So we'll collect the moments 1 by 1; I guess that's how the future's done...

Wow...Srinigar was the last I wrote 2U. I'll try 2B brief.

I popped out of Srinigar...w8 w8 w8....Srinigar to Jammu was a knackering 12 hours where I connected to a night bus for another 10 hour bus ride to Chandigar. From there, I slept in a bus stand and got on another 10 hour bus ride to the most impressive place in India 4 me so far; Chitkul. So, "popped" out like a child "pops" out of mom after 20+hrs of labour...not so much.

Chitkul is where 29 years caught up w/ me. Many would say my bday was predictable...I would. I woke up, climbed a mountain--magnificent mountain w/ sick...ILL views of Whoo Hoo!!! Then, I returned, showered, and read a book cover 2 cover. I didn't really expect much to happen cuz when you're on the road, your life becomes much less important to others than it was when you were home w/ people who cared. However, there was a Belgian guy who really pumped the night up w/ energy. Unfortunately, Chitkul isn't the most happenin' town, quite religious, community feel, and the more intoxicating spirit was harder to find. No matter. That night some 15-20 people found there way to my guesthouse (4 random reasons) and we all had a good laugh. Then the family, which I connected well with, came into the room and the girl who took care of us and similarly, a boy, brought me presents. The boy brought me a plastic 4 inch rose that said "just 4 U" while the girl brought me a trophy or something (not sure what it was) that I figure she won in a contest. It had an emblem in the shape of India. The Belgian got good photos and they seemed so proud. I felt bad that the only thing they had in their room, they offered me as a gift; so typical of those who have so little, still wanting to share and give it to others—I need 2 learn from these people! Johan still hasn't sent me the pics.

That got me to thinking...I've spent a good load of Sept. 17 on the road of l8.

23 I was in Tallahassee--selling blades--and had a pool party that was semi-posh.

24 Buenos Aires. My 2 Argentinian sisters Vane and Sa made me a cake.

25 I was in Atlanta drinkin' down beers and gettin' read 2 find any job in the states 2 make cash...I left 2 weeks l8r for South Korea.

26 I was in the districts of Sinchon, Hong-dae, and Itaewon in Seoul, South Korea w/ some really switched-on Canadians and Janelle that made my last 6 months so much more enjoyable.

27 I got bombed and went to a U2 concert w/ Bri in Atlanta--thanks Sis!

28 saw me naked (what, U didn't remember?) at--what seemed 2 me at the time--the end of the world; an island off the furthest eastern point of East Timor. See that Delay in Dili 4 that story.

29 found me in the tiny village of Chitkul, Himachal Pradesh doin' what I do at this stage; climbin' peaks and readin' pages. This pic was captured on my 29th.

Thola Peak

Chandigar to Sangla Valley, Shimla, then I revisited Varanasi, got on my favorite Indian transport, a train, and ran up to N.E. Bengal hitting Darjeeling, and surrounding areas, and the restricted area of Sikkim, which holds yet another area of India so very Tibetan.

I've had so many nights of l8 where I just can't get 2 sleep...thoughts R my tormenter. Anyone who knows me--even slightly--knows that thought is this vagabond's biggest vice; tho' it's also the source of many my virtues...not that my virtues R many. So naturally I sought a bit of spirititual help; twistin' a cap of grain alcohol 2 overcome insomnia; some would say that's a problem...I call it a solution.

In fact, just 2 try 2 sort out some of my mind's melee, I took a bus out to a village some 65km (40miles) away and started walking back. I ended up walking between most of the villages I visited once I got into the Darjeeling/Kalimpong/Sikkim area; I think better when I'm moving amongst nature.

Reads: On my bday I re-read one of the best books in print…a masterpiece! Kahil Gibran’s ***The Prophet and it is just one of those books. Like picking up an old mirror and holding it up to your face w/ all the dust on it. You see yourself thru the past and its particals. Then as you read it, the dust slowly blows away and reveals a newer you…or at least something you hope to attain 2.

This book is only 100 pages and is easily read by the slowest reader in just a day. Do yourself a favour and go to a library and check it out…buy the damn thing as it is a book that should ALWAYS B on your shelf for anyone who needs inspiration and/or 2B grounded back to what matters. Jaqueline...this is a MUST 4U; I hope U enjoy.

I am incredulous at the amount of books I've read, in addition to my #1 rec. above, in the last 6 wks...but it's true:

--New Thinking for the New Millenium by Edward de Bono--he should fire his publicist 4 letting him title the book something SO 'riveting and intriguing'..."yawn"--the book has some good ideas, but is just too dry to read conventionally. I only read 200 of the ~300pgs.

*--A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is simple story telling but very revealing of Indian life. You'll probably be ignited by some of the horrors Indians face during The Emergency and due to caste structure politics...I was. #3 rec on this list, tho' many will be put off by ~600pgs.

--Balzac and The Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. Maoist China; cute, easy read. ~200pgs.

--Ka, by Roberto Calasso is about Hindu Myth and gives entertaining stories of the deities. ~450pgs...2 many in my opinion.

--David Copperfield (Dickens)...only a shortened version of the story; I get the gist. ~100pgs.

--The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. Not much happening here. 135pgs.

--The Moor's Last Sigh (Salman Rushdie); classic Rushdie w/ brilliant linguistic maneuvering, crafting the cleverest of jokes in so many things we say by rote. If U like wit in your lit; open it up. ~440pgs

--Into the Wild, (Jon Krakauer) the story of Jon McCandless leaving Emory--in Atlanta--for the open road. Donating ~25K 2 charity, burning the money in his wallet, changing his name, and eventually going north to Alaska. His body was found 6 wks after he'd entered the bush (tho' some 2 years after havin' been on the road, livin' the hard way). Easily readable, entertaining book about an untamed American youth seeking harmony w/ the wild. ~225pgs.

--A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess). Playin' God w/ the masses and examining it individually; good short read, tho' you'll feel you need 2 learn a new language; Nadsat. ~150pg

**--The Kite Runner by (Khaled Hosseini). #2 rec'd book on this list. Amazing story that ushers 4th life in its most raw form. Your heart will burn w/ hatred, melt w/ compassion, and ultimately you'll see how we R all so similar to Amir. Very easy 2 read yet rich in substance. ~345pgs.

Muzic: Don't think I've let pages domin8 my last 6 weeks, cuz ohhh there've been some soothing and vivifying sounds dancing thru these ears as of l8. Song of the month...Mushaboom a remix of Feist by Postal Service. One of the lyrics to which is the heading for this post. Also, Tegan and Sara's newest album The Con, just scroll down and you'll see the track list. Check out, Back in Your Head, Are You 10 Yrs. Ago, and Call It Off. My most listened 2 is Mates of the State and their album, Bring It Back.; my faves, So Many Ways, Punchline, and Think Long. Also, the second album of Stars, In our Bedroom, After the War. The Night Starts Here is prob the most played song on radio, but I prefer Window Bird, The Ghost of Genova Heights, Take Me To The Riot, Personal, and Midnight Coward. Grab an earful from any of those links I set up; I can't see if they work cuz I'm outta the U.S. and they R strictly 4 U.S. surfers.

