own ways.
I think that's all for now. All you free-travelers/turkeys/party people/whatever else Drew calls you: i miss you already, but in the happy kind of way. Make some bad decisions. Have adventures. Live it up. I love you all. Thank you for everything.
Word.
Nina
ps. I don't think I'll eat the Spam. Sorry guys. Maybe if we all find each other again in the real world, we'll bust it open and have a feast. That's pretty much the only way. Thanks, though. And don't YOU forget "do not be afraid of greatness" as the can states.
pps. now i really am done. peace out.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
deer park
hey there party people-
After a long week of traveling we have finally made it to Deer Park in Bihar colony. There is a lot to recap since our last post was from sikkim. So here is goes...
From sikkim we took a taxi to darjeeling. Darjeeling was pretty rainy and cold, but we tried to make the best out it. We visited the tibetan self-help center where they sell hand made products (shawls, shoes, coats, hats etc.) for tibetan refugees. We got to see them sow leather shoes, spin wool and weave carpets, which was awesome. Another fun group activity was catching the sunrise over the himalayas from tiger hill. We got up at 4:00 in the morning to make it to tiger hill before sunrise, which we pulled off easliy (performing). Willa did her infamous introduciton to our taxi driver which got everyone laughing and has kept us laughing to this day. When we got there, however, there were tons of tourists and the sun was lost behind a haze of fog and rain- double bummer. We managed to enjoy oursleves anyways. The sun peeped out for a breif moment and we were all satisfied with that little glipse of heaven. The taxi ride back was great- we listened to a cassette tape tittled peacock and pretty much jammed out the rest of the ride home. It seems like Darjeeling just flew by and we were already planning our way back to delhi to head to amritsar.
We took a 2.5 hour taxi ride to the airport which was pretty uneventful. When we got to the airport it turns out they wouldn't let drew take his peanutbutter and nutella on the plan so we all hoovered it down at the security checkpoint... huge sugar buzz for the three hor flight to delhi. The flight was uneventful as well. When we got into delhi we headed back to our very first indian home, the Shelton Hotel. We were all amazed at how different everything felt. We don't know if the city had actually calmed down a bit or if we just weren't phased by it anymore... either way we all noticed a change. We spent the night and then woke up for an early train to Amritsar to see the world famous golden temple.
The train ride was long, but enjoyable. We got into amritsar late afternoon and quickly settled in and grabbed some grub. The next night we headed to the golden temple for an out of this world experience. The temple was huge and absolutely amazing. It felt like we were stepping into a time warp. A part of the sikh religion is they don't turn anyone away... which means this temple is always packed with people. It's said that the kitchen serves anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 people a day (24 hour service too!). The dinning experience was crazy. We all grabbed plates and were hearded into a long hallway were they let you into a dinning hall that have long matts laid down on floor for you to sit and eat on. We were pretty much the only white people there so we definitely attracted alot of attention. All throughout the night people came up to us to talk and to ask us questions. Many of the men there asked us to find them some good american wives! so funny. Their curiosity and friendliness grew tiresome and a bit frustrating when it came time to sleep because they wouldn't leave. Eventually we got the point across and laid our heads to rest in time for a few horus of shut eye. Some of us just decided to give up on the idea of sleep all together and pulled an all nighter. The next morning the group decided to split up- healf waited to stay another night at the golden temple and the other half wanted to head out to deer park. So we went out different ways and began a long a crazy day of traveling to Bihar Colony. The group that left first got to deer park later that night after a 6hour cattle-like train ride and a few more long hours in a taxi . We were grateful for deer park's hospitality and flexibilty as well as thier dry, warm beds. The rest of the group joined a day later, tired and exhausted
from their travels. Once the group was reunited, we went about planning our days at deer park. As a group we decided to spend ouur mornings (9-12) on volunteer work, which includes earth day preparations, ecology survey, organic gardening and building a compost. The afternoons are off, giving us free time for whatever we want to do (going to town, checking emial, hiking, reading, meditating... anything is possible). Then at 4:30 we have meditation class with a deer park staff member, Malitas, for about an hour. We've had two classes so far, that were focused on basic sitting positions and breathing techniques. Today, we are going to try out walking meditation, which sounds awesome. All in all, Deer Park has been a sancutary for all of us- mentally, physically and emotionally. namaste, graham
After a long week of traveling we have finally made it to Deer Park in Bihar colony. There is a lot to recap since our last post was from sikkim. So here is goes...
