Part 2

I went to a small art shop on the island of Kho Sami where I feel what happened there really encompasses my whole trip.  Although I had previous insight on the changes in myself and how I viewed the world, this interaction puts it all into a nice little package.
The art shop was a zen artwork boutique and all the art was made by this one little Thia Chinese lady.  Her art work was largely comprised of Chinese characters and bamboo with oil paint on straw/rice paper.  This type of art has always drawn me in and led me to stop in and buy something.  The artist was this small, overweight, jolly and extremely sweet middle aged lady.  She had that type of joy that could fill a whole room and infect your soul.  Her small artist hands would touch you, as she often did, and you could literally feel the love that she intended to spread to all that she met.  She was just a true pleasure to meet.
I decided to pick out 4 Chinese characters that had deep meanings (love, dream, soul and good health)  even thou it is very cliche, it just felt right.  These four words really capture who I am and strive to be.  Love and forgiveness is the breathing heart of the world and have the most remarkable power to make a difference.  Dreaming is why we take risk when things appear impossible, they make us work hard to achieve them  and they can also give us the greatest happiness and deepest sadness that exist.  Soul and passion are what makes us dream and love, sing and dance and just lay it out all on the line.  I have always admired those that are undeniably passionate no matter what they do, it takes a lot of strength recognize ones passion and act on it.  Finally there is good health,  none of these other characteristics would be possible without an able body healthy person. These 4 things  encapsulate  mind, body and soul.
I was disappointed to find out she didnt have a painting for the character dream.  I was forced to choose another to create a symmetrical piece of artwork.  That is when I found the character that represented wisdom.  At that moment I thought to myself "now that fits a lot better."  Why -- because wisdom is the mind part of the four words.  Love, soul, wisdom and good health are all foundational characteristics.  From them dreams, hopes and lively hood could be created.
So now my picture was complete.  These four things, that I now recognize, I already have within me.  On this journey I have discovered my life journey to develop these characteristics much further.  A journey that will take me 7 life times to complete but one I am full willing to attempt.
The magical part about this story is that the artist wanted to give me 2 gift in the form of two more character artworks.  The first was the Om sigh, a Tibetan symbol that is for meditation.  A cosmic sound that is largely connected to peace. The second piece of art that she gave me was the empty circle.  This represents life as it is complete and empty at the same time -- it is everything and it is nothing.  When she gave me these two art works she told me that some people come into her shop just to buy things and others just understand her.  She said to me that she could feel that I understood her -- powerful words.  It is a overwhelming feeling when you can connect with someone on such a level when you know so little about then and have a strong language barrier.  I left that after noon with a big huge and the touch of joy infecting my mind, body and soul.
I know there is a lot of symbolism in this story and I regret that I cannot explain it all because it is my life and my job to do those things for myself.  The one thing that I can do is to encourage you (who ever you are) to decipher the symbolism in your life.  As a suggestion I found that a little extended trip, not a vacation but cheap traveling, will set you on a course to find what you are looking for.


“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

I hope you all enjoyed the blog and maybe it got you thinking maybe you could do it too.  I will probably make a little picture slide show of some of my picture.  So if your interested send me an email (jstnwllns21@gmail.com).

Love Ya
Thanks
Cheers

Sailing back to the harbor but on this return trip I now know any harbor I can find food, water and happiness.

This will be a two part post, first a short recap of what I have been up to this last 2 weeks and finally the final farewell.

What have I been doing? Great question and the answer is lots of relaxing.  You must understand relaxing Justin style is a bit different from normal people.  I honestly cant sit on a beach and do nothing.  Ask my sister she knows to well I need detraction. Relaxing to me is maybe taking that hour on the beach and then probably some diving, snorkeling, swimming, exploring on a motorbike or hiking.  Just being by the beach and on an island was enough for me.  These last 2 weeks of my travels have been more of a vacation then traveling.  I ate more (gained 5 pounds back from the 25 I lost), slept in A/C hotels and did some shopping.  Oh and I cant forget, I also had an amazing 1 hour massage on the beach.  One of those memories that sticks with you -- It was pouring rain and lighting while I was getting this hour oil massage under this romantic little grass hut looking out onto the ocean.   I guess you could say I really enjoyed myself and was able to get ready to get back to life in the USA.
One of the big highlights of the last few weeks was taking my dive certification course on Kho Tao.  As a swimmer I am on top of the water but now I got to be under it.  I have been wanting to get my cert for a really long time but never had the time or the money.  Now I had both and I took the opportunity.  It was way better then what I imagined and once it was over I was craving for more.  Lucky for me one of the guys I took the class with was also from California and we already made plans to go diving.  My dad and I can finally fulfill his life long dream of going diving with me in the Great Barrier Reef.  I also really enjoyed my time with my sister; we really had the chance to just bond, something we probably hadnt done in 5 or 6 years.  It also always nice to have a big sis to look out for you, hence the weight gain and A/C hotel rooms.  It was a remarkable end to an unbelievable trip; you could say a trip of a life time but I dont think is true because I am still young and after doing this trip it has only just begun.

