Sticky Keyboards

That's my excuse, I'm sorry for not writing. I swear that I want to ten times more than I do. But, these internet places just aren't the most conducive to sitting down and really getting to work on a story. I actually had to wait 20 minutes to even use this computer because 'm in Saranath, India. The reason that it's significant is because the Dalai Lama is here as well. This is the place where Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. There are some temples and a few monastaries but here all the roads are dirt. It is DUSTY! There is so much I'd love to expunge on all of you but I'm serious about these sticky keys. Let's see how far I get.
Well, since the last time I wrote I've practically traversed across half of north India. Saranath is near Varanassi which even if you don't know anything about it, I'm sure that you've seen pictures of it. It's debated to be the oldest city in the world, that's because the city is as old as any records that still exist. It's fun to wrap my head around that. It's along the sacred Ganges river and is infamous for the burning ghats. Hindus believe that if they are burned at these ghats then they will go directly to nirvana. They believe in reincarnation and Karma, depending on the life that they live now, determines where and what they will be reborn as in future lives. But, being burned along the Mother Ganges river and having your ashes deposited into it than it's like a free pass out of being reborn and going onto the realm of the gods( As my understanding goes...).
I've spent the last 4 days sitting on my behind listening to the translation of H.H. Dalai Lama's teachings on Bodichitta, and the way of the bodisatvas. Basically, his teachings are to treat others with love, compassion and kindness. It's so simple, and truly inspiring. He is such an amazing person, from far away his presence can be felt. He's 76 but judging by his laughter, humour and the way he holds himself he seems like he could be in his late 40's or 50's.
So much to write about and very little time. Since the cafe is so full of monks wanting to check their emails there's a time limit. I'll be back soon enough to bust out another one. By the way, the flash is broken on my camera... but it still works! I'm sending my love from the Dalai Lama to everyone :D

Hare Om from the Land of Yoga

I wrote this while I was in Rishikesh. so it's a little old.
Well my journey in India has taken an inward twist. I've been spending the last 5 days doing yoga and meditating along the banks of the Ganges. There is no other place in the world where there are as many yoga ashrams per capita. it seems like everyone here is offering a yoga course. on every internet cafe, restaurant and hotel there are fliers for their affiliated courses. I'm staying at an ashram called Sri Ved Niketan, he was some guru who made an ashram. That's about all I know. It's the off season here and because of that I'm paying 100 rupees ($2.25) a night to stay in the cell like rooms, but two daily yoga classes are included! There are monkeys here that will ambush you for your food, that's probably the biggest risk in this city: monkeys. Another guy who's staying in the ashram was ambushed one morning and had to throw his loaf of bread at the monkey to keep it from advancing at him. I'm not sure if he really had to give it the whole loaf though... I've seen a monkey ambling along the side of a house, peer into the open window, and then deftly slip into it. About ten minutes later I heard yells and monkey screeches... The bridges are the worst. There are two footbridges that connect one side of the Ganges to another, they're like box canyons and the monkeys wait, watching all the clumsy human hands. When one of those hands has food in it, they will leap onto the person and do their best to separate the food from the person. I've done my best and so far have avoided any dangerous monkey encounters. Besides yoga, I've finally started Hindi classes, which have gone really well, slowly but surely I'm picking up a little Hindi.

Happy New Year!

Leaving McLeod Ganj by overnight bus I met a couple who told me about a seed saving farm in Dera Dun, a city on the way to Rishikesh. So I decided to hop off with them and detour to this famous farm. Vandana Shiva has been working to protect India's biodiversity of grain varieties. She has been fighting against Monsanto and other agrochemical and seed super giants to retain India's heritage and biodiversity of seeds. She promotes Organic farming and has a project called Navdana where farmers can get seeds for free in return to giving seeds to other farmers the following year. In this way she is working to create a network of seed saving across India. If anyone is curious about her and her work I would highly recommend her book "Soil Not Oil."
I spent three days on the farm recovering from some nasty bacterial nastyness that turned my insides into a methane producing factory. I couldn't eat and I had the weirdest smelling burps ever... enough about my digestion. The point is I was very sick, thankfully the American couple that lead me to the farm also had antibiotics with them so I took a three day course and I was healed! While I was sick I read Dr. Shiva's books on her work. I came away from the farm newly inspired to get down and dirty on a farm somewhere here in India.
I'm now in Rishikesh, dubbed the yoga capital of the world. The Beatles came here and wrote most of the "White Album" at an Ashram here back in the day and since then it exploded into a tourist must stop. The Holy Ganges River flows out of the mountains here, and it is beautiful, but currently foggy. I arrived last night and so far I've just done my favorite Indian past time, walking. As in many places walking is much more than walking. It means dodging everything from cows, monkeys and steaming piles of poo. I'm on a mission today to find some yoga courses, since I'm here I might as well!