Film: Saw The Bourne Ultimatum and got a good dose of modern Bollywood in Dhol; classic experience in the auditorium.

Photo Pholder: My camera is broken...which really irrit8s cuz I've seen sick, crazy beauty around the hills of Darjeeling and Sikkim. Unfortunately, I can only offer this.

The world's 3rd highest, Kanchendzonga

The most recent of my status is that I'm blind...or almost. I've got the wonderful conjunctivitis workin' overtime. This means I wake up w/ my eyes sealed shut from the nasty eye-crust/adhesive. My eyes R so blurred by the discharge that all the haphazards of India R now full-hazards. Ironic, now that I'm blind, I finally see the dangers of Indian streets; the holes, the random animals quick to nip...and the bloody horning vehicles. The other thing I've noticed is how 4tun8 I've been in health for this entire trip; it's amazing.

But the question U've all been asking yourselves is, "what has India done 4 ME?!!?" That is YOU, the reader, I mean. Lemme tell ya. First of all, any of you sexy lexies w/ nose-rings; have you never thought where the bizarre idea came from? Actually it came from the Middle East, but in my opinion (which clearly matters...here at least) it was Indians that made it appealingly fashionable. And let's talk about words we use that were derived from Indian languages. Just a list off the top of my head, and in alphabetical order:

avatar, bazaar, caste, ganja (it's true), guru, karma, kismet, mantra, nirvana, om, outcast, pariah, pyjama, thug, yoga, and yogi . They're all from Hindi, Urdu, Tamil...all Indian origin.

I won't mention the millions of Indians working 4U in the IT sector (ie. customer service hotlines) cuz most of you R indignant at the "takin' of OUR jobs", but it keeps your bill down, which surely you don't complain about; or RU such a curmudgeon?

And India has done much more for ME...wow. The characters that've passed b4 these now watery eyes. I saw leprosy for the first time--a man whose teeth ever showed for his loss of lips; his constant reapplication of the gauze dangling where his nose once was; his pain at the brightness of the sun 4 lackin' eye-lids, and only a few fingers w/ which to hold out for spare change. I saw human beings w/ only their trunk and head. Yet they squirm along the street and push their metal tin w/ their head; no arms or legs w/ which to drink chai, xchange $ 4 that tea...completely dependent. Babies not a year old w/ the puffy bellies you C on t.v. being spoon fed stale curd w/ visible dirt in it.

And brothers and sisters, think not it only people. I've seen the true camaraderie amongst dogs who MUST join gangs 2 survive against other dogs, and the much more injurious, Indians. 4 a people who claim the cow sacred, who R as a whole, all-vegetarians, it's disgraceful how they treat dogs.

What is this morbid chatter you say? Well, I was telling you how India has given me so much. What I learned 2C in all this destitution & deprivation is the humanity of it all. Tho' raw, it's real. It's a face you can't turn away from, lest U encounter something more horrid...yourself in denial. I learned that I must countenance such catastrophic and catatonic people cuz in the end, that's what they are; they're human beings. They eat, drink, laugh, cry, feel everything U and I feel. More times than not, I found that if I lifted a smile upon my face, it brought them off the ground and to the world of humanity where they belong. And just 4 that instance, we could look eye-to-bloodshot eye and share understanding. That was a precious gift from India's people that can't be overestim8'd.

Mind U, India also gave me several weeks of the runs, sheer stress in every cell at times, and all 2 often, frustration at the banal inquiries and superficial perspectives of a people so diverse. I learned of so many religions and their bizarre practises that in truth, R no more strange than those of other more "accepted" religions by the world. It gave me beautiful experiences w/ Italian pixies, w/ Sweedish seekers, w/ Israeli irregularity, w/ American aberrations, and w/ a lesser known part of myself.

Finally, the numbers R in. Most of you wouldnt dream of leavin' your comfort at home 2 brave the world of India, but 4 those few dreamers...here's my expenditures for the 6 months in India.
May: $275 (26 days); June $204; July $250; Aug $604; Sept $350; Oct $225 (31); plus the visa ($95) and the $200 flight from Bangkok, it's a total of <$2200US or roughly $12.25/day ALL included.

Mind U, I'm extremely clever at conserving cash, pinching pennies, or in this case rationing Rupias. But U2 could be here experiencing everything 4 next 2 nothing...just so ya know.

Me & my Journal; in between the lines.

Zanskar-2-Srinigar...Here U R>>>

After the Rain...

Typical: Mani wall, Chorten, and

mtns that rise str8 up.

So many things have happened...have I said that b4? Well, from eating the world's worst chocolate to ruckin' thru one of the world's greatest mountain ranges U R about 2B spoiled by a few anecdotes of adventure.

I'll start where I left off only cuz these details will be brief..no...REALLY, this time!

I left you last with Nubra Valley, Ladakh, and other regions of Tibetan India where I pretty much bummed out, apart from yoga on the rooftop which prompted my prayer every morning to make it up AND back down that ladder whose rungs were barely hanging on by rusted nails.

I made my way from Leh to the tiny village of Alchi which has a monastery that was painted and used around 9 centuries ago (that would imply one of the world's oldest monasteries), with texts 2 prove it. Then I quickly hitched a ride to the town that holds Ladakh's prodigious archetype gompa (monastery). This was 2B the starting point of a 10 day trek that Julian (a guy I met exactly 1 year ago in Indonesia near East Timor, then again met in the Philippines, then again in Thailand, then again...here) and an Englishman Tom who signed up for the same trek. We planned to do this 10 day trek in just 8 days...and succeeded with ease.


Me, Tom, and Julian after breaky

Briefly (b4 I 4get), the trek was over 120 km and would require our ascent of 8 high-altitude passes, the highest of which was 5050meters (16,665ft.) which was the highest...physically...I've ever been. This doesn't include the heaps and heaps of "hills" that we had to "up & down" over and over again. Overall, the trek was wicked-amazing! I never imagined a place on earth that could display rock strata SO contorted; mammoth, motionless waves, vertical collisions, and entire mtn. ranges that inclined insidiously 2 other more elev8'd ranges that demanded reverence.


Day 1: Tom and Jerry...czech the strata and colours

Our first pass...J makin' his way up after a nature call

Lingshed and the psychedelic rock that hugs it

Dude...nice donkey-face. J&I at wake-up
no blade, no shower, for 11 days...and my
turban didn't block the sun like I'd hoped.