I Picked Up a Travel Mate In Thailand

It has been a while, but I just didnt feel like I had a lot of good stories to tell.  The good news now is that I know have a bunch to say.  So lets begin:

Last you heard of me I was in Laos and had just left the homestay.  From there I made my way to the capital city and had to spend a few days there to get a 60 day Thia visa.   I often find capitals and big cities boring and try to get out as soon as possible but Laos being on the under developed side it was a bit different.  My time spent there was largely just chilling out and relaxing.  From the capital I was making my way north trying to hit a couple of more cities before I went into the north of Thailand. The next city was called Vang Vieng, the infomus party tuding city.  Everywhere I went in South East Asia everyone said I had to go tuding in Laos in Vang Vieng because "it was the best time they ever had."  I got there and it was pouring ran but that wasnt going to stop me from having fun until I released that no one else was going that day. That put me in a tough spot because I only really had time for one night unless I wanted to cut out something from somewhere else.  I spent most of the rainy day at a resterunt watching Friends reruns with some other people I met that where taking shelter from the rain.  That day I came to an interesting insight in myself and as a traveler.  I dont like party tourest town or people.  To be honest the party stuff I would much rather do with really close friends then random poeple I just met.  The peolpe in these places (although this is a large genralization) tend to be people that I really cant relate to, what you can say not my kind of people.  I guess I now know I am not a huge party person and would perfer a great conversation then getting wasted.  Oh the wonders of travel.  As you can guess I never went tubbing and I moved onto my next town.  It was a great choice because I got just what I was looking for, I met really great couple that I was able to have interesting intellectual conversations with.  I really enjoyed there company and I also ened up taking a cooking class with them.  I thought I knew how to cook before but I came to the realization that I know very little.  I guess I will just have to add that to my list of other passions to persue.  The next day after the cooking class I left Laos for the north of Thialand on a 24 hour bus journey.

After the long ass bus journey I was on my last stop of my travels,  my 5th counrty in 4 months.  I wanted to see a bit of North of Thailand before I met up with my sister in the south.  As I sit in Bangkok now I see how different the two parts of the counr\try really are.  The north is alot less untanted by tourism and the people are very sweat.  Example - I spent two days hanging out with a shop owner in the North because he just wanted to talk to me.  Although the people in the south are nice you can tell that they have been tanted by the grind of the tourist.

I now stand between me and two weeks before I go home.  The whole idea just freaks me out alittle bit and I dont know how to discribe it at this point.  I also just met up with my sister and I am extremly excited to spend time with her and see where our adventures lead together.

Well that it for now because my internet time is up but more to come soon.  Cant wait to see thouse of you in boston and then maybe others soon after in California.

Love You All

The Fam

The Fam

The mouth of the cave -- Kang Lo

Mountain Biking

Sunset

Hammock Time

Buddhist Justin

Praying To the G-ds

From Cambodia to Laos

I am now in Vientiane, Lao for those of you who didnt know.  Ya I know it has been a while and its because Laos is not that developed (which I really like).  No one worry because I am more then ok and really enjoying my latest travels.

