City by the Bay

I've been in San Francisco two weeks now. Seems like forever as it most always does once I've arrived someplace. The last place fades from my mind as I immerse myself in the present.

Prior to San Francisco, I spent three weeks in Tennessee at a queer commune where I've visited regularly for 11 years now. Friends from all over meet there for gatherings at a commune that hosts us "Radical Faeries" for days of ritual, frolicking, and heart circles. Last time I was there was 3.5 years ago before my first trip to S.E. Asia. A second trip to Thailand and India last year, interspersed with stints all over the U.S. gave me a lot to integrate and try to share with friends. So many rich, vibrant, and oft intense experiences have happened in those 3.5 yrs. I enjoyed the growing community as people from all over the US have gradually bought land and built homes adjacent to the commune. Recently a member of the community bought a 300 acre farm 4 miles away so that the local community could have a place to explore/create/experience farm endeavors without having to leave the community. (Much of the other land is wooded and steep). I enjoyed revisiting the realm of farming that I enjoyed in my past. I got to drive a team of mules and work a ten acre piece up with a tractor and sow it to a rye/vetch cover/green manure crop. What a marvelous meditation.

I rather reluctantly left Tennessee on 21Oct on my prebooked flight to San Francisco. It seemed my prayers for recentering and regaining my full power finally integrated as I boarded the plane. I spent the flight feeling "enlightened" in a bubbly state of peace, trust, and joy. The mystical wanderer in me bubbled up, over, and through me. I was glad I had trusted my intuition and resisted clinging to Tennessee.

Roaming in San Francisco found me feeling more at home than most any place I've been in a while. San Francisco welcomes everyone of all cultural diversities. Finally I no longer stood out like I had in other countries or on the "other coast" of our own. The ethnic communities here trigger memories of my travels. I found my favorite soap from India in and Indian store. And the vegetables in the Asian markets reminded me of culinary favorites from abroad. The hum and rhythm of S.E. Asian dialects, or those of Indians made me feel almost like I was "there". I passed a passel of Asian youth on a sidewalk and felt for a moment like I was in Thailand. I'd never fully realized how such a multicultural city as San Francisco can prepare you for a trip abroad.

My friend Topsoil took me and a friend to the beach, where we walked a labyrinth barefoot. I giggled and wondered how I ever managed the barefoot pilgrimage in Bihar, India, last year. The sea of memories flooded me in a presence and present awareness of time collapsing... all my travels... my history merging into oneness, as the sea, the mighty Pacific swirled below our perch on a cliff. I felt as if I never quit being the mystical wanderer that i felt so strongly I was on my first trip to India with my Aussie metaphysical mate in 2005. The Pacific beckoned me to dive in or over and roam westward again. Hawaii had been on my mind as a winter retreat. I felt reaffirmed in what I imagine as my life's calling to continue wandering the earth.

That evening I went to the St. James Infirmary, a clinic where I worked for many years, to get some acupuncture and a check up. There were new faces that recognized me not. Finally, a woman I knew came out and shrieked, thrilled to see me. Soon others followed. And I felt a San Francisco homecoming. She said she felt so good to know that I was out wandering the world embodying trust and abundance. That happens to be my vision of course, but I oft find myself stuck in my fears rather than transcending them. It was nice to know someone else saw the vision, and I realized that indeed I was living it, though being a bit hard on myself. I got a great acupuncture treatment and felt good to be "home".

Halloween took me to China Town to see one of my best friends brothers play with his band. I enjoyed being in China town and appreciated the feel of it, like a mini trip to the Far East. My friend has been living in Berlin for over a year, and I was glad to catch him while he was stateside for a visit.

I ran into friends and acquaintances and feel held in loving arms of this city. On Nov 2, I marched in the Day of the Dead Procession in the Mission district. The Procession is a Hispanic tradition of honoring the dead on this day when the veil between the earthly and spirit worlds is said to be thin. People of all persuasions marched, many carrying candles to honor one they lost to the dead this year. There were drumming groups, and chanting groups, and silent walkers. Most wore the tradition black and painted their faces while with skeleton like embellishments. I'd forgotten what a moving event this was as the thousands marched along the streets in a route that would take us to a park where altars had been set up. Candles, pictures, sculptures, adorned the park. Some wept. Some laughed. It's both a celebration of life and grieving of loss. I prayed for my Uncle and invoked his spirit as one of my losses during the year. I noted how this event mimicked some of the pilgrimages I'd done in India. Except in this one I blended in. I knew the language. And I could wear shoes. I wished I could share the beauty of this event with my own family.

On Election Eve I joined friends at a post yoga class potluck and viewing of Saturday Night Live's Election Program. Many of my friends there had been in India in recent years, and it was a moving reunion to be together again and know that we had tales to tell that we could relate to.

I worked a clinic shift doing Reiki on Election Day, having mailed my absentee ballot in some time ago. After work, I did some errands and about 8pm started hearing sounds of celebration. Loud whoops. Occasional drums. I overheard people saying "it's over. Obama has won." I got home at 9 pm, tired. I didn't plan to go out. But the vibration of joy reverberated through the city and wouldn't let me rest. I heard soundbytes of celebration and finally went out and found the streets full of celebration. Smiles and music filled the air. I wandered into the Castro, which is revered as the heart of queer community in San Francisco. And found the street closed off for a celebration. Obama was on a big screen and the street was packed full of dancing revelers. Tears of joy came to my eyes as I realized how hard the last 8 years have been on "the community" here.And how much face the US lost in the world, how much our economy has suffered as we have ignored what has been going on within our borders. How we have not chosen to promote world democracy by not being democratic in the world. I realized how easy my political choices are being gay... how could I vote for someone that sees me as second class? ... and being mindful of what we are leaving for our future generations how we trod upon this Earth?

I learned that San Francisco's voters were 85% in favor of Obama. No wonder the city was afire in celebration! No wonder I never remembered witnessing such glee after other elections. The glee was bittersweet, as a proposition allegedly passed that will prohibit same sex couples from having the rights of marriage. Not that I'm necessarily in favor of legislating religious doctrine, but it seems only logical that partners of civil unions ought to have the right and abilities to create their households together and enjoy such privileges as riding in an ambulance with their loved one. I find it ironic that much of the heat comes from people who supposedly adhere to religion that espouses non-judgement and unconditional love.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying the freedom and creativity of this beautiful city.

Foot By Foot in the Catskills

Nature soothes me. Finally after months of keeping to self imposed grindstones, I got it together to get out in the mountains. My destination, The Catskills.

I drove through the hills of upstate NY, crossing the Susquehanna River in Oneonta, I drove south into the steeper hills and watched them grow into mountains.

I dined on yummy Chinese food in Hunter. I deliberated. My head spinning from days of less sleep than I would have liked, and a good dose of grounding work. I'd been helping my cousin with his tent and auction business. It gave me a mix of sorting other people's stuff, and physical labor of putting up and taking down tents.

It felt good to be on the road again, in touch with my nomadic tendencies. The ultralight pack I'd first used in Hawaii four years ago brought memories of backpacking on lava earthscapes, and my first major mountain summit experience when I climbed Mauna Loa.

My mind started to declutter. In the way, were fears and indecisiveness. Where exactly was I going to hike and camp? Indian Head Mountain, Overlook Mountain, Poet's Ledge, and/or the Escarpment Trail. My indecisive nature ran rampant in my tired state. I resorted to my pendulum to tap into my intuition. Indian Head Mountain was it's answer. My mind found fault with the rugged hike. The ease of Overlook Mountain and it's proximity to a Buddhist Temple called to parts of me that remembered such sights from India and Nepal. Yet, if I drove to that trail head, I might loose another hour of daylight. It didn't sink in that I could get there via the Indian Head side.

I'd enjoyed discovering the Catskills in my internet research and mountain guidebook. The history of Hudson Valley artists and transcendentalist writers struck deep chords in my memory. Thoreau, Whitman, Burroughs. Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The painting of Kindred Spirits. All drew faint recognition in my whirled traveler brain.

I passed a sign announcing a visitor center as I neared the trailhead. I turned around and took the excuse to find help in my deliberations. The information kiosk surprised me when I drove up the lane to find a huge old hotel of a building. As I parked, a earthy man with a trimmed beard came alongside the car with a cart of what looked to my once farmer's eyes, like freshly dug potatoes. Indeed they were. He called for the "person on duty" to come give me information. Meanwhile I inquired what the facility was, and he said it was a Christian community.