Tom & J...I love the shadow play on that

funky formation behind. Day 3, the day of Wow!

Some down time w/ "dear diary"

Day 6: I luv the dramatic look here, every day was this

Near the end of our trek, the waxing 3/4 moon evinced its brilliant moonlight that made midnight shadows of mountainous narrows. Have you ever witnessed a shadow in the darkness of night? It's creepy and comforting in the same void; U look back at your own "cut-out" on the ground and imagine stepping thru such a vacuous, cool portal. Then U climb back into your tent cuz it's friggin' freezing outside. Day 8 had us walking thru a DUSTY desert and blessed us with a phenomenal vista of the Great Himalayan Range (or foothills of) which we had climbed up, over, and through the entire Zanskar Range to witness. 3 enormous massifs greeted us as we approached the terminating town of our trek, Padum. The jeep ride the next AM was voted "most scenic road trip" 2 date in my journey--Holy Snow-Shift that was a funkdafied road full of hanging glaciers, heaven-scraping peaks with gloves of pure driven white snow, and gorges gouged out by centuries of attrition and river consumption. But then we arrived in Kargil...a rat's toilet of a town describes the layout of the tacit border between Ladakh (primarily Tibetan) and Kashmir (dominantly Muslim) and by chance sits right on the "line of control" between Pakistan and India. Kargil is klearly an Islamic settlement where you see calendars with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad displayed everywhere.

Massif w/ Padum below...end of trek

J and I continued on to the "unstable" state of Kashmir. Maybe you've heard of it? Pakistan says it's theirs; India claims the same; and every Kashmiri says they don't feel they're part of either country. Years of war, blood, displacement, and death 4 the proclamation of what is in reality, "indecision".

Just a month b4 I arrived, I heard of a tourist being shot in the face for having taken a picture of the military in Srinigar. 4 this reason--and bcuz I'm not an IDIOT...all the time--U won't C any photos of the ubiquitous presence of machine gun bunkers, lorries with continents of ammunition, and the barbed wire w/ soldiers somewhere and everywhere around. What's scariest of all, most soldiers hold their automatic weapons like a constable holds a baton; slapping it against their other palm...Power in Plastic-looking AK's, in Perforated checkPoints, in "safety-OFF" trigger mode Positions. These guys R ready 2 roll NOW! But 2B honest, if U can just ignore the "peacekeepers" (or look at them as traffic police), the vibe is very chilled out here in Srinigar.

MayB one thing that allayed any "over-reaction" to the heavy-in your face-state here is the intro at Sonamarg (80km east of Srinigar). After doing a few day hikes up stupidly steep slopes w/ rewarding views of 4 separate glaciers that filled mountain palms 3-4000ft above the village, we would return to the settlement. On one day, I recall counting 20 enormous lorries that had everything from tonnes and tonnes of ammo to guys poking thru the canvas brandishing their automatics at the 2 incredulous Americans (from where they probably bought the blood-spillin' metal) on the side of the road. I remember the testosterone in his head nod, the blinding of the shiny metal on his AK-47 and last, his pearl white teeth showing each and EVERY neighbor in the biggest smile. Many of the trucks had the auto and semi-automatics bolted 2 the frame of the vehicle allowing a "sweep-and-spray shoot" if necessary while others housed groups of 25+ men hanging out the back, each with his own toy of metal masculinity sloppily slappin' around. This surely gave me a sample of what was 2 come...then when it did come in Srinigar, the capital of Kashmir, it seemed rather restrained in comparison.

Sonamarg from way up high--no guns up here!

We splashed out on a houseboat, which is what ya do when you come 2 Srinigar. I'm payin' WELL over my "budget" and I feel it all the more cuz my trip is ending...well, after my lengthy roadtrip, the 3-4 months that remain seem like the phinal phase. But the dough that's thrown is pullin' some serious luxury...4 me.

Part of the enjoyment that I feel on the boat (and there R several symbolic sighs of it every hour) comes from something accumulated. What's that? It's the 19 months of budget travel. And what's that mean? It could be represented by any number of things; dust barreling into an overcrowded bus where people R smoking. Where swine or soon-2B deceaced chickens decorate my clothing. OR being one of the 12 people 2B "lucky enuf" 2 make it into the max 6 passenger jeep to go as many hours. As 4 the budget accomodation: (many times spartan/rustic/minimal) with mostly cold water poured over my body in a lil' scoop & bucket system was fun 4 the first year (actually, I still like it). 90% of the time, this system is in a communal or shared bathroom/toilet which might not pass a sanitary evaluations check...anywhere. Often bed bugs (tho' I've been luckier than most), almost always dusty, muggy, or the lingering of some other unclassifiable agent whose effect is felt the morning after. Then there's the climbing of several floors in stifling heat thru super-skinny corridors w/ my 2 NOT super-skinny backpacks that cling to my sweat-soaked back to reach the aforementioned paradise...or 2 refuse it and go to the next which might sacrifice a grimy bathroom for a cell-like bedroom. Combine this w/ hard trekking the last 2+ weeks, general Indian chaos and just plain grinding it for over a year and a half. Throw all that into a big fat burrito (mmm, burrito) and you might C that it makes for a good preamble to R&R on a houseboat where I can feel an ambiance of "home" like nothing else in my SE Asian Adventure...bienvenido a Kashmir.

Kashmir does have a reputation...actually, it's the Kashmiri people that have cultivated this rep. After being here just 15 seconds I experienced the "reality" of this Kashmiri KaraKteristiK; Kapitalism in the biggest sense. They'll sell you anything and EVERYTHING! On our lovely houseboat we often get some guy in a shikara (local sleek boat that slides thru the lake from hsbt 2 hsbt) shouting out his wares 4 sale. W8...this is where the story of the...

So try to put it 2gether: take your grandmother's or mom's worst perfume (remember that HORRIBLE scent that lingered 2 long after she left 4 sorority night)...yeah, take THAT scent and mix it with a synthetic sugar that barely passed the IFDA's (Indian Food & Drug Adm) standard, throw some nuts in 2 symbolize the fools that buy it. If you can manage this, you'd have the world's worst chocolate...then you'd probably also have a "gift" 2 the servants that help on the boat as we did. Nasty nasty NASTY!!!