Let me first back track back to Cambodia and tell you what that picture is of me with a bunch of kids and a monk.  Well that is students, a teacher and me.  I taught and English class for a day.  Basically I met a monk (which I do often) and he invited me to come to his class and help out.  He runs a free english school in Battombong to underprivileged and orphan kids.  It is an impressive and inspiring place which is continuously growing (10 class rooms, 200 kids).  I just showed up the next day and he was like wow you came.  He showed me around the school and then showed me to the class.  He handed me some chock and said "teach." That was a little intimidating but I did what he said and jumped right into it.  The monk teacher was there and he was able to help me translate to them what words they didnt understand from me. The kids seemed to be enjoying the lesson (of course they were probably nervous giggles and me doing things they were not accustom to), we worked on pronunciation and prefixes and suffixes.  After the class was over it left me in a weird place.  I was thinking: Could I be a teacher?  Would I be good at it or was this just a one time thing?  Can a dyslexic teach english? I came to the conclusion that I will need to do more teaching to get the answers.
From Battombong I went to Ankor Wat, Cambodia's biggest attraction.  It might look familiar to you because Indiana Jones and Tomb Ryder was shot here.  Basically what is it is ancient ruins from the 11th century.  Its spread out over something like 20 or 30  square km.  Hindus and Buddhist both occupied it at one point.  Its the biggest religious center in the world (from what I am told, I could be wrong).  It was so cool, I felt a little like Indiana Jones myself searching the ruins for lost treasure.  The only problem was that there was hundreds of westerners and if there was any gold or jewels to be found I probably would have been the last to know.  Despite all the white people I had a really fun day exploring this said to be 8th wonder of the world.  Since it was such a tourist attraction the town where I stayed was full of them too.  It was fun though and I met some great people to see the temples with.  From there I went to Laos.
On August 31 after a long bus journey the day ended with me on a hammock, riverside enjoying the sunset.  Not a bad start for Lao. The place was is called 4000 Islands,  its called that because the Mekong creates 4000 little island at the bottom of Laos.  It was an amazing place just to relax and recuperate after Cambodia and the emotional drain I had been feeling.  Nothing really can beat sitting on a hammock rocking back and forth reading Waldon by Thoreau.  After my days of simplicity I started making my way to the north of Lao.  First I wanted to stop at this underground cave before I was back in the more modern north. 
Kong Lo cave is a 7.5 km (about 4 miles to you who dont know the metric system) that the Mekong has carved out in this limestone mountain.  I hired a boat and went into the darkness with just a flash light, a boatman and 2 other people I had met.  It was wild,  from 30 feet ceiling to just 5 foot ones.  It was just so mysterious and spooky I was just mystified by the whole experience. But that wasn't even the best part of the stop over, that night I stayed in a home-stay. A home-stay is more or less you just staying with a family and doing as they do, eating, sleeping and even showering with them.  The only difficult with this particular one was they didnt speak any english because I was in some little village in a national park about an hour away from a small town.  In the end english didnt matter at all.  I ended up finding a extremely nice family that really took care of me and a friend that I met.  Earlier I said we showered together and I wasnt lying,  we all were covered in the appropriately areas and we took bucket showers from the same bucket (i can add that to my list of cool opportunities).  They made a great mean and I spent most of the night playing with there little son.  We all went to bed pretty early considering there is not much to do after you eat and a hard days work (most of the families tend there rice fields and take care of there animal. the home stay is just a side thing to make a little extra money).  The next morning it was sad to leave.  The grandfather guided us to the bus and was just the sweetest little man.  He waved goodbye until we couldnt see him any more.  A true picture-esc site!
From there I caught a bus to a large intersection, got out and tried to wave down a big bus going to the capital.  It looks like I must have got one because as you can see I have internet.
I have less the a month left which is both sad and exciting to see whats next for me in the next chapter of my life.
-A new insight I learned from being on the bus with locals and having a language barrier: share your food.  Its easy as that and you can make new friends.

Cheers and wish me luck as this last month quickly comes to an end.

