Day 66 - Boudha

We have made it safely to Kathmandu and are staying in a really nice guest house in an area called Boudha. It's connected to a monastery called Shechen, the grounds of which we often walk through on our way out for the day. Sometimes we hear the monks debating as we walk by, which includes a great deal of foot stomping and hand clapping (not in anger of course, but rather part of a very organized system of debate). Shechen is just one of many monasteries in the area. There is also the large, visually amazing Boudha Stupa that rises over the buildings. People do Kora around the stupa, circumambulating the structure while repeating mantras and spinning prayer wheels. In Buddhism, it's a great way to gain merit.
A couple days ago we went with some friends to Pharping, about an hour and a half outside of Kathmandu. There, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche was performing a puja at a monastery called Yellow Gompa. I won't pretend to know much about this particular teacher or pujas, however from talking to others I gathered that Thinley Norbu Rinpoche is an old, highly respected Buddhist teacher that lives in the US and has not been to Nepal in 13 years. Ultimately, the puja lasted about 5 hours and consisted of uninterrupted chanting, throat-singing, drumming and woodwinds. It was amazing to listen to and just feel the vibrations around and inside you. Also, the shrine room of Yellow Gompa was incredibly beautiful, with sculptures, carvings, paintings and tapestries of vibrant reds, golds, blues and greens. I may not have fully comprehended the religious significance of the event, but I definitely appreciated the visual and auditory power of it all.
Yesterday we went to Pashnupatinath, which is the holiest place for Hindus in Nepal. Pashnupati is one of the 1,008 names for Lord Shiva and there are many temples and sculptures there dedicated to Shiva. It sits alongside the Bagmati River (which I believe eventually meets the Ganges). There, they perform cremations twenty-four hours a day. Laura and I sat for an hour or so watching the cremations (which is far less disturbing or unnerving than it sounds). It was quite an amazing experience watching the families bring the bodies of loved ones, wrapped in bright cloth and decorated with garlands, to the riverside to perform all the religious rites. In Hinduism, there are five important elements: water, fire, air, land and sky. The cremations by the river unite all five elements in the single ceremony. The river is also significant in that Hindus bath themselves in it for religious purposes. They fully submerge themselves three times while reciting the ancient Vedas in hopes of breaking from the cycle of reincarnation.
Spending Thanksgiving in Boudha with Laura was so nice, and the first Thanksgiving we've spent together. We went to a little restaurant we found the other day called Double Dorjee. It is officially my favorite restaurant on the whole trip so far. The woman who runs it is very warm and friendly and the food is delicious. We had beer, mashed potatoes, fried veggies and apple pie, as close as we could get to a Thanksgiving dinner. The power went out at one point so we even got to finish our meal by candlelight. I know that, for me, it was the one of the best Thanksgivings I could ask for (no offense family).
Tuesday is the annual World AIDS Day (December 1) and I'm curious to see what will be done in Kathmandu. Laura and I e-mailed 3 organizations in hopes of finding a volunteer opportunity, but have heard from none. I'm thinking that we'll just head out in the morning and see if there's anything being done and somehow latch on, either as participants or volunteers. I don't know at all what to expect. In Kenya it's a huge deal and in some places it's a week-long thing rather than a single day. It'll be interesting to get a comparison.
Thus marks the first post from Nepal. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Day 59 - Delhi

I figured that, for what is most likely my last post from India, I would share some memories not previously shared on this blog.

1. Ordering a Peanut Butter Pancake (which was on the menu) in Bodhgaya and repeating my order only to receive a Paneer Butter Pancake. Paneer is an Indian cheese. Needless to say a pancake with cheese and butter is not a healthy snack for my heart.

2. Leaving our guest house in Diu at 5:00am to catch a bus, only to find that the doors are all locked from the outside. We were literally locked in and had to bang on the doors for the owners to wake up and let us out.

3. While building a sand castle on the beach with Laura, a young boy came and watched us silently. The next day, on a different beach, that boy saw us and began to point at us and say things to his two friends. Then they started to build a sand castle.

4. Sitting on the roof of our guest house in Bundi talking and laughing with the owner about the problems all the monkeys cause and how he should go get his gun. Then, watching in shock as he actually comes back up with a BB-gun and proceeds to shoot at the monkeys.

5. Riding in a rickshaw over what is possibly the worst road in India for an hour and a half each way, including multiple stops by the driver to ask for directions from people on the street.