As 4 Srinigar, Kashmir...I got used 2 the black zombies walking everywhere. That would be the burkha (spelled in so many ways) dressed women. It's kinda strange talking to someone thru interlaced eye-holes; ya don't know if it's the wizard workin' ways again or an actual person. Srinigar definately had its peccadillos; the barrelling of barbed wire in the most serene places...like Shalimar Garden...and ooohhh, the gardens, military, midnight moaning from the mosque, (almost 4gotten) mosquitoes in the houseboat...but really, it was such a home 4 me @ that time. What's home? At this point, it was where I bought premium chocolate cookies and dunked them in cold milk. Where breaky was coffee w/ milk followed by cereal w/ the same frosty white liquid. Where I was reacquainted w/ hot-water showers...like from an actual shower head! Where I rediscovered the joy of just standing under the hot heaven in relish. Renting movies, having a desk 2 write at, pickin' the guitar at sunset. Knowing the neighbors...walking around w/ locals calling out "hello" (and not in the annoying way) and knowing my "rounds"...it's me knowing they had a bit of affection 4 my wayward soul. CARPET!!! The last time I walked on carpet was New Zealand Jan. 2006. Oh yes...home was walking on carpet with it kissing in between my toes, It was lying on carpet...snuggling up 2 it, then lying on my back, looking up at the fan that kept me kool, kept me komfy. Just walking down that hallway 2 my bedroom..."retiring" 4 the night. All this provided me w/ a solace in Srinigar I hadn't expected...and thoroughly needed.


Woman in Burkha on streets of Srinigar

Shalimar Bagh (Garden)

Indian Signs Along the Way:

"Henna Beauty Parlor and Full Body Mashag"--the very conservative, muslim town of Padum.

"Stop: Weak Bridge. One Vehicle at a Time"--near Sonamarg.

"Oh God Help Me" and "Oh God Save Us"--on 80% of all heavy-load carriers.


And this one, which makes you question how thirsty U really R...



Reads: "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, a tale of a boy who gets stuck on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger and has 2 survive...it's a "cute" story and reads quickly, but don't rush out to buy it. I also read "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman which is a fictional account of some of the thoughts that Einstein may have had while his theory of special relativity came about. It prompts some really great questions about time. Creative conjuring of something that is a part of every one of your lives isn't time wasted. And on the trek, I wanted to get into the mood/zone so I opened up "The Climb" by Anatoli Boukreev (mtn. guide) and G. Weston Dewalt hoping 2 read it as I went along. It's about the unfortunate, but real events of May 10, 1996 on Everest. It was so interesting I burned thru it b4 we even got started. This is the "other side" of the story that was written about by Jon Krakauer in his insulting account, "Into Thin Air".

**** Then the better of this post's reads is "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. First, let me say Katie in Chicago...go buy/rent/steal this book; I think it's written 4U2 read NOW! I thought of you many times as I turned the pages; I'm not sure why. Such a poetically written passage about a family that struggles as every family does. It's written in its own unique language that isn't difficult to learn 2 love. 4me, this book would be complimented by a rainy, chilled afternoon in front of a big glass window looking out in2 a forest. It touches deeply and won't be 4gotten by U Katie or anyone else who picks up this prize of pertinent, poignant prose.

Films: I finally got around 2 viewing the film that everyone was ranting about a year or so ago; Crash, directed by Paul Haggis. It won my approval also. Then, I watched one of my faves as a child...Back 2 the Future. What a classic that is...didn't disappoint as I slouched on the sofa of my Kashmiri Kasa. Then, we got around 2 renting 23 by Joel Schumaker...our copy was pirated (go figure) and thus, much of the movie was coughed over; looked pretty good tho'.

Tunes: I got into the second album of The National, Boxer and I know I listed this last post, but it's just so good and echoes my feelings at this moment in my life. The guy's voice is a combo of Nick Cave, Johnny Cash, and Leonard Cohen (I think I read that actually, but it's true)...soul shattering but less morbid. I also tuned back in2 Thom Yorke's solo project, The Eraser. Here's some lingering lyrics...

Falling out of touch with all my friends are somewhere getting wasted. Hope they’re staying glued together, I have alms for them. Take another sip of them, it floats around and takes me over like a little drop of ink in a glass of water.

The National

I'm gonna run 2 the river, kiss my hand and wave. I'm gonna run 2 the river; gonna throw a blue bouquet, cuz they're all gonna be cool happy genius heroes. I'm gonna miss 'em so much.
The National

You traveled far. What have you found? That there's no time, there's no time to analyse, to think things through, to make sense. Like cows in the city, they never looked so pretty. By power carts and blackouts Sleeping like babies.
Thom Yorke

Foto Folder: FINALLY, 4 Ur pleasure--and 2 my amazement--I uploaded well over a 100 pics onto my picasa site. Enjoy some of the views of our Zanskar Trek as well as Kashmir (Srinigar & Sonamarg). Not becuz of lack of effort, the Ladakh folder has few photos...if U haven't already seen them. Yahoo photos closed their site, so I've moved all my yahoo pics 2 Flickr; actually, Yahoo has done it and that means there R probably some mistakes in folders and names...4give and 4get. 4tun8ly, I got all my "private photos" back into "hidden" status...that could've been trouble.

I left Kargil at 23:00 for Kashmir. I recall as time carried me thru the darkness, over the mountains, and into the morning that the moon was full; shining big & brightly 4 the 1st time in I can't remember...my spirits could almost fill that luminescent eye. Then I descended from paradise (as they say) "...it is here, it is here, it is here in Kashmir" and I gazed out the bus window as it climbed thru and down the mountains to Jammu and beyond. W/ hundreds of monkeys lining the sides of the road, I knew I was at the portal to the India I'd left just months b4. Then the beginning became the end; the perfect and enormous, fire-orange disc ablaze, 4 a moment, rested on the ridge and lit the final scene. This...where animal shaped trees parading on pink canvas w/ colourful dreams floating above--the colour of "it's a boy" and "it's a girl" bubblegum cigars meshed into girl gracefully on top/boy bracing on bottom--where animals danced down their verdant stairway and dreams waited 2B pierced just above; the blazing disc bid me farewell and hello in the same falling flame.

Over Mountains & Into the Mind, A bit...

Lingerin' Lyrics:

"Life is like a pipe, and I'm a tiny penny rollin' up the walls inside." Amy Winehouse

"Ya pass thru places, and places pass thru U. But ya carry 'em with ya on the soles of your travelin' shoes." The Be Good Tanyas

"And so and now I'm sorry I missed you; I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain. It went the dull and wicked ordinary ways." The National

A few more Signs on the Indian Highway:
"love your neighbor, just not while driving"
"reach 4 the stars, even if U have 2 stand on a cactus"
"after whiskey driving risky"
"drink & drive, won't survive"
"fortune befriends the bold"--a bit ambiguous in their message of caution--
"it's not a race, not a rally, enjoy the views of the valley"

Reads: "The Stranger" Albert Camus is a classic and much like a French J.D. Salinger. The book is a bit dour but worth your time; especially if your in the mood to curse the current world. Then b4 the Vip course I briefly expound upon below, I read Osho's "An Inner Journey"...not one of his best; at least it didn't reach me like many of his other books have; however, a good book to pass thru b4 I entered VIP.

