Smiles (:

In Paulo Coelho's book, The Alchemist, the main character learns about the "Language of the World." This language is the language of the heart that the whole world speaks. In the past 8 months I've learned the biggest secret of this language. It is the power of smiles. An honest real smile does wonders all across the globe. It is the tool to break down barriers and show the humanity within us all. A smile can turn a stranger into a friend in an instant. I have a wonderful advantage because even when I'm not smiling I'm always wearing my goofy pink and yellow cap with the smiley face on it. I tell people that my cap smiles for me when I'm not smiling. I love seeing the way that a smile opens people up, on the busy and crowded streets of Kathmandu it's not as possible as in quieter sections, thus I've found myself rambling through Kathmandu's older sections and taking the back ways back to where I stay. In these wanders I get to loose my way, wander unknowingly into beautiful courtyards each with their own small temples. A smile is always the conversation starter, and then comes the suprise of people to hear a foreigner who can speak their language. Since I've been traveling I've never met anyone who hasn't seen a westerner, I'm 50 years to late (haha), but I've met people who've never met a foreigner who can speak their own language. In both India and Nepal many travelers feel that there's no advantage to learning the languages because of how easy it is to get by with english (In touristy areas). The first step to learning a language is to smile. Smiling is opening the door to the language of the world, the language of the heart that everyone speaks across the world.

Chasing the eagles,
I climbed a mountain into the sky,
High up
with the ice gods as my witness
and the windhorse as my steed
I prayed.

The prayers tumbled down the mountains
were swept away in the streams
shrouded by the clouds
and tossed by the wind.

Sitting on the back of one of these giants
I was swallowed by the clouds.
The world flickered in and out of existance
I was a witness to gods game,
Hide and seek.

Surprisingly, I had company
birds,
pieces of blackness let loose upon the day,
surfed the powerful gusts with
reckless abandon.

My prayers were answered.
Beauty abounded everywhere
Inspired
I left
without a thought of where.

I walked paths worn by ancients
touched the ice gods feet in reverence
and danced across stony plains.

I found paradise
but it had owners
Yak who wouldn't share.

I at last I stumbled into town
tired
worn
and hungry
with a huge grin
from a day of adventure.

I wrote this after wandering around Kyanjin Gompa for a day. I got above 5,000 meters and took photos! But I'm having serious issues loading them. Flickr seems to be extremely slow in Nepal.
I extended my visa, I've got a visa to explore this wonderful country until September 21st!