There's some pics posted on Laura's blog, so check them out...http://laurawwoofs.blogspot.com

Day 55 - Diu

After 18 hours on a train, 3 hours sitting around the bus station in Rajkot, and 8 hours on a bus, we finally arrived in Diu, an island off the West coast in the Arabian Sea. The days here have been beautiful with temperatures in the 80s (F), bright sunny skies, and sandy beaches. I know most of you are gearing up for Thanksgiving and bracing November rains (or snows) so I'm sure you're glad to hear we're getting tanner every day. There are two particularly nice beaches within walking distance from our guest house. However, they seem to be relatively unattended. Aside from the random groups of young Indian men who pull up, run to the water, take a group photo and run away, it's generally just a few other tourists and us. Next to one beach there's a monument to the INS Khukri, an Indian naval ship that was sunk by Pakistani's in the 70s. As we sit on the beach, there's a constant stream of Indian groups and families that visit the monument, stare or wave at us, then leave.

Yesterday we decided to rent a moped, which was 200 Rupees (US$4.50) for 24 hours. This way we got to speed around the island and see all the sights. We visited a church that was built in 1667 (I think it was for Our Lady of Remedies), some really amazing caves, and Diu Fort, which gives a great view of the ocean. I definitely felt cool driving the moped with Laura on back, awkwardly navigating turns, while 12 year olds passed us on motorcyles.

That's all for now. Tomorrow we begin a long journey back to Delhi. We only have 6 days left in India and I hope to post once before we leave. If not, next time you hear from me I'll be writing from Nepal.

Day 47 - Bundi

I know it's been a while since I posted and a lot has happened. Bodhgaya was great and there's simply too much to talk about, so if you really want to know about that week ask me personally.

After Bodhgaya, we headed to Jaipur for our second three-week stint on a WWOOF farm and our last farm in India. We made it safely to Saharia Amla Organic Farm and promptly left after three nights. There was very little actual work to be done and no one was teaching us anything. Even while we were working we didn't learn anything about what we were doing, why, or anything about the farm. The workers were nice and welcoming, but the managers seemed to never be around and wanted little to do with us. It's an organic resort, so there are guests who pay to stay and then there are volunteers who work to stay in slightly more rustic accomodations. There were huge rats in our room and running through our food in the kitchen. All of this we probably could have stomached save one thing. The first day we got to the farm, there were three little, skinny puppies that were adorable. That evening, the managers decided (whether it was due to guests complaining the puppies were nuisance or to a lack of resources to take care of the puppies) to kill them. It happened suddenly and it took us a while to figure out what exactly was happening, but neither Laura nor I had ever heard such chilling and disturbing sounds before. From that point we were set on leaving, we just had nowhere to go and needed some time to figure out our next step. Fortunately, a lovely Dutch couple came and had some great suggestions and an English version of the Lonely Planet.

To make a long story short, we spent some time in the city of Jaipur, went to a beautiful national park to see some wildlife, and are now in a town called Bundi. To picture the city of Bundi, think of Aladdin, and to picture the surrounding area picture The Jungle Book. Seriously. This morning we went to a gorgeous waterfall that was so peaceful. It falls into this canyon that is filled with lush jungle that smells incredible. The owner of the guest house we're staying in said there's a lot of bears in that area, but we didn't see any. Just a ton of monkeys. Monkeys are everywhere here. We sit on the roof of our guest house drinking chai and watching monkeys jump from rooftop to rooftop. On the hillside sits an enormous historical fort and surrounding walls that is quite incredible to behold. It's definitely still India, with loud noises, odd smells and gawking people, but it's so different from anywhere we've been. Next we head to Diu, which is on the coast of Gujarat and supposedly has some nice sandy beaches to wander.

I am sad that our WWOOF experience in India hasn't been living up to my expectations. I am enjoying this trip immensely, but I had hoped to learn so much more. I learned a good amount on the first farm, but it wasn't an overall positive experience. I'm still holding out for our stay in Nepal, though. I'm looking forward to being able to couple farming and non-farming volunteer opportunities.

I hope you all are well. It's strange being in 80+ degree weather in November, knowing that Winter is starting back home. Everyone here keeps talking about how Winter has come, but really all that means is it gets darker earlier. Oh well, I'll most likely get my Winter during January in Nepal.