Boat to Siem Reap

Teacher for a day

Teacher for a day

Monkey

Ancient Temples

Magic Carpet Ride

Bamboo Train

We called him Bear

Beach

Jungle Boat

Suit and Tailor Shop

Leather Jacket

Cambodia, a change of heart

I have been back and forth on my feeling of Cambodia but I have finally come to a good place where I can really enjoy my self.  For the last week or so I will admit to everyone I was in a little bit of a slump.  Wasnt making friends, didnt stop raining and the knowledge of Cambodia's civil war was depressing me.  Maybe just maybe I miss all of you.  But dont worry I am back and ready for some more action.
The city I am in now has revived me, Battambong.  It all started with me spend some time with some Buddhist monks.  They invited me in to there small but well stocked university library.  I spent a bit of the afternoon read some business books and helping some of them with some of there school work.  Buddhist monks are always a good sources of a friendly face and a really nice person to talk to.  You also dont have to worry about it being a scam in the end either.
The next day I did all the tourist things to do in town,  although there is lack of tourist in this town to start out with.  Less tourist is always a plus for me.  First I went to this bamboo train.  Yes the whole thing was made completely of bamboo except wheels were iron of course.  I friend I made later gave the best description of it, "it's the closest you will come to riding a magic carpet."  Then next I went to some ancient temple but first I had to climb some 300 straits on a strait up incline to get there.  There were 5 temples made of stone dating back as far as 11th century.  The craftsmanship of these structures is quite remarkable.  There ability to withstand the test of time is just something to be marveled.  The third of final thing of the day was these killing caves were the Khmer Rough would kill Cambodians in secrecy.  It was on top of this mountain with these beautiful views and monkeys running around.  It was a beautiful and peaceful place were such atrocities occurred.  Having seen the other monument of the Khmer Rough I was prepared for it and was able to understand it and move forward just as the Cambodians have embraced the whole situation.  Thus allowing to be at peace and see the beauty of the mountain.
I am now going to Ankor Wot tomorrow to see the temples which is now considered one of the wonders of the world.  Still love hearing from people so send more emails if you would like.

Cheers

The Life of Freedom

Hey everyone I know it has been a little while but there has not been to much for me to write about.  Don't get me wrong I still have been doing amazing things but nothing that I could verbalize in a exciting story that you would want to read.  I just got to Cambodia today after binging in Vietnam for 16 days. Great place -- people, scenery and I gained a stronger insight to who I am and where I stand in the world. 
Since the last most I had just Hanoi and was on my way to Ho ain.  I spent 3 nights there and just relaxed.  I really laid low,  I really just had some true alone time and cherished it. Ho ain is also a place of over 200 tailors where you can get cheap cloths made.  Naturally a got a couple things (you all know me with nice cloths that are cheap, I cant resist).  Don't be alarmed but I got a lot and it all looks great on me: 3 suits (3 piece pinstriped brown suit, tan suit and a flashy gray suit), leather jacket, 2 fitted button down and 8 ties.  I got a ton of stuff for a such a good deal and I officially now have a tailor in Vietnam.  He said I can email him what I want from the USA and he will make it and ship it over to me.  After my shopping spry I went to Saigon.  The thing is I was going to go to Laos for Ho ain because the border is close by  but with the freedom I have at the last minute I decide to go to Saigon to see the War museums.  I have an extra week if I do 2 weeks in every country, so I had some time to do it.  Saigon its self was just another big city with all the things that big cities offer -- bright light, drinking and anything else you want.  All I was interested in was seeing the Vietnam perspective of the War at the Museum and the tunnels in Saigon. I did it all in one long day that gave me a lot of insight.  There was a strong sent of propaganda which was largely agreed upon by most tourist but I was able to get a glimpse through there eyes.  The amazing thing about the whole experience was talking to Vietnamese people about it.  They all where very positive and showed no hostility towards me(which was one of my hesitations coming to Vietnam).  They had a strong positive attitude talking about always looking at the positive and looking forward to progression and the future.  I left the city for which I came searching for which is always a refreshing feelings on your travels.
I know reside lakeside in Cambodia and ready to start over in a new country. It  gets easier and easier every time.  Not that its easy to travel but to psyche is at ease and know how is keener.

Ride Till We Die (one very sucessful trip)

Sleeping in a net

Road side waterfall

Fell in the mud

Small village

The Bikes

Rice wine and the first Homestay

My Motorcycle Diary

First before I tell you all about my six day adventure (and yes it was a true adventure) I should let everyone that this title is very relevant because everyone said I looked like Castro and that was my nickname.  Yes yes I know the movie is about Che but Castro and Che were close friends and much of Castro's ideologys came from Che.  Just a little less for you all before I tell my story.

The Planning:
It went a lot like this - hey I want to go on a bike trip in Vietnam because everyone said it was amazing.  Hey look the guy next to me is looking at bikes on the internet. "hey pal do you want to go on a week motor bike trip" and we said ok and shock on it!  The next day we found a place that rented bikes and bam let the trip begin.
A little history of my past experience on a motorbike. . . .short list, there is one.  Since my new friend Joel from Australia was pretty much a beginner (had some experience but little), we decided to spend a little extra money and split the cost of a guide.  I was on the fence about the idea because of the cast but he could speak the language, knew the roads, could fix the bike and most importantly he could help us both out with our lack of experience on the bikes.
I took one lap around the block on the bike (which is much to short for my first time before a 1200km journey) and we began.