Finally, I finished with my recommendation for this post; "Shantaram" by David Gregory Roberts an aussie who broke out of prison (robbery 2 support his heroin habit) then fled to New Zealand then India where he ended up in Bombay. He sets up a free health clinic, works for the mafia (black markets, currencies, passports, etc.), ends up in Indian prison, and heads of Afghanistan, pretending to be an American, to fight with the Mujahadeen to free itself of Russian aggression. He wrote the book a third time after guards in prison trashed the first 2 versions. It's a wild tale loaded with all the ingredients and the perfect quantities to make for an ejoyable 935 pages...you burn thru it, really. It's a classic to read while in India because of the relation one gets while here; accents, idiosyncracies, etc.



w/ a flash of Indian cash, my journal and...

a gr8 Camus Cover!

Music: "The Boxer" and "Alligator" of The National have really soaked into my moment. The lyricist MUST be 27-30 as he's writing and singing exactly what I'm feeling. Have you heard of the Return of Saturn...I'm not sure I believe all the astrologists, but I can't help but heed that it's in full-force in my life; SO much has been cast into the tempestuous tumult of my teacup. Also, a madly, menacing song that I LOVE by Frog Eyes, "Bushels" has constantly been the 2nd song 2 play on my Gassio (that's right...my mp3/CD player...highest kwality). The first to spring thru the cord to my ears is Dinosaur Jr.'s "We're Not Alone". Finally, Nick Drake's "Blues Run The Game" is also a consistent pleaser on the Gas-yo!

Photos Pholder: Just a few selections that I snuck on while I watched the place when the lady went out 4 lunch. Ladakh

Documentary: "Ancient Futures: Learning From Ladakh" is based on the book by Helena Podge and talks about the tourism in this area and how it's breaking the infrastructure and straining all resources. She attempts 2 show us in a small scale what we might be able to do to counter globalization and the problems that are facing us on a global front...it's ambitious. I don't think you'll be able to get this unless your local library has connections.

So many of you have said..."Murr, what's up w/ your blog? Where the hell RU? Get with it!" 2 all of U, I say...well, let's be nice and not say that. Instead, I'll say I've been to the deepest darkest dungeons of my dude, I've seen double humped camels, I've finally gotten off my ass and walked with my pack a bit, I've climbed the second highest motorable road in the world (ahh, by bus that is), then had 2 one-up myself. I've organized a trek more than 3 times to have it fall apart each and every time and in the end not even ascended the bloody thing. It's all gone by as quick as cool nights in a Bombay brothel.

And the only way I can even attempt to ketchup is 2 bullet-bind my history...I do it willfully.

Manali-Leh Bus Trip

The low down is that it's a 2-day bus trip going over 5 passes, one of which is the 2nd highest motorable road in the world--Taglang-La--at 5,328m (17,582ft). The trip takes 22 hours, 15 of which are on the second day and the 22 hours equal just 475km (285m). Those long gruelling hours R enjoyed on the luxurious cushion-seats of a public bus with public people, at least they were 4me ;)). I left the rain soaked roads of Manali and entered the heaven sent mountainscape of Ladakh, which contrasts with super-sun and diabolical-dryness, that last bit is emphasized in the bloody noses that afflict most travellers here--"stop pickin' yur buggers" I tell 'em! It's a gr8t road trip and I'd love to have had a bike to work the curves myself...this maybe a future trip 4 any of my friends daring enough to buy the infamous Indian Enfield Bike and cruise around India with me...in the future...any takers???

Vipassana Course

The second and more painful stint was a 10-day meditation "retreat". When you think of meditation and retreat, what's the last thing to come to your mind? Okay...before whisky, women, and WHOA!!! Maybe after that, it's intense pain...that was the last thing that I thought of but the most enduring (not endearing) things to withstand. Wake-up at 4am and shut-eye at 21hr with 10.5 hours each day set aside 4 meditating. 2 meals with a light snack and tea at 17:00. 3 of those 10 hrs. were "strong determination" hours (read: don't move no matter how crazy and cruel the pain). The center was a gypsy camp that has only 3 courses per year due to its removed location and the closed passes for 8 months of the year. This meant that food almost always ran out just as we finished, bucket-showers were mostly ice-cold to go along with the freezing nights and cold mornings. And of course, 4 the duration of this 10 days there was no talking, no listening to music, no reading, and (most torturous 4 me) no writing...completely experiential. Having listed all those...not so positive details, I'll finish with the revelation that it was exactly the right thing 4 me 2 do at this moment and it drowned me in thoughts and sensations that needed to be experienced. I'll say no more about the mental savagery.

U Were There!!!

I will say that I saw Nicki Hightower there...the noticeable breasts and fire-red hair had nothing 2 do with it, luv. K-gat...U2 were in the back row of girls that I wasn't suppose 2B looking at; Irish, fiesty, and by the end of it, U really needed a drink and told me so. J-mac was Kiwi dude with mid-back lengthy ponytail who was in charge of managing us--don't read into that Mr. MP ;) Ximena was the beautiful New Yorker (tho born in India) who was noticeably calm thru 10 days, but with whom I didn't get along so well afterwards...too cold...NYC jaded her. Bri...you were a jewish-american (read inverted hair deposit...full-beard and balding-dome) tho' some of the Guru (teacher) was also bits of your style...mostly the stocking hat that he pinched up as a triangular dome that sat just above his head. My mate Mauro sat just in front of me and slept thru much of the morning med. There was Chris from California...I know Hamby doesn't read this--doubt he even knows where I am--but the kung-fu karacter was exubrantly U. ZRiah was a German who'd just arrived from Pakistan sporting the local garbs...can't say I saw you runnin' 2 the women's residence halls, but his appearance was much like yours brother. Brett Rasmusen sat behind me and after I found out he was an MC for jungle drum/bass in London, he happily hopped the mike when silence was broken. Mark--my muzic man--Oneil was...HAH, U were a servant bitch! Actually, much more respected than the title implies...but seriously M-town if you had long hair put into dreads and still sported your stringy goatee (which U may)...U were there brother and a bundle of fun when I hung with you after! Jeremy Huntington (also a non-knower of me) was the English kid who'd gotten too involved with drugs and found himself with the mind to step out and try a bit of this to see if it could keep him safe and separate from those intoxicants...I think it worked...good kid who I shared a room with on the overnight bus trip mentioned above. Finally, Katie Shelton Sweetheart was this German chick who loves to talk and etched the classic phrase "auto-sex" into my vocabulary when she was trying to tell many of us...it's easy enuf 2 put 2gether, and no...has nothing 2 do with cars.

With all these past peeps around me while I journeyed thru my mind, so many memories came back to me; so deep, so powerful, so resolute. And each of them brought such fondness that I found myself wanting to hug each and every one of you...even kiss some of you (easy mark...girls dude, get a grip!). It seriously brought to the forefront some issues of "long-lost" and "impressionable incursions" that R deep-rooted. I hope 2C many of U--as well (obviously) as so many who weren't "there" in the dhamma room w/ me-- in the near future.



