Believe it or not, we're still alive and well!

My last entry was posted a day before we were to begin our induction to the Buddhist religion and meditation. That was more than 3 weeks ago - and my apologies for the delay. I had prepared myself for what was to be a solid ten days without any contact with the outside world, meat, beer and women - nor could we talk about any of the aforementioned topics, seeing as this time would be spent in silence.

You may ask yourself why one would choose to do such a thing while on vacation. Well, it has turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of our trip so far. Of course, we did learn during the course not to become attached to experiences due to their innate transient nature, including memories. We spent the first 7 days with a pretty rigid schedule of: wake-up call at 6.00, followed by morning meditation at 6.45, breakfast at 7.15, Buddhist courses from 9.00 - 11.00, then yoga and stretching (great for alleviating all the pain from sitting cross-legged the whole time), lunch and karma yoga (basically community service - the center is run by volunteers, and we were assigned daily tasks to keep the place operational - mine was to clean the toilets), then we had 2 more lessons before the pre-dinner meditation session, dinner and the post-dinner meditation. We usually went to bed around 9 pm in order to be fresh again for the early wake-up call. The accommodations were nice and clean, but spartan. When we arrived for the retreat, we were asked to turn in all cell phones, ipods, computers, non-Dharma books (anything not related to the path of enlightenment). The accommodations were allocated according to gender, and I ended up sharing a room with a Swiss-Italian and Belgian. This was going to be a very romantic way for Jojanneke and I to celebrate our 8 year (relationship) anniversary, and our 1.5 year wedding anniversary on the 27th of March.

The last two days of the retreat were planned for full on meditation sessions. We had 7 on the first day and more planned for the second day, when we received word that the spiritual leader, a very high lama, of the organization (they number 130 centers in more than 30 countries) would be arriving to give a teaching and take part in a refuge ceremony. The ceremony is for people who have decided to become Buddhists. Because of this, our last full day was to include a morning and afternoon teaching from the revered lama instead of meditation. This turned out to be one of the most bizarre days so far on our trip. The lama covered many interesting topics including, but not limited to: hang-gliding, Buddha grass, The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction", and S & M - and all this in between bouts of hysterical laughter and coughs. Our schedule was constantly changing on this day due to the lama's unpredictable routine. We ended our day with a picnic and the silence was lifted, making it a great chance to really get to know the people with whom we'd spent the last 9 days.

After checking out of the center, we decided to stick around town for a few days to hang out with our new friends. When we arrived we didn't know a soul, and only 2 weeks later it seemed that we couldn't walk down the street 5 minutes without recognizing someone. A very kind and generous Buddha incarnate from Malta, Fernando, made it his gift to everyone from the retreat (numbering 34 people) to throw a party with everything paid for on the rooftop of the Plaza Hotel in the center of town. It was an unforgettable gesture - and the spirit of giving and love (sounds really cheesy and cliche, I know - but it's true) continued for days following the course. We were hanging out with quite an eclectic group of people, sometimes ending up in a friend's room at night with some beers, a guitar and good company. I was amazed to find that the people who couldn't play guitar were in the minority. (To Mom - I met a German who told us about a vacation he had visiting a good friend on the island of Sicily. His good friend was from a small town called Sciacca!)

The following day, we went with a group of 6 others on a trek to Triund, which is a 6km hike up the mountain. It turned out to be the ideal cure for a hangover (caused by oily preservatives they put in Indian beer - that and too much beer) and we were rewarded with views that photos don't even do justice to. This also gave me time to reflect on the different ways to earn more merit (within the Buddhist religion, this is necessary towards the attainment of enlightenment). My plan is harness wind power to rotate a massive silo placed atop a mountain. The silo would contain an unimaginable amount of mantras (or, prayers) that would then be sent off to satellites and projected around the universe. My second idea is to open a fitness center for the aspiring enlightened to exercise their way to enlightenment on a treadmill that has a mantra printed on it. With every rotation of the mantra wheel, again the prayer would be spread and merit would be earned.

After our busy day, we decided to take it a bit more laid back. This gave us time to fall in love with our new favorite food - momo's - or dumplings served the Tibetan way. We sat together with a group of friends and brainstormed on the seemingly endless number of combinations that were possible.

Three weeks had flown by before we had a chance to breathe it seemed. Which is always a sign that you're having a great time. We looked at the calendar and realized that we only had 3 weeks left before heading off to Thailand. Taking a private bus at 5 pm on the 8th of April, we arrived at our pre-booked guesthouse (we have gotten wise to the touters and scammers at the bus stands) in the mountain town of Manali around 6 am the next day. (To Brent Power and Alastair- the Mountain Cafe wasn't open yet, but we stayed next to it at the Mountain Dew Guesthouse with stunning views.) We spent the next few days going for half day walks through the mountains, discovering the town, and visited the natural hot water springs in Vaschita, a town nearby.

Again, realizing our time was ticking, we booked a bus for Delhi on the 11th. While waiting for our bus, I met a woman from California who had studied at the U of M before moving to Amsterdam, where she lived for 9 years. The improbability drive must be working overtime. We arrived in Delhi early in the morning and after checking into a hotel near the train station, went to book our train to Varanasi. We were lucky and able to get a 3-tier air conditioned wagon that we shared with 6 other Indians for the duration of the 17 hour journey. Surprisingly enough, I was able to get some sleep on the train.

Since yesterday we have been in Varanasi - famous for it's holy river (the Ganges) and the cremations that take place on the ghats (steps to the bathing areas). We're actually staying very near to the cremation ghat - Manikarnika Ghat - at the Shanti Guesthouse with a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city (for Pete and those who have been here before). It's incredibly hot here and the smells and sensations are at times a bit overwhelming. We spent yesterday just getting lost amongst the small alleyways forming the labyrinth that is the Old City. You sometimes have to make your way back to the river just to reorientate yourself. It's best to be in before it gets dark - seeing as the alleys are mostly unlit and can be quite dangerous at night. We've been able to avoid most scams and touters, but I fell into the trap of an Ayurvedic massage on one of the ghats from a "master". They always approach you in a very friendly manner, asking where you're from and your name. Then he shook my hand and immediately started to massage it. Against my better judgement I went along with it and ended up getting a full body massage on a ghat overlooking the Ganges. Jojanneke took a very charming photo of me which we'll try to get posted soon.

That just about takes you up to today. We've booked our bus already for tomorrow to the Nepalese border, where we'll be visiting Lambini (birthplace of Siddhartha -, aka the first Buddha). Two full days in Varanasi is not enough, but neither is having only 2 months in India/Nepal. We're both feeling very well and are in great spirits - despite my occasional bout of paranoia for getting scammed. We send our love and look forward to any reactions and/or tips.

Lots of love,

Mark