I noted the same grounded clarity in their eyes here as I noticed in the eyes of the Amish a few weeks ago at an auction. Connected to the Earth. Connected to the code they chose to live by. No muddled heads. Not so much confusion from the burgeoning world culture of information and consumerism.

He and the young man "on duty" didn't help me sort out where I was going to hike and camp. They did give me some ideas, but no breakthrough of clarity. My pendulum still suggested the Indian Head Mountain. So I went to the trailhead, parked, packed, and headed off up the trailhead.

A wooden footbridge greeted me and led me into the deep scent of hemlock and pine. It smelled good, fresh, cool. I enjoyed a few stone quarries along the trails. Visions of men working and sweating with horses and oxen in the virgin timbered woods passed through my consciousness. Sometimes I think I was born a century too late, when I consider the thrill of being around the Amish, and the excitement with which I read my Great Grand Father's diaries of the 1860s. Something appeals to me about a world devoid of the buzz of motors... where you hear the rhythyms of hand tools and hoof steps.

I easily covered the 0.9 miles of steady upgrade to the intersection with the Devil's Path, the trail that would take me up to the top of Indian Head Mountain. Devil's Path is reputed to be steep, rugged, and relatively devoid of fresh water. I carried plenty of water for my overnight. But the ruggedness intimidated my potentially out of shape legs and overall tiredness.

I begrudged trusting the pendulum, and turned up the steeper Devil's Path, thinking maybe I'd have time to hike to Overlook Moutain from this back end. My indesiveness and the steeper climb ate up daylight. I finally resolved to get up to Sherman's Overlook, and potentially skip doing the summit.

The trail was indeed rugged. In Hawaii, I had trekked at 3-4 mph, and surpassed all the 1-2 mph time estimates by the trail guides. Here, in the steep Catskills, I was on the 1-2 mph mark. Last year, in the Indian Himalaya, I had learned that speed is not everything, and had taken my shoes off to go slower, to enjoy the sights more. Yet now, in the Catskills, I felt the pressure of desire to achieve several goals in a short time... I had slotted only a day and a half here.

My knees balked a bit at the pressure. It took me quite a bit of mental wandering from fearing injury and being laid up until I got to setting the intention that they'd be fine. I steadily slurped on the tube of water from my hydration pack, thankful for the ease of sipping water. Suddenly I caught a glimpse of an overlook. I stepped out onto a rock, and beheld the grandueur of the Hudson Valley. Platte's Clove below me. AHHHH... this felt good and made it all worth it! An amazing fall day showed off a great visibility of the surrounding mountains and hills. I rested a bit, enjoying the view. No wonder the Hudson Valley School of painters had spent so much time here.

After a brief recovery, I moved on, spurred by the cool breeze. In a few minutes I came upon a western overlook, where the sun was warm. I lingered here, enjoying the heat. I thought I could see the Tibetan Monastery off on a hill by Woodstock.

Now the summit plagued my mind. It seemed, by the guidebook's words, to be relatively close at hand. I knew I'd hate to pass it up, being so close. So I urged myself onwards. At the base of a rock crag, I left my pack. A ten foot scramble had me significantly closer to my summit goal. After a couple small scrambles, I enjoyed level trails. Rugged and small, the trees showed the hardships of living atop a windswept pile of rocks that makes a mountain. I passed a sign prohibiting camping over 3500 feet. I figured I was close. I ran at times along the level trail. After an eternal 30 minutes I came to the edge of the level trail and saw it drop deep down into clove. No way was I going to go down any rugged trail, only to have to come up again. I decided if the summit was over there, I'd skip it. I turned around and headed back from whence I came, anxious to get down the mountain and seeing about heading towards Overlook Mountain, or at least to Echo Lake, where there was a lean-to.

I felt pretty wiped out by the time I got back down off Indian Head Mountain, and returned upon the Devil's Path to where it met the Overlook Trail, the old quarry road from the 1840s. I turned towards Overlook Mountain and Echo Lake. There was a lean-to, called Devil's kitchen, nearby. There I could decide whether to bed down, or head to Echo Lake.

I appreciated the relatively level Overlook trail. I appreciated the gentle scenery and wondered why my infatuation with mountains? A stroll through the woods can be as fulfilling as the challenge of a summit. I suppose I like both.

I soon approached the lean-to at Devil's Kitchen from a blind side. The open side faced off towards a stream and ravine on the left. I got about 12 feet from the lean-to, when all of the sudden, a black bear scrambled out looking over his shoulder in a panic! I shouted "Hey you!" before I'd even thought about speaking. I laughed. My mind began to worry. I hadn't anticipated bears. The guidebooks for the Adirondacks mentioned bear and preparations for such profusely. I had been relieved not to run across any mention of bears in my Catskill guidebooks. I wondered about my stash of nuts, apples, and dried appricots. I knew that one way to avoid trouble with bears was to avoid the usual camping spots where bears learn to search and find food. I had kind of wanted the shelter of a lean to, though.

As I walked by the lean-to, I was grateful that the bear had run before I got to the open side and cornered him in there. The lean-to was dark, and blackened from it's history of camp fires in the fire pit right in front of it. The lean-to appealed little to me now... it seemed a bit claustrophobic, especially if the bear considered it a good hangout.

Now, I felt that my option was only Echo Lake. I proceeded round the clove, over a wooden foot bridge spanning a rushing creek that tumbled quickly down the mountain. Soon I came to a "Y" in the trail where I couldn't tell which way to go. I choose the low way, knowing I'd soon see a trail marker in either case. I got about 30 feet down the trail, when I saw the bear staring at me straight ahead about 50 feet. I now realized that the trail curved around the cove and we were pretty much opposite from the lean-to.

We stared at each other, the bear and I. I yelled and waved my arms. He stared. I considered retracing my steps, but remembered something about bears being attracted to fear. I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. We continued to stare at each other until he decided to run. I was thankful. I walked down the trail towards where he had been, only to find the trail ended in the brush. I felt bad, having bothered him needlessly. I felt worse as I realized, that he had scurried up the hill and was bound to be in the vicinity of the proper trail.

I nearly stepped in fresh bear dung, obviously left by the bear after he'd scurried out of the lean-to. And I laughed at the thought of scaring the shit out of the bear. I hoped that he wouldn't return the favor as I returned to the "Y" in the trail and now took the high road. I proceeded cautiously for several hundred yards, and gladly discovered no sign of the bear. Another half hour, and I felt clear of his territory.

I strolled along the contour of the hill on the Overlook Trail, imagining wagons and men working here in times past. Another quarry showed up on the left, with a bit of an overlook onto the Hudson Valley. The trail was on the edge of the mountains.

Dusk approached as I turned down the side trail to Echo Lake. Steady down hill, the trail led to a valley. I heard the most amazing singing, like a choir. I wondered that I could hear sounds from the village of Woodstock. Wearily trudging down the trail, I was thankful to be close to my bed-spot for the night. Soon I realized the singing must be coming from the Lake itself. I would not be camping alone. I felt a bit sad at that, but at the same time was greatful, for I felt safer in bear country knowing others were nearby.

The sun just setting, I wandered past the lean-to and saw a group sitting by Echo Lake. About 15 or so. Two man/woman couples, and a gaggle of small children. Their angelic singing came to a halt just as a approached. They heard my footsteps and looked over. A man greeted me. He said they'd be camping on the other side of the Lake, leaving me the lean-to. Simple, clear, joyful, he told how they'd hiked in from the Woodstock side, and would be traveling on toward's Platte's Cove, where they lived, the next day. The women's simple dresses gave me every reason to assume they lived in the community where I'd stopped for information. He said they wanted to see if there was indeed an Echo at Echo Lake. Someone started a song with a syllable and the rest joined in in perfect harmony, like a professional choir. The children gazed back, smiles gleaming at me, when the mountains told the truth that there was indeed a beautiful echo here. These peoples joy was inspiring. They soon left me alone as they retreated around the lake.

I strung up my hammock between two trees about 15 feet from the Lake. I ate my cheese sandwich and some almonds and apricots. The air cooled quickly and I nestled into my sleeping bag. Fish jumping in the lake startled me a few times... still wary of the bears. Then a group of wild dogs or coyotes howled from the top of the trail into the valley. I worked through my fears, remembering it was rare that animals attacked humans. I prayed the critters leave me alone and stay at bay tonight.