Day 1
The same day as the planning.  We road 140km the first day the first part was through the craziness of Hanoi.  They say it is one of the hardest cities to drive a motorbike through.  I might be scaring you all a little but dont worry there is plenty more to come.  The first day we took it slow.  It was all very new, getting used to the bike, the roads and driving in a foreign country.  We spent our first night at a home stay.  It was amazing start. Mosquito nets and bamboo, just what you would expect a small town of Vietnam to be like.  We had some a amazing food with the family.  Its traditional to drink with dinner and drink we did.  They brow there own liquor called rice wine and everyone makes it a little different.  We probably had 15 shots over dinner and no joke we really drank that much.  Everyone really loosened up from the long day of riding of course.  Joel and I really enjoyed ourselves and I dont mean in a drunk way. We were just having fun and drinking with all the local men. They also did this traditional dance thing for us that night too.  Good start, dont you think?

Day 2
Woke up the next day feeling great.  The other great thing about rice wine is that because they make it the stuff is super pure and no hang over the next day (could be dangerous for us Americans).  Day 2 started out great but then it went south.  If you get nervous about motorcycles dont read this part.  Yes motorcycles are very dangerous and I was inexperienced driving on roads a bit above my pay grade.  So the story goes I fell off my bike -- I hit a pot hole and fellow off my bike.  Wasn't going that fast luckily.  I got road rash on my for arm (1/3 of my for arm) and knee.  I also sprain my ankle.  Someone was looking out for me and  I am very thankful.  So it was the 2 day I could go back or suck it up and keep going.  So  I stood up and looked to see how the bike was.  Everything was fine and I got right back on and started going again.  My friend was ahead of me so no one saw me.  I finally caught up to them and we pull over and cleaned me up. 

The rest of the day I was very careful and over cautious.  The crash was still fresh in my mind and I was shackin' up naturally.  We arrived at our stop for the night and I just spent the rest of my day nursing my wounds and resting my foot.

Day 3
This was by far my favorite day of them all. Nothing short of exciting and adventures of course.  We got off the main high way and were driving on these country roads see Vietnam as it should be seen.  The natural beauty was just breath taking (pictures to come).  My favorite parts were the small rural villages.  Bamboo and grass huts, water buffalo, chickens causing traffic and little kids running out to see you pass by.  The people were so friendly everywhere we stopped and they all just wanted to meet you and shack your hand.  I got just such a warm and happy feeling seeing and doing the things I was doing.  It is really hard to explain it to you all but It was everything I dreamed Vietnam to be and much much more. O and we also drove over 250 Km,  I fell in the mud and was covered head to toe, and some of the most difficult driving of the whole trip (half of it was like off riding with a dirt bike). Joel also almost got killed by a bus too.

Day 4
This day was a lot of mountain views and twisty turning mountain roads.  It was a really short ride, under 150Km.  This was because we decided to do so much extra the day before.  We go to the stop in the afternoon.  This place was filled with tourist and very different from our usual local hangouts.  I didnt like it all that much.  The place was on a high mountain about 1500m above sea level.  Everyone came there because of the views and there was no question they were great but I didnt like them all being there. The night turned out well because we were again invited to join in with the men to eat and drink.  This time we drank rice wine with 26 herbs and cobra.  This one was by far my favorite one.

Day 5
We did some more village driving and as before I loved it.  Everyday I was getting better and better at driving.  That doesn't mean I was being cautious because I was always the last to arrive and taking it slow on the corners.  This day we also drive like 220km and it was hard and tiring.  That night we stayed in another homestay and it was just as good as the first night with even better food.  This one was by a lake so we had some fun and swam around the lake.  We also found a waterfall and Joel and I were jumping off that and making movies.  We were just trying to enjoy our last night.  If you were wondering if we drank the answer is yes.  Some delicious rice wine once again.

Day 6
This day was all about getting back to Hanoi.  We were just driving on major highways with lots of people.  We were all tired and just wanted to get back. I cant explain how amazing this trip was and I will carry the stories from it in my back pocket for the rest of my life.  The great thing is that I still have a month and a half left and plenty of time to make some more equally great ones.

Cheers

I hope I didnt scare you all that much.  You should be happy to know I safe and extremely happy!