Sikh Driver & me desparate 4 a proper clean-up after Vip

Shortly after this, I hitched a ride with a Sikh truck driver (above), wandered into one of the many military posts around this area, ate lunch with them in complete elation at the Sikh style. Wandered back to Leh, tried to integrate after that experience, then got a permit to see Nubra Valley. The permit is needed because China loves to play real-life Risk and expand it's territory...many wars and as in every northern Indian state, a precarious tension on the frontier. However, it's a lovely place and a shame the permit only allowed me 7 days which made me miss the Dalai Lama AGAIN. That road over to the Nubra was in fact the highest motorable road in the world at 5,578m) 18,380ft. Climbed up a few peaks above monasteries and hitched a ride back with Peter Fonda of Easy Rider.

Varner & yo...on his Enfield

Me on the ridge w/ Tibet down that valley 2 the left

While I was trying to "observe the pain", my buddy Julian--who I've now met in 4 different countries beginning in Indo just shy of a year ago--was 2 do a Study Trek 4 Kashmir/Jammu region where they were 2 open an area 2 tourism cuz it's a bit safer now. That would've been amazing in itself, to C villages and the people who've not known tourists in the last 25+ years if at all. But just as he was going to turn the offer down cuz he didn't want to commit a month to the project, he gets the offer to be in a Bollywood Film. Bastard has more luck in his path! So he got a speaking role in this film "Tashan" translated "Attitude" as he played a stereotypical American Director...and I dump another bucket of ice over my body and "observed".

It pains me deeply 2 not B able 2 upload more photos around here due to inet managers insistance. September is coming and I'll manage to clue you all in sometime in that glorious month. 4 now, keep your eyes and ears open to Kashmir (which I won't go to unless it settles down a bit) and Lovely Ladakh...far far away from Monsoon country.

7--7--7, Dalai's a Treadin'...

Dharamsala (actually Bhagsu, a town 20km away) has been a great deal of relaxing and (to B quite honest) an "out of India" experience while still remaining in the country. This location is so infused with Tibet: Tibetan faces, Tibetan foods, Tibetan culture, Tibetan music...Tibetan Charm-->SO far away from India!

I've found a home away from home in Uma Ashram and can not say enuf about the love that is shared there; not so much in an orgy-like fashion, rather around food, candles, people meditating, a garden full of herb/flowers, and a roof where I do a daily yoga sesh in the morning to kick off. Just 4 comfort--I haven't dreaded my hair, started walking barefoot, or singing joplin and dylan tunes yet. After that, it's peanut butter, books, coffee, walk-abouts, writing, and occasionally meeting up 4 a chat with people I've met around here 2 enhance each other's lives a bit more than self-containment can offer. Most importantly, 23 days have passed at this new sojourn and I've been very happy here.


Home away from...no home...Uma Ashram

It's strange 2 look way down into the valley and see Dharmasala; that far-away place where I arrived from Amritsar (aka. Sikhville) sooo long ago; I don't even remember what the bus looked like...or the 2 guys who wanted to reign in my characteristic vagabond-singularity & new affinity of roaming around the quietest part of a village until I find a place that has a homie atmosphere, then start looking for places to rest and reward; it's been so gr8 2 have my head out of the guide book again. It's made all the difference in my experience here.


McLeod Ganj from Bhagsu Rd.

I must admit that I have been listening to some lectures...that's right; school bound and fool found. B. Lipton who spoke at some Noetic Science conference in California offers some fascinating views on how quantum mechanics plays into our personal and global world. I risk this sounding like a complete math-club blurb, full-on with pocket-protectors and calculator-infused games...but seriously, the ability and ostensibly accurate account of our consciousness, traditional medicine, and state of the world that quantum theory--just a scary word for physics based on energy or waves of possibility instead of existing static particals (read mind over matter, read newtonian or cause-effect relationships are obsolete, read wholism replaces reductionism...read nerd, go on then)--demonstr8s is uncanny and allows unbridled optimism 4 people who give the idea a chance, like me. In the end, it's been the only blinking of any beacon that I've seen in so long that has sparked a possibility of potential passion and in something I can contribute in my future; be it integrating science with consciousness or alternative medicine...seeds have been planted, be ware!

It's painful 4 me 2B near McLeod Ganj where the Tibetan govt. and His Holiness, The Dalai Lama are in exhile and to not have the opportunity to hear HHDL speak. But, I've committed 2 something that will be one of the hardest things I've done in years; without question, and thus, I am forced to move from this area up and over the central Himalayan range and into Laddak before the 6th of July which is HHDL's birthday and a huge celebration here...major sighing from author right now. Laddak will prove nothing short of spectacular though, and I have no regrets about the decision that I made an hour ago.

I reserve any further description as to my undertaking, but maybe I can offer something after I am "released".

4 now...hope U enjoyed independence day (4 those in yankilandia). Soak up the summer sun in the northern hemi, and take to the peaks or beneath the sheets 4 warmth in the southern.

Nothing 2 exciting to note for those few who gander every now and then, but I've been reading quite a bit and doing more reflecting than in any other part of this trip. A few short hikes that were entertaining and warming with new-found friends but mostly enjoying a "home" and being able to write and read to my heart's content.

Films: "What the Bleep Do We Know?" Great film I saw once b4, but was indeed blissed by its revival. I've been listen to lectures of Noetic Science associates, and this film coincided brilliantly idealogically. "Idiocrasy", of Mike Judge ("Office Space", classic) and I think Etan Coen helped in producing/directing (dunno 4 sho) I saw in a random guesthouse in Vishist (Manali) and got a kick out of the very real stupidity breeding.

Photo Pholder: Added a few fotos of Bhagsu/McLeod Ganj/surrounding area, but took many more. Furthermore, the experience of the trip from Manali to Leh waz nothing short of breath-taking...photos gather a bit of that; however, the inet price up here in Ladakh is 5 times that of normal India and 3 times as slow. Do the math and you'll have no problem seeing why this frugal fellow forfeits foto uploads among other things.

Pages: "Hell on Earth" a tale of a Tibetan prisoner during the Chinese "take-over", 17 point treaty, etc; "Web of Life" (Fritjof Capra) a thoroughly exciting book that re-exposed me to chaos theory and some mathematical concepts while integrating them with ideas of consciousness; "Light on Yoga" (Iyengar) which has provided a great base for basic and intermediate asanas while advising on the deeper (and less known in the west) element of Yoga.