From sikkim we took a taxi to darjeeling. Darjeeling was pretty rainy and cold, but we tried to make the best out it. We visited the tibetan self-help center where they sell hand made products (shawls, shoes, coats, hats etc.) for tibetan refugees. We got to see them sow leather shoes, spin wool and weave carpets, which was awesome. Another fun group activity was catching the sunrise over the himalayas from tiger hill. We got up at 4:00 in the morning to make it to tiger hill before sunrise, which we pulled off easliy (performing). Willa did her infamous introduciton to our taxi driver which got everyone laughing and has kept us laughing to this day. When we got there, however, there were tons of tourists and the sun was lost behind a haze of fog and rain- double bummer. We managed to enjoy oursleves anyways. The sun peeped out for a breif moment and we were all satisfied with that little glipse of heaven. The taxi ride back was great- we listened to a cassette tape tittled peacock and pretty much jammed out the rest of the ride home. It seems like Darjeeling just flew by and we were already planning our way back to delhi to head to amritsar.
We took a 2.5 hour taxi ride to the airport which was pretty uneventful. When we got to the airport it turns out they wouldn't let drew take his peanutbutter and nutella on the plan so we all hoovered it down at the security checkpoint... huge sugar buzz for the three hor flight to delhi. The flight was uneventful as well. When we got into delhi we headed back to our very first indian home, the Shelton Hotel. We were all amazed at how different everything felt. We don't know if the city had actually calmed down a bit or if we just weren't phased by it anymore... either way we all noticed a change. We spent the night and then woke up for an early train to Amritsar to see the world famous golden temple.
The train ride was long, but enjoyable. We got into amritsar late afternoon and quickly settled in and grabbed some grub. The next night we headed to the golden temple for an out of this world experience. The temple was huge and absolutely amazing. It felt like we were stepping into a time warp. A part of the sikh religion is they don't turn anyone away... which means this temple is always packed with people. It's said that the kitchen serves anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 people a day (24 hour service too!). The dinning experience was crazy. We all grabbed plates and were hearded into a long hallway were they let you into a dinning hall that have long matts laid down on floor for you to sit and eat on. We were pretty much the only white people there so we definitely attracted alot of attention. All throughout the night people came up to us to talk and to ask us questions. Many of the men there asked us to find them some good american wives! so funny. Their curiosity and friendliness grew tiresome and a bit frustrating when it came time to sleep because they wouldn't leave. Eventually we got the point across and laid our heads to rest in time for a few horus of shut eye. Some of us just decided to give up on the idea of sleep all together and pulled an all nighter. The next morning the group decided to split up- healf waited to stay another night at the golden temple and the other half wanted to head out to deer park. So we went out different ways and began a long a crazy day of traveling to Bihar Colony. The group that left first got to deer park later that night after a 6hour cattle-like train ride and a few more long hours in a taxi . We were grateful for deer park's hospitality and flexibilty as well as thier dry, warm beds. The rest of the group joined a day later, tired and exhausted
from their travels. Once the group was reunited, we went about planning our days at deer park. As a group we decided to spend ouur mornings (9-12) on volunteer work, which includes earth day preparations, ecology survey, organic gardening and building a compost. The afternoons are off, giving us free time for whatever we want to do (going to town, checking emial, hiking, reading, meditating... anything is possible). Then at 4:30 we have meditation class with a deer park staff member, Malitas, for about an hour. We've had two classes so far, that were focused on basic sitting positions and breathing techniques. Today, we are going to try out walking meditation, which sounds awesome. All in all, Deer Park has been a sancutary for all of us- mentally, physically and emotionally. namaste, graham
Monday, March 30, 2009
hello out there in bloggerworld,
This is one of the old farts here in India, Andrew, checking in. "Hello?! Can you hear me? Is this thing on?" Crazy, crazy, cyber-bloggerworld...
anyways, I just wanted to pass on a few informational websites for any and all who may be interested. I am always subjecting the group to random articles and websites about myriad hot topics, so I figured I would spread the love onto you. As you may know, we have spent the last two+ weeks in the amazing northern state of Sikkim, which is surrounded by Nepal, Tibet (China), Bhutan, and the Indian state of West Bengal to the south. Here in this tiny, mountainous state, there are many pressing issues that the land and it's people face. One of which, is the issue of large government sponsored hydroelectric projects on some of the most wild rivers around, in some of the most pristine environments, in the homelands of some of the oldest and original inhabitants of the area. While progress is not necessarily a bad thing (I am not about to dive into a philosophical rant or debate), many people and the environment in the local area are being effected by these projects. And it would appear, at least from our view, mostly in a negative way.
As the post on the 'weeping sikkim' blogspot (see below) quotes the timeless Cree prophecy:
"Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten."
Here are some websites to check out for more information. I hope you are all well, and many thanks for sharing with us in this amazing experience...
http://weepingsikkim.blogspot.com/
...Peace, love and understanding...
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