Blogs from Bihar, India, Asia

Bit off the grid at the moment. 5 hour drive from Varanasi to Bohd Gaya, where the Buddha sat under the bodhi tree and achieved enlightment. Hotel very basic ( Bohd Gaya very basic for that matter - poverty very challenging ). No Internet in hotel, so am in a cyber cafe (of sorts). Got a long journey to Agra tomorrow ( 17 hours on the road ) so hoping for more facilities there and will be able to provide a full report ( with pics ) the following day. In the meantime, Om Mane Padme Om.... read more

Prior to leaving on this trip from Alaska, we had made a decision to attend the 32nd annual Kalachakra initiation presented by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. While we had no real idea what we were getting our selves into, we knew it would be a great opportunity/adventure. The Kalachakra initiation was to be presented in a town that could house maybe several thousand tourists at a time, and yet would be attended by appx two hundred thousand. Due to the lack of accommodations, many tent camps were being set up for the attendees. We opted to stay in a tent on the university grounds hosted by the Kalachakra organizing committee and blindly booked our tent many months in advance. So eventually the day arrived when we needed to catch a train from Varanasi to Gaya. ... read more

We finally made it to the Birgunj/Raxoul (Nepal/Indian) border crossing after about 10 long hours of riding in our taxi. Our driver had no idea what the protocol was when it came to exiting/entering countries. He drove us straight through the border and past both visa stations. Once we finally got him to understand what we needed to do,(ie. actually present our selves to the officials who handle Passport, Customs, Immigration control, both on the exiting of Nepal and the entering of India). It is never advisable to run a border between two countries the way our driver casually did. We had to turn around and attempt to cross the border back into Nepal unnoticed. This had us a little concerned, but we made it through with no problems. Once we got our passports properly stamped ... read more

I’m thinking of Rashid and Zahid and Humar. I’m thinking of the mirror man who makes the glass with which we see ourselves. For the tourist it spells abundance, India. With its millennia chronicled in stone, at forts, castles and in the ruins of ancient citadels; and its spirit dancing in the mystical myriad of mosques, gurdwaras, churches and temples; from its sky-embracing peaks to its biting Thar winds, India mirrors all we are. But of this, you are aware. The traditional tourist towns need to be savoured and honoured. There’s no disclaimer to add. Yet it’s not only tourists who flock to those places. There are also touts, also rogues, also tricksters. And there’s a greater risk: with so very much to see between castle and fort, and in the bustle of the business of ... read more

Greetings of the day to all, After we finished from Agra, we straight headed back to our Cab. We only had 4 hrs time to reach New Delhi Airport. So I told the driver to drive as fast, but safely, as possible. He did a good job, we were at the IGI airport at 11:00hrs. We boarded the flight, and were the last one to board. Anyways, the flight left on time. We got the seat which was next to each other. I was happy to see some beverages and food coming our way. We were really hungry, because on the way back from Agra, we did not stop anywhere for food. And now it was time for landing again. Excited to get out at the airport in Patna. Almost jumped out of the aircraft. Went ... read more

Hiya folks! Sorry for the delay. Things have been kind of hectic with sightseeing, Vipassana courses, tabla lessons, and all. So I'm just now getting around to the first official travel blog post - yes, two months into the trip. In this post, I will cover my Vipassana course (February 16-27) in Bodh Gaya. There will then be a bit of backtracking as the next post will cover the month of January I spent in South India. I just wanted to talk about the Vipassana first.......while it's fresh in my mind (I wasn't allowed to write anything down during the retreat). And the post after that will likely explore Kolkata and the tabla. So here are some pics for you: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8870546@N03/sets/72157626179020876/ Also, y'all are gonna have to show me some love (or hate or something) if ... read more

La cabine de notre appareil est a peine dépressurisée que l'odeur particulière de l'Inde pénètre nos narines! Nul doute, nous sommes bel et bien arrivés sur cette terre de mystères qui ensorcèle, depuis des milliers d'années, ses visiteurs. Cette fois-ci, c'est Kolkatta,(Calcutta) qui nous servira d'introduction. Autrefois la capitale du pays, elle constitue un échantillon ultra-concentré de ce qui attend le voyageur qui part à la conquête du pays. Kolkatta est une méga métropole de 14 millions d'habitants qui tente depuis des années de guérir ses nombreuses blessures historiques. Une ville déchirée par les conflits, pressurisé par les réfugiés des pays avoisinants et accablée d'une extrême pauvreté. La densité de population est si grande qu'à certains endroits stratégiques de la ville, comme la gare de train Howrah, il y a tellement de gens et de vehicu ... read more

Hier kwam de rust helemaal tot mij. Na al de drukte van Mumbai en het stressy trein/taxi/richaw/tuktuk/busverkeer kan ik terug adem op de plek waar boedha Nirvana bereikte. Mss niet verwonderlijk dat het net op deze plek is ;) Boedhistische plekken hebben ook altijd die bepaalde energie over hen. You just feel the peace! :) Hier zijn heeft echt iets magisch en toen ik onder de Bodi boom zat en er een blaadje naar beneden viel recht voor mijn voeten, was het helemaal compleet. :D Sascha is totally zen en klaar om morgen terug de drukte in te gaan opweg naar Agra to Taj Mahal!  ... read more