To South East Of Asia

I have been in Vietnam for 1 night and it is such a different place. Its going to take me a couple more days to get used to the new people, culture and how everything works.  I have to say the psychology side of me really likes the change and trying to figure it all out.
So journey to get was a bit difficult.  I took a flight to Bangkok, Thailand hoping to get a quick ticket to Hanoi, Vietnam but of course it couldn't be that easy.  I got in at 8 pm at night and there wasn't a flight out until 645 the next morning and the booking place đint open till 5am so I đidnt know if I could even get a ticket.  My options were get a hotel room to the airport or sleep in the airport.  Being on a budget, the airport floor was my choice.  I got about 2 hours of sleep and it actually wasn't that bad.  Got up at 430 and tried to get a ticket and to my happy surprise the ticket was 3 times the price I was told.  The travel agent who helped me out in India said it would be no problem getting a ticket in the airport for about $50.   Well he was so wrong!  At the end of the day I didn't care, I just wanted to get to Vietnam and I did so I was happy.
Now I am in Vietnam and I am trying to plan what to do.  I am seriously considering getting a motorcycle and driving it around in the North for a week. I am going to Holang Bay tomorrow for my birthday.  If you look it up on the internet its the place that you see a lot of movies where the mountains come out òf the water.  I am really not sure what else I am going to do but that is all the fun of traveling.  I am going to a place called Hoi an were they make cheap tailor made suit, so I might just come back with a nice purple suit.  Just kidding but I am definitely getting like 2 suits. I love reading emails by the way so feel free to update me on your life because I would love to hear about it.  And ìf you have been to Southeast Asia  send suggestions âs well.

jstnwllns21@gmail.com

Cheers

Resting My Hand

Road From Hell

Silent Friends

The swim

Bluest Water

3rd highest pass

Lost In the Field

No I am Not Enlightened (that will take another 6 life times)

I just finished my meditation and yoga course two days ago. I can admittedly say I still have not comprehended it all, I could take me another week or even a few years. I didnt only gain new knowledge of meditation and flexibility of yoga but the teachings of Buddhism, mindfulness, insight into my life, mental health and much much more.
The day started out at 530 everyday and ended at 10, there were two 1 hour yoga sections and 7 hours of mediation split into three 2.5 hour sections. The retreat was silent, meaning I didnt talk for 10 days (that in its self was a very difficult task). It was one of the most difficult things that I have done in my life.
The basis of meditation is to gain mental health just as one works out to obtain physical health. Most people think (as I did before I took the class) that meditation is were some one just sits and relaxes and doesn't think anything. The reality is that it is more or less the complete opposite then that. Ones main goal is to de-condition the mind from things society or other sources that had made you think. For example someone who is scared of dogs can revers that by understanding why and how the mind has come to that those conclusions. I my self dont completely understand everything because I am still a beginner ( and I hope I haven't confused you too much) but I plan on continuing to learn more and be able to prefect my practice.
There is one piece of knowledge that truly resonated in me that I would like to share with you all and hope you can utilize it as well. My teacher said "take one of every hour to be mindful and live in the moment." For those of you that didn't take that class this means to allow one to know exactly what you are doing. If your standing know you are standing, if your about to start eating know your eating and if your angry know your angry. Not only will this bring a calmness and de-stress your life but it will help you understand your self better every hour of the day and there is always something new to learn.

One Month

Tomorrow marks one month of traveling and I just cant believe it.  I have been in Leh for like a week and a couple days now and it has been quiet an experience.  I got here on the 5^th of July, after that long bus ride I told everyone about, and spent the night in the part of town called Changspa.  The next day I had made plans to meat my Dad’s friend, the Buddhist monk.  He was stay at the retreat center which is called Mahabodi center and also the same place where I will take my class from the 16^th to the 26^th.

The ride of a life time

Here is how my 4th of July went:

32 hour of the bumpiest roads, beautiful mountains, sheer cliffs and road closures.  It started at 2 am on the 4th, were I loaded up on a bus from Manali to Leh.  The expected time it would take was about 20 hours but he driver said more like 18.  I was in the back row of the mini van, where 4 people were crammed in.  I couldn't sleep because I was just to uncomfortable.  The roads were nice and paved for the first few hours but after that it was all dirt roads that were some of the worst I have ever been on.  The sights out the window of the bus were truly breath taking.  I remember saying to myself  'I am one lucky guy.'  Around 11 in the morning we got a flat tire but surprisingly we where up and running in 15 min.  We made a stop for lunch at a road side restaurant and we got word that 5 km ahead there was a truck in the middle of the road and it would take about an hour before we could pass.  But because everything runs slower in India, with Indian time it took 7 hours to move the truck.  Of course all bad things happen three,  we ended up having to stay in some tent village over night because we couldnt cross a certain mountain pass at night.  Finally arriving in Leh at 1030am on the 5th of july.