The wind picked up and cooled my back in the hammock. I tried to find a nearby level spot to sprawl out, but couldn't. I returned to the hammock. The wind picked up, and finally, I just decided to sprawl out on the ground beneath me. I remembered how I had learned to sleep on a sheet of plastic on cement on my barefoot pilgrimage for Shiva in Bihar, India. And so I knew I could easily sleep here. I threw my piece of plastic down, my thin pad, and nestled into my sleeping bag into the arms of the solid Mother Earth. It was amazing how well this quieted my busy mind. I drifted to sleep.

In the morn, I awoke before dawn and started hiking out by sunrise. The air was brisk, though I don't believe it frosted in the woods. I got to the car, and ate some nuts. I then drove over to the Escarpment Trail in Haines Valley.

Escarpment Trail, gives the most views for the effort... so said the men at the visitor center yesterday. And they were right. Sunset Rock, and Inspiration Point gave amazing views over the Hudson Valley. Inspiration Point served and probably still serves painters with plenty of inspiration. There were names carved into the flat rock outcropping from the late 1800's and early 1900's when the area was in it's prime as a tourist location.

After looping round the end of the Escarpment Trail, I drove to the Kaaterskill Falls trailhead and virtually sprinted up the rocky ravine to see New York's highest waterfall.

An hour later I was enroute through New Jersey to the burbs of Philadelphia, reeling in the joy of my footage through the Catskills. I can't wait to return and spend days and weeks exploring more of the Catskills.

Travel Photos from 2007 Posted

I finally got my travel photos from 2007 Posted:

http://gypsywizard.shutterfly.com

Enjoy the views!!!

Western Medicine, Water, and Hope!

It's been two months since I arrived in the USA from India. Most of my time has been in the suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware. It's funny I was realizing the other day how "normal" it seems to me here now. How I've adapted.

I watched the movie Kundun last night which is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It depicts the Dalai Lama's early years and flight from Tibet during the Chinese Invasion. It makes me sad to realize the USA's lip service to world democracy when they obviously use such terms to support their own agenda's such as oil, while ignoring such violations of humanity as those in Tibet.

The movie brought back images of what it is like to travel in the "third" world where most people have little clutter in their lives. Few cars. Few belongings. Sparse, small houses and abodes. The material wealth and waste we have in the US is amazing. Astonishing. Wonderful. Grotesque. It's interesting how little relationship there is between happiness and material things. I've seen what we would consider impoverished little kids gleefully playing with a used plastic bottle as a soccer balls in the streets of Gangtok.

I no longer think twice before hopping in the car, and driving in that isolated box down the road. I easily spend $15-20 here in a moment. I could live up to 4 days on that in India. I watched Ben Cohen's explanation of the Federal Budget last night. It struck me how easy it would be to feed the world. A family in India could live on $1000/year. I've been making smoothies in a blender. This morning I wondered how far the resources I use for my morning juice would go in the third world?

Meanwhile I've seen more of the inside of the American Medical system than ever before. Insurance. Specialists. Run arounds. I tried insurance once and found it a waste of time. I was in the middle of dental work with a root canal or two halfway done, when my employer signed me up for dental insurance. I went to the new dentist covered by my insurance. They insisted on a consultation and told me that I needed to have a crown put on my tooth that was prepared for a crown... and that it needed to be done soon! Then offered me an appointment three weeks later. I quit the insurance and went back to paying my own way at my previous dentist. In San Francisco, the handful of times I thought I needed western medicine, I was able to go to sliding scale clinics. Over the years, I've learned quite a bit about healing from other sources like Reiki and shamanism. I've learned that healing happens when we set the intention to heal. Then we find a ritual to help with that intention. The ritual could be western medicine or Reiki or anything that promotes our belief/intention and health. I've learned that it is important to find resources that support and help you in your goal. It's important to be proactive in your healthcare. If you have a condition that one modality cannot heal, go to another that has solutions. Find someone who has healed from the condition you have. Find out what they did.

If people put as much intention into their health and healing as they do in manifesting cars and homes and material bric brac, they would be very healthy indeed! Yet, for some reason we tend to want to skimp on our health. We look for cheap doctors and cheap food! Rather than nurturing doctors and food!

I'm aghast at the proliferation of drug advertisements. There was one on the trailer at the movie theater the other day! Strange in a society that is in the midst of anti-drug wars for recreational drugs. Strange people don't see the connection between use of medical drugs and recreational drugs. The same quick fix mentality. And funny how some drugs like caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, and cigarettes are arbitrarily accepted as OK. Drugs are big business. Drug salesman bombard physicians daily with new products.

It's no wonder that when one of my dear friends was nauseous, already on 10 medications, that her doctor prescribed another drug. No examination. No weight measure. No diet questions. No interest in exploring the possibility that her side effects were caused by one of her other medications. The new drug would destroy the stomach's ability to produce digestive acid. No doubt in another few months, some sort of artificial stomach acid would be prescribed! Meanwhile, one specialist sends her to another. The greater tragedy I see is that the doctors don't really focus on increasing the health of the body. I read about herbs that actually help the body improve itself. Micro nutrients that help build tissue. I experience ancient sciences of yoga and acupuncture that focus on improving the body. Western medicine is largely a system of patches upon patches. Don't get me wrong, Western science has some excellent procedures for radical emergencies. But overall it's focus seems invasive and focused on lifelong dependency.

Some friends of mine offer workshops on eye health and vision. When eyeglasses were first developed, they were used as temporary measures. The doctor would work at reducing the strength of the correction with an eye for strengthening and improving the eye. Now we take eye glasses as permanent fixtures in our life... no thought of actually trying to improve eyesight. And medications are no better.

The good news is there is a growing movement of alternative choices. Integrative Medicine Programs are becoming common. The combine the best of Western Medicine for acute cases with the best of other modalities for degenerative conditions that western medicine doesn't have answers for. The good news is that more and more people are starting to take charge of their own bodies and care. A growing organic and supplement market is showing that people are looking into less invasive ways and lifestyle changes to actually improve their health and vitality.

In Gary Null's Ultimate Anti Aging Program, I read about a 90 year old man who is a marathon runner! When he was 80, he was arthritic, had a precancerous condition in his bowels, asthma, and chronic sinusitis! Simple lifestyle and diet changes turned his life around! And in Null's study of 256 people with a program for anti aging, those types of results were common! Someplace else I read (not sure whether it was in one of Andrew Weil's books, or Lemole's Healing Diet), that high cholesterol foods affect your arteries for 6-8 hours after eating them. If, for instance, you eat a bag of potato chips three times a day, your body is constantly compromised. So the good news, is if you simply cut out all the crap food, your body will naturally heal! Alot easier than getting some drug for the rest of your life!

And so I'm optimistic for myself and others. Long ago I set my intention to live a healthy active life until my 90s, and then to die quickly, easily, and peacefully. It makes me happy and confident when I read about and see other people finding ways to do such things. I wish more people would put such focus and intention into their own health, well being, and death. Your every thought and action is a prayer and ritual for creating your life!

In the last few weeks I've been researching water a bit. Long ago I started actually following the common advice of drinking a minimum of 8-10 glasses of water per day... something like 2-3 quarts/liters for a minimum. And more with exercise, sickness, and/or drying conditions. I have found myself in remarkable health compared to many of my peers. I have found that water revives me when I am tired. The common water recommendation seems to be based on how much water the body looses through fluids and evaporation. There are a few studies and many personal accounts that show that increased water intake heals or reduces such conditions as cancer. Strokes apparently tend to happen when blood is thick and less hydrated. There is the caveat that it is possible to over hydrate by drinking too much water with too few salts very quickly. I think that would be very hard to do... I mean I've often drank 1 liter at a time with no problem and occasionally close to 2 liters. In my travels I'm amazed at people I meet with dark stinky pee. I figure if I can get my pee close to clear during the day, I'm well hydrated. I'm amazed how much this water this can take with relative inactivity in a dry heated house. Water lubricates the body. That's very important for exercise! I think lots of people shrug off exercise with old age, when they really just need to eat and drink water. Hulda Crooks, a woman who started backpacking up mountains as a senior citizen discovered that on her first hike. She grew tired and weary and was thinking perhaps she was too old. She stopped and ate and drank, and found her energy renewed! How many countless others give up and give in to stories of old age. I've met people younger than me who already have chosen such dis-empowered realities. I've wondered at times why we seem to need so much water. I read of Aborigines walking around the desert and I doubt they drink that much. I think perhaps our needs are because we have more toxins to flush out of our body, and perhaps our mineral intake is lacking with all the synthetic salts and foods. Celtic sea salt for instance has nearly the same mineral content as blood. Processed salt is sodium chloride. I look at the studies. Most of all I look at my own experience. When I drink 3-6 liters/quarts per day, I feel good. When I don't I feel worse, I get more aches and pains. I find that when I exercise the affects of water show up very quickly. When I am hiking and take a rest every hour or two to snack and drink water, I can go on and on. When I don't, I get crabby, tired, and develop aches/pains/injuries. Water is such a simple and cheap thing to try, I am surprised more people don't try it!

