Off to Nepal..
I've long wondered what really was meditation, i'll get to learn & practise for a month! Imagine it will be hardwork for a newbie initially, when e mind is uncontrollably ruly & spinal muscles not accustomed to sitting upright for hours.
I don't really know what to expect, except there'll be plenty of opportunity to consult e high practitioner monks/lamas, meet other participants, & receive a good introduction to e basics of buddhism.
Of course, also the experience of meditating for one month!
Nepal : 14nov - 26dec (26-28dec, stopover in delhi), limited access to email & mobile during this time. Back to spore 29dec! :)
India photos
Himachal cycling (more photos will be posted.. soon)
India
Toilet paper is a very precious & necessary travel item in india :)
It doesnt come cheap too, 30-50rupees for one roll at e side stall (~average S$1.70 or US$1)
I had no problems with e food during this trip, lucky 3weeks!
My India Itinerary
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8days cycling among mountains of Shimla-Manali
Dharamsala
Amritsar
Delhi
India is also a splash of colors! And sounds.. "BLOW HORN" sign is painted on e back of almost every other vehicle. And there's plenty of horning! The 2 rules of e road are: never look back and Big Brother rules(Trucks>Cars>horse>auto tuktuk>cycle rickshaw>cow) :)
The CYCLING was fantabulous! 8days of self-propelled pedalling, thru some very beautiful mountains & pine forests. The company was great & i made new friends! It is by far e longest that i've riden - up so high that e eagles soared below, & superdownhills that usually demanded absolute concentration to keep fr crashing off a cliff! Locals cheered for us, with apples, smiles & nemastes.
The shimla-kuulu area has One very special sight, - e night lights of e village houses on the hills become part of e many stars in e canvas of e dark skies.
It also happended to be the Dusherra, a big festival in the town of kuulu. That was fun, drums, fairground & very big colorful crowds.
AMRITSAR
The fabled golden temple of amritsar. The most holy shrine of e sikhs, the domes are of pure gold-leaves, & the 24hr-canteen dishes up 10,000 chapatis a day. Volunteers serve in e canteen & kitchens(clangs of ss thalli/ metallic dishes abound), Wardens tend the guest-dormitories, Guards patrol the grounds in yellow robes & turban, holding a long spear! Holy music flows from the golden shrine. And the Holy Book(Guru Granth Sahib) is put to bed every night & brought back to e shrine every morning.
It is very beautiful in Day & Night, perhaps even more at night.
DHARAMSALA
The home of the Dalai Lama. I didnt see 'his holiness' but saw many thangkas whilst shopping for a shambala (tibetan god of wealth; he holds a mongoose in his left hand, which vomits out precious jewels when pinched by e god).
The best cheese koftas that i had ever tasted are at Malabar restaurant in mcleod-ganj.
There are also a number of beggars without fingers (just stumps) on the streets, which i gave some food to, and I learnt to appreciate & be grateful for my good fingers.
DELHI
Places visited - Humayun's tomb ( a mughal architectural marvel, similar of style to e taj mahal) & the Bahai Lotus Temple, Janpath Market, Macdonalds.
McDonald's india has the best vegetarian burgers, I am impressed!
The traffic is also a snarl, & i moved around a lot in autorickshaw(tuktuk). Had the chance to stayover at a friend's home in upper-middle suburban part of delhi. The neighbourhood is comfortable, with citibank, pizzahut, gym round the corner.
The bomb happended a few days after i left delhi, its sad that terrorists would harm the city.
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Now, what is it about india ? I have heard abt how ppl hate india initially & then just fall in love with e place. And its a bit true.
What started out as worry & apprehension turned into slow wonder & an appreciation of some things that in life that i had not slowed down to feel.
In e cities especially, almost everyone is out to con a lost foreign tourist. But its funny, for instead of feeling anger (well, frustration does exist), i started to try to see e better side of e person & situation. Its a tough world, everyone has a different background, & despite their darker sides, have a kindness & human touch.
In e villages of himachal, e openess & simple sincerity of the folks are just it. In e tough bits of e climbs, in those moments of physical tiredness & aches, its e wide mountains, e eagles, e roadside smiles (sometimes they dont smile, but if u do first, its almost a gurantee return of a wider smile!), e mischievious kids, e company of another cyclist that makes you love the ride. Riding into camp, the vege-fritter snacks & hotwater shower tents definitely help!
Himachal mountainbike link: www.mtbhimachal.com
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