One of many books I fumbled thru...this one's popular

Songs 4 Soundtrack: I've been listening 2 so many great bands and have, for your convenience, constructed the CD that was never made...my soundtrack for the last month or so. Not necessarily in this order, but go and "soul-seek" (or whatever the new gig is) these songs/bands...and you'll have a conquering composite. Aphex Twin, "Albert Balsalm", Guns N' Roses, "Breakdown"; Carbon Based Lifeforms (swedish lounge) Photosynthesis; Amy Winehouse Rehab & Back to Black; Bishop Allen, The Same Fire; The National, Secret Meeting & Karen, (though the entire album, "Alligator" is wonderful); Ben Gibbard, You Remind Me of Home & Carolina; Modest Mouse, Dashboard & Fire it Up (poppy which makes me ponder how much this song must've been played on the radio...2 much air time can dilute a gr8 tune...and this def is); Jonathan Rice (this guy rocks!), We're All Stuck Out in the Desert & Middle of the Road; Headlights, Down Your Street & T.V.; The Be Good Tanyas, Lakes of Pontchartrain & a gr8 blues-grassy travellin' song, The Littlest Birds; David Bazan, Selling Advertisements.

Thank me 4 this monster-mix when we sit down together and I'm oogling at your wealth in hopes that you'll afford me a beer/scotch.

So I wish you well this 7th day of the 7th month of the 7th year of this millenium. Yesterday was Dalai's b-day and there was celebration throughout areas of Tibetan India (that concept is weird). Mama's was 3 days ago along with the nation's. Wish I could jot more, but I'm down to the last seconds.

And actually, it's a week l8r b4 I'm actually posting this...in Ladakh; what a heaven on earth man...I wish I could relate the beauty abound in this valley...another time.

Sharing of Sikhism>>>

Amritsar rules!!! This is a city in the great state of Punjab, known for its Sikh population, and implicitly, so much of the blood that they shed in fighting for basic humanity. My impression of them--I'm speaking very generally, but 95% pertain to this generality--from the beginning was of good standing. It got to the point (and remains my method) that if I need a rickshaw driver or to buy something, I always look for the Sikh and his prominent turban; they're the most honest, the most direct, and the least deceitful; and I thought this was non-existent in India.


me & my homies...bummer I shaved!

I came to visit Amritsar mainly for the Golden Temple, which is their holiest shrine; one to which many make pilgrimages yearly. I opted not to stay in a guesthouse but rather stay in the gurudwara (literally door, though more like shelter), which houses people for free. The temple also has a dining hall which also offers food for free...and get this--24 hours, it's available! The temple itself has 4 doors from the 4 cardinal directions symbolizing that it is open to all faiths and to all castes. These are the very basic hospitalities that are well respected and appreciated, seen on the surface; but moreover, the welcoming Sikh is everpresent, exuding an uncommon characteristic of genuine giving.




I met about 8--though surely more were hiding behind this army of turban-heads--on the train from Haridwar to Amritsar. They sat down and instead of drilling me with the usual interrogation, they asked politely, a few questions and followed my answers with related anecdotes. We laughed heartily thru the morning and I got to know, although very superficially and briefly, their disposition on religion/life. These people and their ideas continue to garner my respect and admiration...yes, a prized commodity for all!

In the dining hall it's such a great feeling to sit down with people from everywhere...all of us on the floor, all of us eating the same thing, and all of us able to feel completely equal. This is the big difference with India's other religions and Sikhism; the Sikhs really strive and promote full equality. They tolerate all relgions and welcome with alacrity, people of other faiths to their temple because they feel that the God of Islam, of Christianity, of Hindu, etc. is the God of all...just that we all see him differently. Here's the biggest eye-opener for those extreme religiousmen...They think Islam is good...Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism...they're all great ways to celebrate Wahiguru (Lord) and they want people to engage in these religions. However, the brilliance in their mentality is exhibited when they proclaim that religion (in any form) is good...it's the people that make it bad. Furthermore, they feel women should be treated just as men are and that people from all castes should receive equal treatment. This last fact is what truly sets the other religions and ways of thinking in all other Indian religions world apart from Sikhism...women have continually taken a back seat to men throughout history, as have lower castes.



The face of tolerance

I'm not plugging this religion or anything--come on, look at that face--but it was so refreshing to sit down with these chaps and just chat over the many ways of the world. I met up with them at 11pm that same day/nt. and they spoke of some of the history and reasons for this and that of their dress while we walked around the amrit sarovar (pool of nectar). Finally, the leader, the most noble...dare I say the wiser of the crew (and I believe him to have been the other's guru, though he claimed emphatically that they were his teachers) went into the actual Golden Temple to clean it. He instructed me that if I wished, I could do sewa (basically a voluntary "giving back" to God/service/people that entails cleaning things and just making the system work more smoothly--without sewa, this "free" accomodation/food/drink would not be possible) while he was inside. He would then come out in a couple hours and we'd drink milk with nectar juice together. I chose to take part in sewa, carrying buckets full of water, giving them to a guy who gave them to another who flung the water across the marble floors and handed it back to the guy, to the other, to me. I did this with another guy I met and who was part of the posse on the train until about 2am. We sat while the doors were about to be opened and all the people chanting outside. Finally, the doors opened and people flooded in as the Guru Granth Sahib(their holy book) was opened and verses being sung to the rhythmical playing of instruments from 2:30am to about 10:30pm--all day that's to say. Only for this 3 hours period while the temple is being cleaned, is the actual main room closed. The walkway around the holy pool is always open and always full of people either walking or sleeping to the sound of this pulsating music.


sun spills across this scene...then sets

I stayed up until the sun followed me and spoke with one of the Sikhs who explained so many things offering insight and inspiration. Finally, I saw some of the people staying in my gurudwara come out to see the sun spray it's ray upon the dome of the temple and we all reveled in its charm and symbolism.

One day I decided to be sucked into this ridiculous border dual between Pakistan and India. It was exactly that and really merits no comments here...there are a few photos of the theatrical guards; though I had crap seats. The funniest part of it all was hearing these guys who go to this "closing of the border" EVERY day and their defiant and staunch proclamation (in strict Indian accent), "I HATE Pakistan!!!"

When I return--I guess I've already decided I'll be back to India--I definately want to spend more time in Punjab...these people are of the first class, through and through!

Tunes: Listening to the most recent of The Arcade Fire's great sound, Neon Bible, loving the calm panic (oxymoron) in his voice with simple but sticky guitar and percussion riffs. For those who've heard the title song...what's the Neon Bible to you?

Pages: Finished that rich, profound, multi-dimensionally gripping book that I've raved about on several posts, "Midnight's Children" by S. Rushdie. Then, after being recommended, I picked up a book of a conversation between J. Krishnamurti and David Bohm, titled "The Future of Humanity". JK is famous around here and has a philosophy that thought is, by its nature, divisive and has been causing most of the destruction, harm, etc. throughout history. For me, it's necessary and appreciated that D. Bohm is conversing with him, becuz he guides the ideas along more logical lines whereas JK often jumps steps in logic when concluding things. I also like to see a scientist engaging in something more spiritual and in general, being more open minded.