Travel Tips: Web Resources

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Travel Tips: Computers, PDAs, USB Traveldrives and Productivity

Keeping organized and "in touch" with your work, friends, and family while on the road can take on many forms. There is the old school method of pen and paper. I've carried a journal and small address book with me around the world. Internet cafes are pretty common wherever I have been: Nepal, India, Thailand, and Laos... beyond the USA. The prices of internet cafes seem to drop. If you are in a city big enough to get away from tourists, you can find internet cafes for locals at $0.50 USD or less. More remote touristy areas like the Everest Base Camp trek, or Ton Sai in Thailand will have some internet for a price! Ton Sai's internet was around $3/hour, which relatively is cheap unless your are on a $5-10/day budget. In Namche Bazaar enroute to Everest, the price was around $1-2USD/minute. Usually printing, scanning, and CD burning are available, though often at tourist prices. The internet cafes are generally Window's based. My last 8 month jaunt to S.E.Asia, I carried a small 1 G USB travel drive. I didn't use it much. My email and blog are web based. I mainly used it when I wanted to work on Reiki Manuals, or if I were checking my online bank accounts, I used the browser on the USB for extra security.

If you only need to check email, there is no reason to bring anything with you. But if you have other work to do, such as writing, or office work, then you might want to consider some other options, such as portable flash drives, PDAs, or a laptop.

Another method is to use web-based services for your addresses, calendar, or simply to store information. For instance I usually save important numbers such as passport, visa, credit card, traveler's cheques in a draft email to myself on a web based email account. I've also emailed myself copies of Reiki manuals and certificates so I can download them and print them as needed if I teach on the road.

The next cheapest and lightest option is a USB travel drive. You can find 2 Gig models for well under $50 USD. If you have a camera, you might just get extra memory cards and a USB card reader. The USB drive will allow you to carry your data with you. I've used "U3" drives which come with proprietary software on them. U3 is a common platform for certain software applications that can travel on your travel drive. Another platform is PortableApps (http://portableapps.com) with a range of free open source software. The advantage of this is that you can have your photo editor, website builder, spreadsheet, wordprocessor, etc. software with you! You can also carry a web browser with all your favorites loaded. You can't always count on the internet cafes to have MS Word, or Adobe Photoshop, or.... whatever software you use. Carrying your own software on your USB drive will ensure you can open your documents when you need to. You can also get programs that store your important travel information in secure electronic form. By the way, security programs are also available to provide protection against viruses and spyware. Internet cafes can be havens for viruses and trojans, etc.

The amazing thing I have just discovered is the availability of good, free software. PortableApps.com is amazing! Mozilla Firefox internet browser's are available, along with Thunderbird email manager. PortableApps.com has a openoffice.org suite that parallels Microsoft Office with spreadsheet, database, word processor, graphic editor, etc. And these programs can read Microsoft's versions of your documents! There is even a free chat interface called Pidgin that can work with your AIM and Yahoo Messenger accounts. If you are concerned about covering your data trail, there are programs designed to leave no trace of your doings on the host computer. Check out Democrakey. You can also carry your own photo editor and uploader for managing your digital photos. Ifranview is a decent batch photo processor for resizing photos.

The U3 platform has quite a few free listings, but also many programs that you can buy. I've read mixed reviews about the U3 platform. So far I've enjoyed it and found it works OK.

Right now I have a Sandisk Micro 4G U3 travel drive, and I plan to get a cheap Kingston Traveler 4G for $25! It's likely not the fastest drive, but I can back up my other drive with it. I'm really excited that I can carry all my writings, addresses, and important documents with my favorite software on a thing smaller than my thumb! I'll put the two drives in an old pill bottle for protection. And will email documents to myself for backup.

If you can't bare the idea of going to an internet cafe whenever you need to write or do computer work, then you might consider a PDA or a laptop. You can find an old Palm 125 that works off of AA batteries and has an SD card slot for less than $75 USD. You could use a "smart phone", though if you want to use the phone without paying outlandish roaming charges, you need one with a replaceable SIM card. That and a portable keyboard could be a good way of writing on the road. You could save the documents on the SD card and use an USB card reader to get the documents onto the computer. If you save them in RTF format, then you could read them with most any program on the computer. That would save carrying synchronization software with you and having to download that onto the computer.

If you really want to, you can also carry a laptop. People do it. Some swear by it... saying they can edit their photos, listen to music, write, edit videos... all in the comfort of their own room! It depends how much you want to work on it and how much you are willing to carry. Also, it depends how heavy your laptop is. So far, I haven't felt the need.

If you want a cheap small laptop, check out the Asus Eee PC. At $400 UDS and the size of a paperback, it seems like a great option. It's between PDA and a PC in functionality.

Resources:

Asus Eeee PC http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=24

PortableApps: http://PortableApps.com

U3: http://U3.com

Democrakey: http://sourceforge.net/projects/democrakey/

Free Portable Software: http://portablefreeware.com

Traveling with a Palm: http://www.moxon.net/travel_tips/travelling_with_a_palmtop.html

Travel Tips: You are Packing for India?

A couple months ago, a friend asked me for gift suggestions for a friend of his that was going to India for three months.... this is what I wrote...

First let me say that the best recommendation I have ever read (yet never followed) is to bring a tiny student size backpack... because virtually everything you could need you can get in S.E. Asia. Unless you are trekking or mountaineering, there's not much need to bring things. It is so nice to travel with nothing! You can purchase clothing and most everything from yoga mats to shampoo cheaply once you are there.

The only real exception is high quality technical stuff for outdoor sports or electronic equipment. Such things may be cheaper if made locally or more expensive in S.E. Asia if imported and often of questionable quality. In India for example, there a locally made electronic goods that *might* work; they might not for long! If you want a proper Canon camera or Sony mp3 player, it will likely cost more than in the USA. Bangkok might have some good deals on the other hand.

As far as sports gear, in the cheap range, what you will mainly find is knockoffs of somewhat questionable quality. The knockoffs may be perfectly serviceable for limited use. They will likely be heavier. You sometime find legitimate name brand gear at prices similar to the USA.

The length and nature of your trip will impact what you want to take. If you are heading to India for a month only for the purpose of high altitude trekking in Ladakh, then you may want to take all your technical camping gear from home because high tech, lightweight, quality gear is hard to find there. Though you might be hiring ponies and guides and able to rent serviceable gear. On the other hand, if you are going to Nepal for a month of trekking on a route where teahouses abound, you might just take your sleeping bag, if that, and warm clothes. If you are heading off to India, Laos, and Thailand for 6 months to visit beaches and sight see and maybe going to the mountains, then you might take little beyond the clothes on your back and your camera or sketchbook. On such a trip, you could easily purchase or rent gear for a short trek if you wanted to sojourn in the mountains.


That being said, here are some ideas to consider (many of these I have listed in the "My Favorites" Amazon.com sidebar on this webpage):

Books: Lonely Planet Guidebook for the appropriate sections of India, Lonely Planet's Hindi Phrasebook (assuming you are visiting a Hindi area... it's the national language, but most regions have their own language as well... so if you were just going to the mountains, Nepali or Ladakhi might be more appropriate... I have heard that in the south, they resent speaking Hindi), William Suttcliffe's Are You Experienced is hilarious, and a book called Holy Cow is pretty good too. I have heard good things about Shantaram as well. Jeremy Seabrook's Love in a Different Climate is a good read about men's sexuality here.

