This is my first blog post after six months of travel throughout Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and India. Where to begin? How about pics of my favorite places – I’ll start with a few from India
The above picture is of a Shiva sadhu. He walks naked covered in ash, carrying his trident in one hand with eight-foot dreadlocks draped over the other. This was taken in Rishikesh, India, close to Haridwar, during the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world, which takes place once every three years in alternating cities.
We spoke for about fifteen minutes. Afterwards, he gave me a blessing on the forehead, and a blissful feeling of peace irresistibly came over me that lasted for several hours.
This next picture is from the night that I met my guru. It is said to be an auspicious sign to come across a calf being born. On my way to meet him my friend Brajesh and I encountered some people who were caring for a cow and its newborn calf.
We walked with them and alternated carrying the newborn. You can see how present and mindful guruji is holding the calf, the love of the cow for its child, and the beautiful intermingling of nature and spirituality that permeates daily life in India.
This is a worker on a bus in GOA, India. What I like about this picture is that he didn't know who 2Pac was. Often times we try to project symbolic meanings upon things that people do, this guy just needed a shirt to wear
This is the sunset in GOA, India. There is a slight haze that hovers over the water that makes objects in the distance seem blurry, but not a cloud in the sky. As the sun sets, it turns a deep red as the light refracts through the hazy mist. You can see the change in color below, but the pictures don’t really do justice to its magnificence.
GOA Sunset - Deep Red
This picture is of a guy who plays a flute with a dancing cow. I have video of the cow dancing, which I will post eventually. What I love about this picture is the creativity of how to make an honest living in India. Perfectly matched, and the cow rings its bell and lifts up its foot on cue. So many holy cows everywhere in India, but this one was my favorite.
Does this picture need a comment? Seems to capture the tourist industry quite well. What I also like is the Indian woman in the background to the right of the blond tourist is wearing a Yankees cap.
She did not know that NY stood for New York, she just needed a hat to cover her face working at the beach.
Below is the last pictures for now, taken from Kashmir, India, called “Paradise on Earth.” It’s hard to argue that any place on earth is more beautiful, too bad the media and politics have distorted perceptions of the region into a place of danger, conflict, and angry Muslim militants.
Me and the Military