Pholder: Yep...another one, the second of my soon to be strung-out sequence of India's photos in Picasa. Grab a look here.

The Source, in Short...

Between Rishikesh and Amritsar I managed to do a bitty trek to the Source of the Ganges. It was a good time and the cold was sooooo welcomed by my body. The views were sickly stunning and I managed to get upon a glacier that took my breath away at over 4500m.




The hole beneath that massive ice is where
Ganga begins


I caught--and still have a bug, call it Giardia--in Rishikesh I think and it's one of those nasty recurring things; though not too serious...just shitty.

It was difficult to leave Rishikesh where I'd established a sort of home with neighbors: the morning yoga followed by a dip in the ganga which really does yield some profound feeling; the mueslix, fruit, and curd prepared by myself, the mango lassi, the great chats about everything from marriage to castes in Indian tradition with the owners, the hammock swinging reads that had me constantly reflecting...it was all great. However, I desired strongly to get up to Amritsar and later Dharamsala...thus, end of one thing is the beginning of another...get goin'.



The party continues to fill my cup so I can't offer anything except a few photos here and a few more in the folder here.

Holy, Hot, & Here...

So I'm talking to this guy in one of India's great trains covering enormous distances for a penny's price. I find some of his questions a bit intrusive, but hey...it's just him and me chattin' as I look out the door to sounds of an Indian night with glimpses of shadows crossing my viewpath now and again.

Some of our convo was innocent--probably all of it to him--but when he started asking, "How much money do you make in one month?", I really hesitated, cuz if there's one thing I've learned in my lengthy period of SEA, it's that people judge you based on the most silly and superficial things (ie. white=ATM..."where's your button?"). So I told him what I made in S. Korea and he said--to my relief--that's not much for your country, is it? I didn't correct him on the place of employment and offerred, "no, not much at all." He asked on and on, and more questions about why I'm not married, where I was headed and why...you know the usual. I was happy when he turned away, but came to realize that all of our "private conversation" at that moment, became a public anouncement to the entire train car I was in.

I overheard every 5th word (in understandable English) was something I had said, and he left nothing out, quick to explain how little I made in comparison to the rest of my countrymen, and on and on...I was a bit shocked, though I don't know why I didn't expect it.

Then the moment of pure laughter hit me full on as he turned from his audience of 30ish towards me with a great smile and said, "actually, they all want to know if you wash your clothes, or just wear them once and throw them away." I'm still laughin!

I looked down at my apparel and realized I had kinda let things go...ahhh, yeah, really let things go. Though, to my defense, I always wear the same "warrior shirt", which is my lucky, travel shirt that's quite dirty and thus, no worry about sleepin' in bus/train stations, steppin' in who knows what, etc. I told him, "no, I don't just wear them once and throw them away...I'm not MAD!" I tried to explain this concept of a ritual shirt I put on b4 I embark on a journey, but pulled back mid-swing realizing the futility of my argument...the fact was, I was beyond recognition...I was filthy!

Varanasi was a place as special as anyone could and has described it. Every morning people from the town and those from far, far away come to dip into the holiest of rivers, La Ganga--Ganges as it's known to the west--starting at 5am when the sun is just waking up and on till 7am when it's a bit too hot to be out there. Daily ablutions, cleansing away all sin and unholy is a daily event that no matter how many times you see it, doesn't fail to exhalt you to the spiritual level embodied in the act.

I rented a boat with a Chilean guy I met along the way and we snapped a load of shots, none of which give the setting its proper loft. The peace of being rowed on mama ganga instead of some outrigger blowin' smoke was refreshing at 5am.



There are 2 ghats (steps down to Ganga) where photo-taking is prohibited due to the spirituality of the burning of the bodies. This is what Varanasi is known for, I suppose.

A few facts: People will fly their loved ones to this holy city just to have them burned in this holiest of cities. The body must be burned within 6 hours of declared death. 5 types of people are not allowed to be burned: Holy people (priests, sadhus, etc.), children, pregnant women, lepers (considered a holy sign from God), and people having been bitten by cobras (which is considered a holy creature, thanks to Shiva). Only the lowest caste can burn the bodies; this class called "The Untouchables" and once the body has been burned, a bit of the ashes are cast into the river. For those aforementioned, unable to be burned, a "casket" (really a raft made of banana trees) is constructed and the body is put atop, and the casket is sent down the Ganga. It takes no less than 150kg (~330lbs) of hardwood (special from a forest far away) to burn one body...no less than, right? Each kilo costs around $2-4US (depending on you ask) and thus makes for quite the cremation cost. There's an eerie building right by the main burning ghat, full of old people just waiting to die. Remember, it's a real privilege to die in Varanasi.

The colors of Varanasi, ignited by the radiant sun were what really stain my memory.

From there, I made way to Agra which is known for the world's most perfect man-made monument, The Taj Mahal. According to skeptical legend, Shah Jahan dedicated this massive marble monument to his beloved wife, Mahal. I checked it from behind and from inside...both render great eye-candies.

The monument is truly breathtaking--as is the cost of entrance--and one can pass several hours easily strolling around. The clouds came out on the day I chose, and due to current, unpredictable rain patterns, I chose not to risk the next day. My pics show a fraction of its grandeur.

While in Agra, the temp topped 109F, though weather professionals--who?--said the "realfeel" was closer to 115F; it felt no less than that 2 me on my rented, rusted bicycle. Though this was the hottest of all days, it's been no less than 100F the entire week in Varanasi and Agra, w/ "realfeel"s bein' 2 stupid 2 cite. My clothes have finally been cleansed w/ the holiest of water (aka. Ganga) of their sweat-stains, thanks 2 the comment by train car S3, and I'm finally chillin' in the foothills of the Himalayas; in the town of retreats, Rishikesh.

Photo Pholder: Check out a new pic site from Picasa since the crappy Yahoo Photos is shutting down in the fall...ahh, don't know what's gonna happen to all those photos; kinda sad, considering I erased many of them, thinking I'd have eternal copies online. I've only one album currently, but the format is soooo much better than that of YP; check it--India.

Muzic: The most recent of The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife" has a bloody depressing intro, but quickly moves into all sorts of arrangements, which at times seem a bit non-cohesive. It's still good quality music none-the-less, and certain tracks can't find there way out me skull.

Reads: Rushdie ceases NOT to amaze me with "Midnight's Children"...still! I don't know if there's a better book to read while travelling thru India. He interposes an amazing amusement portrayed thru his deft capacity with the English language between a rich, familial story and Indian history told in a very interesting fashion. It's substantial, it's worth anyone's time...again, I plug this great Indian Author...get anything of his!