Medicine/toiletries: most everything is available in India. Pharmacies usually don't require a prescription and would have all the basic needs. I find psyllium and charcoal tablets helpful for regulating traveler's diarrhea Psyllium is called Isabgol in India; charcoal can be harder to find. Some people like grapefruit seed extract (that is not available in India). I like EmergenC vitamin sachets and they would be one thing I would consider bringing with me.

There is a local brand in India called Himalaya products that has herbal medicines that are quite good... even a herbal hand sanitizer. A small first aid kit like available in REI with bandaids/iodine/antiseptic wipes might be useful. Travel packs of baby wipes might be useful... though doing your business like the locals (sans toilet paper) is usually very clean.

Good sandals like Teva's are the most useful footwear I have found. Unless I am high up in the mountains, that is all I wear. There are cheap local knockoff's available in India which I am liking better than Teva's now that I have found them... but Teva's would still be a good thing.

I find it useful to have a decent padlock... I like a simple Master's combination lock like we used in high school gym. That way I don't have to worry about carrying keys, and the asian padlocks supplied by the guesthouse don't seem so secure.

A sleep sack like you get for hostels... or a big comfy one for camping, but avoid the mummy bag liner cause it would be constricting ... could be nice so you don't have to rely on guest house linens.

A funny thing I would love to remember to bring for Varanasi is a gag/joke hand buzzer. The massage guys on the ghats come up and "shake" your hand and start massaging it trying to get you to pay them for a hand massage.

A water filter or purification tablets. The first time I came I brought a water bottle with built in filter. It was nice not to have to buy bottled water all the time. I got one this time, but it puts iodine in the water all the time and tastes crappy so I don't use it. There is an electric purifier called SteriPen available at REI that I think would be really good. This trip I have been drinking local water with no problem... but many traveler's wouldn't be that brave. Another idea would be just to have some water purification tablets for emergency use. Most tourist areas have bottled water (that may or may not be safe) available. That's what most tourists drink.

A money belt is highly recommended for your valuables. And to keep a spare stash of emergency cash someplace else than the moneybelt along with list of traveler's check no's, credit card no.s, etc. Some peeps like to have a zippered/lockable backpack as well.

That's all I can think of.

Indian Health Medical Wisdom and Wellness

As I watch the changes of time affect myself, my friends, and my extended family, I keep thinking of the wisdom of other cultures that has been overlooked in the colonialism of westerners and their science.

India's tradition of yoga is an age old methodology of ways to maintain and improve the function of your physical body. How to take care of it with food and water. How to exercise it. It's like the owner's manual for a car, except yoga has been around alot longer. I am struck the the simple common sense and self care techniques presented in Secrets of Hatha Yoga. He addresses everything from proper hydration and chewing your food well, to how to relax and sleep well. Another book I have been enjoying is The Eight Human Talents: Restore the Balance and Serenity within You with Kundalini Yoga which has simple exercises listed according to chakras and also describes which organs and systems the exercise addresses. In her decades of practice she has seen students reverse conditions such as Hepatitis C and AIDS as well as depression.

Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medical science has been around since 3000BC. Along with herbal pharmaceuticals, they had techniques for surgery. There was even a kind of mudpack MRI used to diagnose internal disease! There is a wonder movie called Ayurveda: The Art of Being that gives an overview of this ancient medical science. It shows places in which Ayurveda has answers and solutions where Western Medicine does not.

After my Babadham pilgrimage I had a terrible cough that left me winded. I suspected it was exhaustion and nutrition related. A local friend took me to a ayurvedic doctor who gave me some herbs to take for a few days. I was skeptical.... I had envisioned a proper Ayurvedic evaluation determining my "type" and taking my pulse etc. Instead I was asked a few questions and given herbs. I took the herbs and figured I might go to the western doctor if need be. I avoided the western doctor because I feared antibiotics or an asthmatics inhaler, both of which I knew had harmful side effects. In spite of my doubt of the Ayurvedic prescription, within a day I was breathing better and within a week I felt nearly back to normal. Like with any medicine, there is always margin for errors and effectiveness, as well as good and bad practitioners.


In my travels in life, I am constantly amazed at how beneficial being proactive in your own life and health can be. I meet people my age and younger who give in to "old age". I've always sought to improve and strengthen my body. If I get knee pains or muscle pains, I seek to remedy the situation. Often I have found drinking more water alleviates such things. I remember a book by Hulda Crooks (Conquering life's mountains: A collection of writings), a woman who started hiking in her forties and started backpacking and climbing at age 75. She said of her first mountain ascent how she found herself exhausted part way up and started thinking she was perhaps too old. Instead of giving in to the thought, she took a short rest, drank some water, and ate. She was revived! She continued climbing into her 90s and died at the ripe age of 101. http://www.llu.edu/news/today/dec3/llu.htm

I think of quantum theory and how each thought we make is a prayer, an intention, and a form of self hypnosis. If you are thinking "how weak I are" you will surely find yourself less strong than if you are thinking "how strong I am".

I look at the elders in the Indian mountain tribes and wonder at their physical prowess as they carry large loads from their heads and trek up and down steep mountains with dexterity and balance. I wonder at the ability of older yoga practitioners to sit crosslegged and with more flexibility than I perhaps have ever had. And yet it's not about gymnastics, but rather being able to enjoy your body while you are in it!

I wonder a bit at the colonial attitude of Western Medicine and Science in discounting ancient sciences and traditions that have been around longer than it has. I oft think of the subjectivity of discounting something because you haven't developed the technology or wisdom to measure it. We are all entitled to our experiences whether or not they have been proven. Slowly things are changing and circling around. Years ago, herbs were mainstay. Then science and industrial entrepreneurs came in and extracted isolates from the herbs and discounted the herbs to corner the market. Now herbs are on a comeback as people find the nature has wisdom in keeping herbs complex... in ways that help prevent overdose, toxicity, and side effects that can occur with isolated compounds. Conveniently for capitalists, regulations help ensure their market. Who would buy a product for comforting their stomach if they could step outside their door and pick some mint? And on the flip side, some of the folklore was inappropriate, and the cultural context has dissipated. The witches were burned and the local natural healer in the village have been burned at the stake or lost in the winds of "progress" and movement.

In India those changes are still in their midst. I think it must be similar to the USA's patterns in the early 1900's as industrialization and "progress" disrupted the village communal life.

Perhaps it's time to stretch and take a break from sitting at this computer!!!

One World, Food, Money Perspective

As I reflect on my travels about the world and my feelings of culture shock, I am most often struck by the extreme wealth we take for granted in the USA. I don't see wealth and poverty as good and bad... in fact I don't even like the judgment associated with those terms. I think true wealth is enjoying life which means food, family, friends, health, shelter, and an attitude of peace or bliss. I don't think wealth and poverty can be measured in economic or physical terms. These things are hard to quantify.

I often think of the family I visited with in Sikkim. The extended family lived in a small compound of several houses and barrack like structures. Several Aunts, Uncles, some of their children and grandchildren lived there... along with the matriarch Grandmother. They lived in a small village among Temi Tea Garden, a large tea estate. Most of the village obtained some employment at the tea estate as pickers or managers etc. They had some small gardens and a few cows and calves and goats and kids. Grandma, one aunt, one 20 yo grandchild and another in his 20s with children tended to stay home during the day. The rest worked off the "farm". The two young men cut a few baskets of fresh fodder to feed the stock with. One of the Uncle's milked the cow before work. Grandma and the Aunts distributed fodder and cleaned the mangers. Overall the family seemed healthy. Their home seemed adequate... simple by western standards but moderate and comfortable by theirs. Built of local materials. A TV and phone were the modern appliances. The adults at home took care of the basic chores of walking the little tykes to school, cutting fodder and firewood, laundry done by hand, gardening, etc. The 20 yo boy said he wanted to make money and have luxury. They see such things on TV and hear of them from tourists. Overall the family seemed healthy. Overall they had a quality of life... friends, family, sufficiency, community, and free time, that is rare in the USA.

I see how much clutter and material things we have in our homes in the US. I wonder if our quality of life is any better than the family in Sikkim?

