The future!

The workshop is now completed, and I will embark with Christy B (only to Haridwar/Riskikesh), Maria, Tony and Lee to Haridwar and Rishikesh tomorrow at 3pm. I doubt I'll have any internet access again until I come home, so I will detail the trip now and fill in the details later.

We will first travel to Haridwar, a Hindu pilgrimage site where thousands of people put candles in leaf boats and float them down the Ganjes every night. The Ganjes is backed by the Himalayas, and is at the point where the Ganjes emerges from them. While in the area, we will also visit Rishikesh, which is where the Beatles went to study transcendental meditation. We will stay there for two days.

After that, we will return to Delhi for a day. I want to visit a jain temple, the lotus temple, lodi gardens, the crafts museum, and a few other places. I will likely do this with Mary, as it will be her last day in Delhi.

Following this, we will take a sleeper cab to Amritsar, where the Sikh Golden Temple is. This is the center of the Sikh religion, and we saw a model of this amazing temple in a museum in D.C. I've heard that people outside will "read your face," or tell you about your past and future simply by looking at you. I've also heard that this is free, so I'll probably be doing it.

From there, we will head up to Dharamsala in the heart of Tibetan Buddhist country. We will spend one day in McLeod Ganj, the home of the Dalai Lama, though he won't be there at the time. I've heard the countryside here is very beautiful, with some exquisite places of worship.

After two days in Dharamsala, Lee and I will catch a sleeper cab back to Delhi. When we arrive, we will pack and head to the airport at around 9pm on July 28th. We should be back to the Midwest some time around noon on the 29th, for those who have missed me.

An adventure begins where another has ended. With some behind and more ahead, I see a life full of stories and am trying to read each one as slowly and carefully as possible. Knowing not what lies in store, I delight in the content, the language, and the script that has of recent become my life. What a fine read it is. =)