Even though it was no fun experancing the trip, I can put this one in my book of stories that I will aways remember.

I am now in Leh where I will partake in the final stage of my Indian Journey -- Meditaion and Yoga course.  I just booked a flight to Vietnam for the 1st of August.  That mean a birthday celebration in Southeast Asia.  You must RSVP if you would like to attend.

Easy Times

It has been quite a change of pace in the places I have been in the last few days.  The weather is about a cool 20 degrees C and it green mountain views.  The last town I was in was called Mcloed Ganj, the Tibetan refuge from the Chinese government.  The local people were very nice, no one was out to get my money like Delhi.  It was also a big backpackers travel town.

One of the days I was there I decided to go to the Tibetan Buddhist monastery.   It was a very nice peaceful place and I just hung around there for 2 or 3 hours. I made a bunch of Indian friends just wondering around and taking my time (they love to come and practice there English with you. They are all very nice people too.  They also always want to take pictures with you, I have had so many pictures I feel like a celebrity).  I finally decided to leave because it looked like it was going to rain and outside there was a large crowd of people.  I decided to stick around to see what everyone was waiting for, so I was there no more then 10 min when the man him self drives by.  That man being the Dalai Lama.  It turned out to be one of those things right place right time.  This trip just keeps getting better and better.

I am now just living the good life in a place called Manli on $5 a night with the sound of the river putting me to sleep every night. Yesterday I had a pair of pants and a shirt made for me ($10 dollars each). Maybe today I will have a nap in a hammock.

Off to Leh in a few days from some trekking and my meditation and yoga class.

Cheers

The Ganges

I have been in India for one week. And let me give you a list of the things I have done:

Taj Mahal
Red Fort
The Ganges
Cremations
2 dead bodies
Two boat rides
Been in a bus x 10 max capacity
Met some great friends (shout out to Chris, Claire,  Dave , Hanna)
4 Trains (one of which was 10 hours late)
....o and as you all know I have been scammed

I have to say I have been a busy white boy ( I say white boy because the Indians won't let me for get it, being that they don't stop staring at me).  The trip is really starting to take off with the amazing things I have seen and done.  I met nice people and scammers;   Hard times and fun times; Long days and short days but there is no doubt in my mind that this is a true life experience like none other that has been remarkable.  As I look forward I also recognized and revel in how lucky I am that it has only began.  This post has been short because there is just to much to write.  I guess you will just have to ask me about a story of the time [fill in a place and time] (as a hint the Ganges where amazing).

Cheers

Train Station

First let me start out my saying that when i first got here I was scamed by these guys call touts. The help you to your cab at the airport then take you to the 'wrong place' and then tell you they can get you a better deal on a hotel. That is not where it ends, once you say yes they dont stop trying to 'help' you and 'being your friend.' All of there helpful hints and suggestions cost way more then if you where to do it yourself.

On my way to the New Dehli Train Station (which I thought was closer and ended up walking like 4 km because the touts told me  I was in the wrong place) I made 3 new 'friends.'  They all wanted the same thing -- to scam me.  When some one is too friendly you know what they want and its your money.  The frist guy was not so creative.  He was a student, "just like me," and he kept trying to get me to go to the tourist center to get them to help me.  There is only one true tourist center and the rest are all just scams.
I got rid of him pretty quick.  The next guy was the best. He called his american friend kelly and had me talk to her. She told me how great he was and how I should let him help me.  He was hard to get rid of and walked like 2 km with me.  By the third guy I was just pissed off, tired, hot and dehydrated to give a shit.  I was just out right feed up and told him to leave me alone.  I am getting out of Dehli because it too hot and these guys are driving me crazy.

Cheers

Germany

got to germany yesterday and met up with my best friend ricky miller.  it has been a great start to a great trip.  went out till 5 am last night, just wanted to do europe like the europeans do it.  today went to a place called the ealges nest where hitler used to take all the people he wanted to impress.  the place is truly impressive.  the most unbelievable views. now im off for dinner. chiaw

Intro

The first post...dun dun dun!  I just wanted to tell everyone to excuse my spelling and grammar.  You all get a chance to see how dyslexic I am.

Enjoy the blog! I know I will enjoy experiencing it and getting the chance to tell you.