In contrast, in Bihar I saw families of what I consider poverty... poor health, squalorly shelters of plastic sheeting. In Leh, Ladakh, I saw a ghetto of apartments for unemployed, "educated workers" that were educated to live outside of the generation old, traditional agrarian system that sustained families in the past... before they were given electricity and a bill for it that demanded money of them and broke them out of their self sustaining way of life. Public schools took children off the farm where they'd been an integral part of sustaining the household, where they had learned and known how to build and create homes and farms that would sustain them in that climate. The schools left the families unable to work their land and grow their own food. The schools trained the children not about practical things for their homeland, but of industrial and urban life. The schools trained the children for college and jobs. Jobs that weren't available. Ladakh has an active Women's Collective that is trying to redevelop markets for their farms, bans plastic bags to try to save their land and cows from the toxicity of the bags, and strives to generate empowered and esteem building projects and endeavors for the women and families to become sustainable.

Its a world culture now. The children in Sikkim are treated to such western luxuries as World Wide Wrestling on satellite TV. They see the mass produced clothes of the tourists. It's getting so that the locals in the third world don cheap mass produced casual pants and button shirts... mainly hippie backpacker travelers, and a few hill tribes wear any amount of locally produced clothing. Electronic gadgets. They see cars and want them. They don't appreciate that they can live without the debt, pollution, and clutter of a car. That they can walk to their neighbors. That they can commune with their neighbors. They can walk to wherever they need to go for the items that they are not producing themselves. Or, that if necessary to travel further, they can go to the nearest road and catch a shared jeep or bus to the nearest town.

I wonder at the environmental impact of these billions of people donning plastic clothes, and having a few electronic gadgets with permanent clocks and lights draining away electricity.

I wonder at my country. I lived on $400/month as a tourist. Locals could probably live on half or quarter of that. I think of how easy it would be to feed a family in one of these countries. I wonder how many friends we would have in the world if we gave out some food instead of bombs... I often think of Afghanistan an 9/11 think that the few Afghani terrorists allegedly responsible for 9/11 would have been ousted by their countrymen if we'd sent food to the country and increased our friend base there. Instead we bombed Afghanistan, even though the terrorists on the planes in 9/11 were supposedly Saudi Arabian, and now created a country of enemies. It's like if we had bombed McVey's entire county after he did his bombing in OKC.

I was astounded to learn the amount of money we spend on war:
Ben Cohen explains the Federal Budget
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sOIe5Ql0v8

As the Kinsey Sicks sing, "We Arm the World!"
Click here to see their performance.

I have long heard that money and food amounts are not the problem in the world... distribution of them is the problem. I wonder at World Bank policies of encouraging countries to abandon their relative self sufficiency in order to chase world money through cash crops. Ethiopia's drought I have heard is attributable to the monoculture of sugar cane they were encouraged to grown instead of their traditional self sustaining crops. The world economy and corporate money chasing leave us all victims to the changes as we become outsourced by the constantly changing most efficient and cheapest country. Increasingly, things are outsourced to the country with the least environmental regulations as well.

These thoughts, and judgments swirl through me. I try to keep outside of them. I try to focus on positive solutions, rather than dwell on problems.

I wish I could find the online video I saw a few years ago that showed the percentage of people in the world who have various "luxuries".

Some Videos of India found online

Here are some videos I found searching online that give an idea of what it is like in India:

This is a short documentary on the issues of the Ganges aka Ganga River:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVgqcZl-c6g&feature=related

varanasi 3: This photo montage shows typical street and river scenes in Varanasi from laundry wallahs to shoe wallahs...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PvrZ3bd5gs&feature=related

varanasi and the ganges: This video from a boat in the river shows bathers and typical river scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrWs00VOw08&feature=related

varanasi traffic shows the variety of conveyances in the streets of varanasi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvrs7Vxds8A

This video views typical traffic patterns from above a street corner. You can see how drivers aim for "the gap", continually move forward if possible. It seems helter skelter to the Western mind. It reminds me of a San Francisco driver telling of a stop light being out on Market near Castro in San Francisco... a very busy three street intersection... the driver said it seemed safer and more efficient with the light out because people looked around instead of trusting the light, they kept moving slowly through the intersection letting cars flow through from each side simultaneously. I'd love to see some engineering studies. Even such chaos as cars lining up on both sides against each other at a railroad crossing seems to clear out relatively quickly compared to queuing as we do in the west, even though it rattles and boggles the western mind....
india driving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM&feature=related


Excellent view of typical scenes complete with live sound effects!
india traffic 2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAM_zOolyK0&feature=related
india traffic scenes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1dlTcxukvI&feature=related

Video from a taxi cab:
more india traffice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I9ETTL2mHo&feature=related


And what could be more complete than sounds and views from bus ride and hair-raising cliff hangers:
himalayan bus ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQK0_Kg1mBM
bus ride in shimla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMz_lUN2pCo
honking bus rid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcx8O6WTQu0

This video on dabawallahs gives some idea of the amazing difference in culture and ways of life there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3nHLhaevWc&NR=1

It's hard to explain the difference in the world. I drove from Upstate NY to Delaware a couple of days ago and pondered at the difference in the experience. In India, there are most always people except in some of the highest mountains. In the USA, the freeways seem distanced from people and the landscape. In India, you feel you drive through the middle of a milieu. There are always people outside. In the US, people seem to be hermetically sealed in their houses... or perhaps they are away at the Mall. In the USA, you are lucky to see a pedestrian or bicycle outside of a city. In India, the road carries all sorts of travelers: pedestrians, bicyclists, ox carts, pony carts, bicycle rickshaws, porters, trucks, buses, and assorted livestock.

I often thing we ought to introduce Holy Cows into the USA for traffic calming, milk, visual entertainment. They ad a reminder that we are interdependent on nature, they slow us down, they help keep us present... especially when we drift off and don't pay attention and step in a pile of dung! It brings your right back to the present!

Surprise in the USA!

I arrived in Delaware a few days ago after my 40 hour journey from Rishikesh, India.

My sister picked me up from the airport with my 8 yo nephew who didn't know about my arrival. He stoically said, "It's Uncle Rob!"

Later that night we visited my parents and I hid in a big cardboard box for my Mother to open. She was truly surprised! And truly happy to see me! It was the best gift I could have given her for her upcoming 80th birthday!

My niece arrived for her Thanksgiving college break the same day. And we've been enjoying family time for the last 5 days or so.

The culture shock has not been as bad as I expected. I try to see it as just being in yet another different place and surroundings. Let it just BE how it is. Oddly I have found rubbish bins to be strange. I was chewing gum the other day and I kept wanting to just throw it on the ground or someplace, which is the appropriate action in India where rubbish bins are few and far between. It strikes me how clean it is here in the suburbs. I went bouldering with my nephew and brother in law yesterday and though there were a few bottles and litter around the park which my brother-in-law found incomprehensible, it seemed immaculate to me.

I feel a bit claustrophobic since so much of my life in Asia is more outdoors. The places I have stayed have no central heating, and so the outdoors seems closer... seeping in through the less tightly constructed walls. In Asia I notice the bad air from pollution of burning rubbish and less stringent vehicle emissions regulation. Here I notice the bad air of wall to wall carpets and tightly constructed buildings. Her in the suburbs I am surrounded by trees, but the focus is inside the house.

The jet lag hits me about supper time everyday and I find I can barely keep my eyes open after that. I stand bemused in front of the refrigerator trying to find breakfast or lunch. It's been 8 months since I did any food preparation with the cheap availability of food on the travel circuit in India and Thailand.

Being in the USA brings up the consciousness of "what am I doing with my Life?"... expectations, judgments... that don't come up on the travel circuit where people just BE and DO outside the peer pressure and cultural expectations of their own country. The issue of abundance comes up more quickly here in the USA considering in India I could easily live on $5-10/day. I try to live my life as one of complete trust that doing what is in my heart will always be supported by God/Universe. And really when I reflect on my life, that has always been true, and yet I fall into the fear based paradigms of our culture easily.

On the flight over here, I considered really living on the edge and just returning to Asia and trusting that things would work out even though I would arrive with barely enough money for a return ticket to the US. In the travel books about vagabonding, people have different approaches to world travel. Some work and save up in their home country. Others arrive penniless in some foreign destination and find work/living situations on the fly. Some develop work opportunities that can travel like journalism, blogging, photography, tour guiding, etc.

