Almost ready to leave Dharamsala

Greetings fellow travelers on the way. It seems whether we're traveling the world or just hanging out in one spot, we're always in transition. We are getting ready to leave the cloudy lands up here with the Dalai Lama. We will have to leave behind our comfortable bed and breakfast appropriately named Shanti, with the special view, and Grover's eggs in the morning.

We would really like to see more of the many parts of India, but there's so much to see and so little time. We wanted to go to the Ganges to Rishikesh, which the yoga and the beatles made famous, or to Varanasi the famous holy place on the river. But the monsoon makes everything swelteringly hot and filthy in those places at this time of year, so we're doing what a lot of Indian and other tourists do and going up higher into the Himalayas! Which is not really a let down! We'll be very close to Tibet: first we go to Manali, most likely friday or saturday, and then we travel by jeep up for two days into the Himalayas on the second highest road in the world to a remote place called Leh in Ladakh, Northern India, on the border with Tibet. It's supposed to be spectacular and no rain, but also not very much air, cause the altitude. Kara's just getting over a cold but we're daring the adventure. She's doing much better after taking some ayurvedic syrup that tasted like crap.

The trek will take some time, but we've heard it's well worth it to see, and then we fly down to disgusting delhi again and immediately meet with a car to take us to some of the famous sites, on our last leg of the journey, probably around July 8th by then. We'll see the Taj Mahal (staying in Agra the night of the 8th), and Jaipur, the pink city, maybe on to Pushkar, where we can ride a camel or maybe an elephant. What a strange world! We'll travel by car, which seems weird since the trains are famous here, but the car will be able to take us to more places, of course more expensive. But we only have a limited time.

Here we are surrounded by kitchy shopping, and meanwhile we're listening to teachings on nonattachment. But the Dalai Lama called off teachings today, because he's sick unfortunately. So, we took a walk down Bagsu road to a waterfall and a very dirty shiva temple, with goats that were eating all the offerings. After a chaotic work year, we've come to a chaotic vacation spot, but it has many ways of teaching you how to relax amidst the chaos. We wish upon all of you the same blessing.

Tonight we're going to see some classical indian music again (we saw some beautiful sitar, harmonium, and tabla last night with just seven people watching sitting in a yoga studio). It's mostly buddhists here in Dharamsala, but we both agree that the hindus and sikkhs really have the best music and dance; it's like they provide an outlet for the ecstatic play of music, whereas the buddhists play with it in their minds...in meditiation on wisdom and compassion. Sometimes it seems the monks in maroon are less interested in the timeless surrender to the present that music provides, so often focused on morality and pleasing others... but blah blah blah.

We've really been enjoying the teachings and seeing the Dalai Lama, we walked around his mansion today down a path around a mountain with prayer wheels and stupas and many circumambulating old tibetans. It was a lovely walk and we said prayers for all our friends and family, and a little for the world. Especially for Kevin's aunt Lynn who is having heart surgery today. We are wishing her all the best and a speedy recovery. Om Mani Padmi Hum. May all beings have happiness and be free from suffering... sorry no pictures! We have to leave our camera behind when we go to the teachings for the security check so it's miles away.

Oh yes, and after two very rainy monkey-less days (so sad! but yesterday there were adorable baby goats to make up for it), they were back around the temple today in style, throwing poop, carrying cute little babies and looking like stange dirty little people:)

LOVE KnK

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