Lhamo Tso kindly gave a talk at LIT's weekly Tuesday talks. I really could not hold back the tears for this one. They came flowing uncontrollably! I could never claim to have really suffered after hearing her story. My troubles are incomparable to hers, insignificant even. If you want to continue to bury your head in the sand, stop reading now. If you want to really hear what is going on within the lives of the Tibetan nation, please… continue! As I explained in my previous blog, Lhamo Tso is the wife of Dhondup, the man who created the documentary named 'Leaving fear behind'. This documentary simply asks the opinions of many Tibetans regarding the forthcoming Olympics in China (as it was filmed in 2008) and other issues in Tibet regarding the Chinese occupation. He did ... read more

As I’m in the Tibetan colony of India I couldn’t possibly ignore learning more about the troubles that Tibetans are facing with regards to the Chinese occupation of their territory. After learning just one mans story, I feel a real sadness in my heart for these people. I decided to attend the Tibetan talk at the LIT, which is a volunteer based school for Tibetans to be given the chance to learn English and spread their message and stories in order to keep the Tibetan issue alive. I was shocked by some of the details he gave us and I’m sure he was toning them down to a degree. His name is Sonam and he was a political prisoner for 13 years before finally being set free. 12 of these years he didn’t have a shower ... read more

I arrived in Rishikesh after having my astrology session with Vivek feeling in high spirit and wasn’t disappointed with what I found. After being around only local people for two weeks, I was ready for a change and to see and hang out with some other travellers for a while. Rishikesh is so full of them you cannot possibly not meet people. I’ve met many nice people and had many great conversations. I’ve even managed to make friends with two girls going to Amritsar on the exact same day and train as me… bonus. Hopefully the girl power of three will deter any men from thinking they can touch me in inappropriate places this time. Anyway, on to the place itself. I’ve been staying in the Shri Sant Sewa Ashram right in tourist central in possibly ... read more

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to a kind gentlemans house, named Rauhl. Tyagi and I ventured up in Nikhill's car, being a painful 11 hour journey, for a music festival held in the foothills of the mountains in a small town where you can still see the past presence of the British colonisation. The music festival was a mix of everything and extremely laid back, a perfect way to end the first day of our adventure here. The next day we lounged around, went for a short walk, had a BBQ and generally just 'chilled'. This pretty much set the pattern for the following two days as well. I feel completely rejuvenated! I'm coming across opportunities here that I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams would have come along. Instead of hanging ... read more

By far this has been one of my best experiences to speak of, as all of my volunteer projects have been, but working in a refuge has been on my dream list for many years. So it feels so good to have finally had the opportunity to do it. For this I must send a little appreciation to my dad for helping make this happen financially. The refuge itself is ran by Frank and Jennifer who are doing an amazing job. You can really see that Frank, as well as the other long term volunteers, such as Louisa our vet (might I add the ONLY vet to be in a refuge in Ecuador...crazy, you´d think all would have one!) really care about these animals from the bottom of their hearts and are giving them the best ... read more