I've been researching selling my photos and writing to stock photo companies and/or magazines, self publishing on the internet, and other ways to generate income. I've been looking into internet possibilities to generate passive income. The site http://workingnomad.com intrigues me. I was really excited about the possibility of publishing on demand (P.O.D.) like on lulu.com until I found negative reviews on that sort of thing on the self publishing websites. A previous Reiki client emailed me and I managed to provide her with a distance Reiki session that she was quite happy with. It was a nice reminder of the "mystical" experience.

I find it best not to think too much... not to think about "here" and "there". Such thoughts boggle my mind. No sense of home or place leaving me feeling homeless or at home wherever I am. Too many familiar things around the world for me. If I think about it I can miss something from India or Thailand or San Francisco or here. If I think about it I can see the absurd differences in the way people live. The streets here in suburbia so quiet and orderly and clean. The streets I traveled a few days ago over there full of dust and noise and masses of humanity. Here a honk is a relatively rare blast of anger. There it's an ever present announcement of presence.

I perused a copy of Rolf Pott's Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel in the bookstore the other day. Two things in the book jumped out at me. One was Pott's most traumatic experience... too many choices! He describes how looking in the ads for air travel in Bangkok provided him with so many cheap options to travel to so many places that he went into shock! I feel that way often as I realize that really I could do anything. I could settle down. I could travel by the seat of my pants. The more I trust in God and Universe, the more options are possible. And the harder it is to choose. The more I learn how to meditate and generate my own inner peace, the more I realize that my choices don't matter. And the harder it is to choose. The second gleaning from Pott's book was that much of culture shock is the impossibility of relating to and communicating experiences from across the world to those that haven't experienced it.

I find people ask me simple questions, for which there are no simple answers. "What do people do for fun there?" It's a 10 minute answer. There is less separation between work and play in India. Children work younger, more responsibility at a younger age. Adults play later. Work is communal. Fun. Kids have fun kicking plastic bottles like soccer balls. Or sometimes play cricket or badminton in the street. Discos aren't big, but people sing their prayers together on the Holy Ganges.

So often trying to converse about my experiences is a non sequitor. It's like a bird asking a fish what kind of worms they eat. Maybe the fish eats worms. But it's an entirely different experience in an entirely different context.

In India there isn't the judgment that manual labor is "bad" and better replaced with a machine. Wait a minute, there is the caste system so there is a judgment. But machines are infinitely expensive. People make gravel by hand. With a hammer. Some even happily. Shovels usually have a rope for two- person operation: one works the handle and the other assists with the rope. Western values of Human Rights are legislating human-powered/walking rickshaw wallahs out of business, but not human-powered/tri-cycle rickshaws.

Meanwhile Americans suffer from carpal tunnel, back problems, and obesity sitting in climate controlled offices staring at computers. To the Western mind anything is better than digging a ditch by hand. And then comes the new generations sitting at a desk all day and paying to go workout in a gym later. And the Third World chases the "West". In Sikkim and Laos I saw TV satellite dishes on most every bungalow. Cell phones interrupt meals in the dung strewn alleys of Varanasi. And the barber in Rishikesh appears to live with his family under a sheet of poly plastic next to the barber booth/stall. Cows milked by hand in a manger along a back alley in the city of Varanasi give creamy unprocessed milk and curd that seems so wholesome from street fed cows. Unlike the watery processed milk products in the US. But then I read in the news about an investigation that has found Varanasi milk from some sources full of toxic chemicals from illegal drugs to increase milk production in these medieval mangers.

I watch the people Christmas shopping at the Mall. For the price of a large TV or a fancy computer, a family in India could live for a year. A room in a suburban house here has more stuff in it than a whole farm village in Sikkim. I remember the village family that put me up one rainy evening in Sikkim. They had a few clothes, a pot or two to cook on, some tick mattresses. Some livestock. Maybe a couple of shovels. There was no clutter in that house! The price of my sleeping bag and specialty outdoors clothes could easily pay for all their material possessions and probably buy a goat as well.

I saw a man using a leaf blower to blow fallen leaves towards his lawn tractor to suck them up. In India I've seen lawns in botanical parks cut to a 1 inch height with a machete. On the hill farms I've seen people use nothing more than a hand sickle for cutting and gathering fodder. Not even a rake or pitch fork. The money from the suburban man's lawn equipment could likely support a family for a year in India.

I watch my niece and nephew eat meals carefully and politely with silverware. In India they "play" with their food and eat it with their hands. The dahl (lentil stew) is mixed with the rice with the hand and scooped up into the mouth. Like many things in India, it's the opposite of suburban USA.

I wish I had more pictures of simple local scenes and culture in India. Just a simple street is such a different experience.

My brother-in-law asks why I go there? why do I want to go back? The answer is I don't know. I feel called to go there. It's not easy. It's full of crazy experiences. And somehow all that craziness is a gift. I guess part of that gift is learning to surrender and keep your center. There are also things you can do there that you just can't do here, like walking barefoot in the mountains from village to village and not seeing a car for days. There is a gift of experiencing another culture and gaining perspective on your own. There is a gift in experiencing ways of life that are centuries and millenia old before they disappear in the abyss of modern technology and "development". There is a freedom gained by being outside of your culture and your preconditioned cultural thinking.

Speaking of perspective, I saw an episode of Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series, a DVD series by the BBC, the other day and it had some of the most amazing photography I have ever seen. There is also an interesting DVD called Riding Solo To The Top Of The World about an Indian man's solo journey and film of himself motorcycling to Ladakh; you can see the trailer at http://www.dirttrackproductions.com/trailers/ridingsolo/index.html.

Incredible Journey

My journey to the USA took 40 hours. It started with a nine hour bus ride from Rishikesh to New Delhi where I took a cab directly to the airport arriving about 11 pm for my 3:25 am flight on British Airways to Philadelphia with a layover in Heathrow Airport, London for about 5 hours.

Waiting for the bus in Rishikesh before I left India, I stood with two Israeli travelers. An Indian passenger gleefully stepped up to us, like one foot in front of us, like right in our faces to practice his English. "Hello?" "Your country?"... the standard questions. After a thousand or more such approaches in the last 6 months, I was less than enthused about making another "friend" with whom I could barely communicate with on any tangible level. My compatriots reacted similarly. We forced a smile. After learning I was from the USA, the man went on to inquire of one of the Israelis, "Is that an American cigarette?" He obviously assumed we "Westerners" were traveling together and from the same place, though we had just met. The Israeli smoker said about his smoke, "No it's North Indian." The Indian man couldn't understand the accent. The Israeli man repeated himself several times. His message didn't get through to the Indian man who wanted to see some amazing cigarette full of "Western"... i.e. affluent tobacco. In reality it was a cheap hand rolled cigarette of Indian pouch tobacco.

Later on the bus, I exchanged warm smiles with the inquisitive Indian man's little children. I practiced my two lines of Hindi to their amusement. Sometimes the deepest communication is beyond our feeble minds and speech.

I turned my head towards the window and sunk into my solitude. I watched the dusty roadsides of shop stalls and markets drift by underneath the mayhem of humanity that is India. Cycle rickshaws. Noisy orange lorries. Men in lungis... a skirt like garment made by wrapping a piece of flat cloth around the waist. The lungi is disappearing as young men and boys take on casual trousers and jeans and button shirts. The local clothing is no longer local.

Dust floated in the window. The road was paved. The wide shoulders were dust. The bus oft kicked up dust as it swerved around slower vehicles in the game of chicken that is driving in India. An hour outside of Delhi, the smog grew thick from one of the most polluted cities in the world. I tried to prepare myself mentally for being on the opposite side of the world in 40 hours.

The Delhi airport brought that reality closer quickly. The food that costs 10 cents outside the airport, costs 2 dollars inside. The layer of dust that covers things in roadside stands disappeared into the climate controlled cleanliness of the airport. My dust covered backpacker's garb was suddenly out of place in a world of deodorized casual wear. I slipped out of my lungi and into pants. There were a few people that looked like they'd just stepped out of the village in their turbans. But most people looked like they were India's westernized classes. No wonder when you consider that a plane ticket is likely beyond 90 percent of India's people resources. I heard that less than 1 percent of India's population is computer literate.

I waited five hours in Delhi at the airport. I had panicked when I realized I miscounted my visa by a day and hoped to cross customs before midnight. My plan was stimied when I found that you cannot enter the terminal until three hours before your flight. I waited in the passenger waiting room across the road. It took a full three hours to get through security and customs to the gate for my flight. Luckily the immigration officer didn't notice or didn't care that I was one day over my visa stay. A couple months before a Frenchman had told me that they count your 180 days exactly and include the day of your arrival. Somehow in my careful counting and recounting of days I had continually not counted the day of my arrival. I was thankful I didn't have to pay the $30 fine I expected. And I chalked it up to typical advice in India which contradicts the next person's advice and so you just never know until you get there.

The lines for security were the worst I've seen since flying out of Baltimore a few weeks after 9/ll. The New Delhi airport has blossomed in the last three years with a booming economy. Rather the crowds have blossomed and outgrown the airport. I enjoyed a documentary on 4 extreme sportsmen who were setting records for skiing and snowboarding in Nepal; the scenery of the villages was very authentic to my own experiences in Nepal two years ago.

My 9 hour flight to London left me in a sleepy daze for my 5 hour layover at Heathrow. I found showers and washed the dust of the bus journey I'd began 20 hours earlier off. I enjoyed some yoga in the multi-use prayer room. I walked around like a zombie staring at the shopping mall that calls itself an airport there. Time bent and I suddenly realized my flight was in 30 minutes and I had strolled quite a ways from my departure gait. I did my best to keep upright and walk quickly to the gate in my sleep deprived state. Ready to collapse into my seat after finding no line at the gate, I discovered we were being bused to our plane on the runway. I prayed I didn't pass out. I didn't. Until I got to my seat where I feel into a deep sleep waiting for the plane to take off. I managed to stay awake enough to enjoy the two meals and watch some movies.

The Gift: Saving Face Til It Hurts

I had one of those funny traveler's experiences my last couple of days in India. I was fatigued from poor sleep. Busy trying to initiate my Indian Reiki disciple... which is a story in itself! And he asked if I could help his friend who ran a restaurant. I said "yes" expecting it was some sort of Reiki that was needed. His friend went into an explanation about a business deal with his relatives where they were making a partnership to build a hotel or something. But he wanted to ask one of the members to leave the partnership because he didn't fit in with their plans... I later learned this undesirable partner had allegedly raised money illegally. The business plan allowed for the process of terminating a partner. But the problem was it was family... a cousin. And in India, you can't ask a family member to leave a family business. I suggested he have his lawyer do it? No. What they needed was someone else to do the talking. Me! I accepted before I thought about it. I was told that me and this friend were the only ones that would be able to speak English, so I could say anything and he would translate it to suit his needs. Easy enough. He asked if I wanted a gift and I said that really the only suitable gift for me would be money. I have little materially and desire little materially.

The next day I arrived at the appointed time. Now you have to picture this. Here I am a white guy with facial piercings wearing backpacker attire. (I'd been told my attire didn't matter). I don't know what story about my persona was told to these business partners. And here were five Indian business men in suits and ties.

And as I might have expected, the meeting wasn't as expected! Another man spoke very good English. And it seemed that the three partners were together. It wasn't just one partner that needed to be expelled. I was thrown off. The script was gone! I started to panic wondering if this was some sort of scam. I heard the sob stories about the lives and families at stake if these men were thrown out. I tried to gain some feedback from the guy that had asked me to do this. But he was playing like he didn't know me and playing like he didn't want his family members kicked out. Finally, I heeded their pleas and said I would reconsider and we would meet at 4 pm. My contact said that was good and all that was needed. Apparently he didn't here the part about reconvening. He thanked me and said my job was done.

Later we received a call that I indeed needed to return at 4pm and say "Guruji has considered the matter. He wants all the partners removed. The matter is closed." So I again sat down. This time I was firm. I said I was sorry, but the matter was closed. The three men bowed their heads in an apparent state of distress. I sat, not really knowing what to do. When the last one finally got up and left he gave me a smile. I didn't know what to think. There are so many lies in India.. so much effort to save face. I didn't know if he knew I was just a puppet. I didn't know if his apparent distress was just an act. Was their entire behavior an act? did they know that it was their own family member who pushed them out? was it all just a game of saving face?

At any rate my role was done. I released my stress as I walked down the street of buzzing auto rickshaws and honking buses. I was told there would be a gift for me later that day. My disciple friend who had set it all up told me they planned to get me an expensive watch. I shared my lack of enthusiasm. I live like a sadhu. I imagined the fancy gold watch that would be a gift in the world of business. I am perfectly happy with my decade old waterproof sports watch. I told my friend I would really prefer some money. He had told me they'd pick out a 2-3000rs (50-70US$) watch. That would pay a good chunk of my 6 week, $150 hotel bill, which I was about to have to exchange money to pay. But he told me his friend could never do that because he would think it would be insulting to an American (presumably wealthy) to gift such a paltry amount of money. He suggested that perhaps I could sell the imported Indian watch for a great price in America. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Indian goods have a reputation for quality... poor quality... and that it likely wouldn't be a big money maker. Much less, it would just be silly busywork for me to do.

The next day the gift hadn't arrived and I called my friend about some other matters. He was at the watch shop trying to pick out a watch for me! I suggested if his friend had given him the money why didn't he just pass the money on to me. He said he didn't have the money, but was just researching for his friend. He suggested that maybe he could purchase the watch from me, but he couldn't afford to full price! He asked me what good name brands of watches were in the USA so maybe there was something better for me to resell here. The only name I recognized was Timex... which I knew wasn't going to be a great selling point... maybe a designer Swatch... but not Timex.

I hung up the phone. I became furious. This was silly. My friend knew me and my desires. So basically in the effort of saving my "face" he was saving his business man friends impression of saving my face and directly insulting my expressed wishes! I thought how absurd it was. I wished I didn't know the behind the scenes. I felt guilty for being ingratious. I tried to think of some reason why Spirit would want me to have a watch.. maybe it was for me to gift to someone else... down the line. I reflected on how the idea of selling it to make money was somewhat based in scarcity thinking.

Crazy! I suppose it makes sense to India culture. But not to me.

Then the total irony of the whole mess. My friend failed to meet me before I left for New Delhi and my flight to the USA. Maybe the whole gift thing was just a story to save face!

It made me happy to be taking a break from India and a culture I don't understand. I let me emotions and anger dissipate as I rode the bus to New Delhi. I tried to focus on being Present. On the meditative center in the eye of the storm that Osho talks about in his treatises on meditation. I watched myself watch the last visions of India from the bus window. I urged myself to think a bit and prepare myself mentally for stepping into suburbia in 40 hours.

Spiraling Spirituality and Consumerism

The world is one big circle, or, perhaps, spiral.

While Westerners flock to the Far East in search of spirituality, the Far East flocks to western science and consumerism. An Indian friend of mine is looking into coming to the USA to study at a Vedic university because there are none in India. Indian college students are immersed in science of the western world and discounting their own millennial old sciences.

It's ironic that tourists searching for spirituality in India are bombarded by money-grubbing touts. I didn't understand why people even went to India for spiritual reasons until this last trip. Yet there are still remnants there of reverence for the mystical. There are still guru's and mystics whose energy is palpable. A yogi in Rishikesh had visiting hours were people could sit outside his room and feel his energy! It was palpable. As strong as the Boddhi Tree! Ironically, most of the visitors were westerners.

In the USA, I don't believe I've ever run across such popular mystics. People maybe go to church. Occasionally you hear of a "healer" in the community with special healing powers. Science and the church long ago usurped the power of having one's own spiritual experiences. Funny, because slowly science is finding ways to measure subtle energies like Reiki. Because they couldn't measure it or explain it, such subtle energies were discounted as myth. And as Quantum Science becomes integrated into Newtonian Physics, Science is slowly coming full circle to what such ancient sciences as the Vedas have know for years. The American populace is leading the way in search of ways to find peace and God in their materialistic, hedonistic lives.

And, the spiritual/mystical movement is growing in the USA with such things as Reiki and Shamanic healing practitioners. There is a "new age" of rediscovering the ancient mystical traditions and incorporating them into our modern lives.

Meanwhile, once mystical cultures of the East are running from their traditions, chasing money and consumerism. They are on one side of the circle, and we on another in the ebb and flow of life.

The other day, I realized that this is happening on other levels. The masses of America flock to Target and Walmart for cheap Chinese jeans or the equivalent... why go to The Gap or Levi's when you can get cheap cheap cheap jeans! Meanwhile, in places like India and Thailand, people seek the name brands for quality!

It's a funny and interesting world!