Kung Fu Movie Capitol

Honestly, I never updated this when I was in Hong Kong or even after I got back home. It's now well into January and I am forced to recap what feels like years ago. I got into Hong Kong after high tailing it out of Thailand with my ass literally in my hands. I got in on a cool evening and there weren't that many cars out on the road. I ended up crashing pretty hard at my hostel, which was tiny, but nice. The next day I laid low and just did some minor walking around. After roaming for a bit I figured out that Hong Kong was going to be real expensive and that I had best find some free stuff to do.

I next day I continued my walking tour but ventured out even further. It is now that I want to take just a minute and talk about that man made wonder that is the Hong Kong skyline. If the Himalayas were in building form, this would be it. Monster buildings lined up one after the other. I remember thinking that New York City was impressive (and it still is, the Yankees suck, but NYC is awesome). I remember being uptown and looking at the WTC in the distance and thinking that it was a marvel to notice that in the distance it looked like a mountain. The thing about it though, it looked like "a" mountain. In Hong Kong, you can look down an ally and see an entire range. And the view at night? Breathtaking. So many lights that I figured the debt of 6 countries in Africa could be wiped out if Hong Kong could chill on the kHz for a couple minutes. I saw the light show that happens here every night at 8pm and as cheesy as it was, it was still pretty cool that they have a light show on their buildings.

I walked down the Ave. Of Stars, a Hollywood type walk of fame of all the Hong Kong film stars of past and present. I took a good long time here as its set next to the water and the view across is amazing. There was a life size statue of Bruce Lee kicking some ass which made me smile thinking of all the times I've watched Hong Kong flicks set in this town. I walked around the rest of the day checking out some random parks and called it a night.

The next day I took the ferry to Lanteau Island in search of the Po Lin Buddha statue. On the way there for just a fleeting moment I saw the big mutha sitting peacefully atop this mountain. It passed and I got very excited to see it close up. When I got up to the top I set my eyes upon what would have to be the biggest Buddha I'd ever seen. I climbed the 438 steps to the top and took a bunch of pictures and soaked in the scenery that this Buddha sees all the time. I walked back down and explored the monastery that the Buddha watches over. It was a modest complex trying to capitalize on the tourism that the big guy brings in but not in a greedy way. It was such a gift to me that I got to spend a little time with some monks here. I was with Tibetan monks, Nepalese monks, Thai monks, Chinese monks. Cool. That night I went to 007:Casino Royale, because if this was my intro back into Western culture, who better to do it than Bond?

The next day I spent the day on Hong Kong island which would be considered the business side between them and Kowloon. Bigger buildings, more suits, less local flare. Hong Kong park was a man made triumph. Green spaces were accented by little ponds, rivers, and fountains. There was a tai chi garden with Bonsai trees and an aviary where I got stuck watching this Great Argus with a red eye. I moved along to the Victoria Peak tram which took me well above the skyline in a tram that went seemingly straight up at points much like the ol' Cog Railway back home. I got up there in enough time to see the skyline during the day and then went to keep busy for a bit until the sun went down. I actually played video games for awhile in the huge mall that sits on the peak. Hadn't done that for about 6 months, which very soon would be a reoccurring theme. After the sun went down I took some pictures and stared dumbfounded at the skyline. I went for some Peking duck (so very, really, really good), and crashed.

My last full day on my trip was very calming and cooling. I had dim sum in the afternoon for the last time. For those of you who don't know dim sum is a lunch time event that Hong Kong is famous for. People come around with a bunch of super good food on rolling trays and stop in front of you while you choose which one you want. Whatever looks good to you will then be marked on your card to paid for at the end of the meal. MMMmmm. After dim sum I went to 10,000 Buddha monastery. When I got there I realized that it wasn't just a clever name. There's actually well over 10,000 Buddhas lining the long walkway up, on the buildings, big ones, small ones, smiling ones, holding things, eyes closed, eyes averted, wise, silly, laughing, standing, leaning, shouting, you name it. I spent a couple hours here and decided to head back and turn in early.

I got up early and set out of Hong Kong with the feeling of exhaustion from being away from home for a long time. Hong Kong was a funny place. A lot of people but organized. I was happy to be there, but wanted to be home. I didn't really meet anyone but I talked to so many people. It made me miss the third world actually. The plane ride was loooooooooooooong across the pacific and landing for a 3 hour layover in Vancouver was torture. No worry though, I would see my lady love in mere minutes.

Short Recap of a Long Time

Ok, here goes. I spent a month in a Buddhist Monestary in Nepal called Kopan and studied Mahayna Buddism with Monks from around the world. It was me and a little over a hundred westerners and three hundred monks. I woke up every day around 7am for the first two weeks and then 5am the last two weeks. The whole time there was split in two in a lot of ways. The whole time there was amazing.

Kopan is on top of a hill (Nepalis call it a hill, in America it would be a small mountain), overlooking Kathmandu Valley. It is a huge complex and comes complete with a giant Stupa Garden, a beautiful Stupa Garden. There are many buildings and one of them is the Chenrezig Gompa where we met everyday for teachings, meditation. There was a shop to buy stuff at, a bookstore/library which came in handy as I continued my reading spree by reading 6 more books. A giant prayer whell that I would use when I wanted to have a smoke and couldn't. I would push this huge thing around and around and the bell rang with every pass and seemed to calm me down. Prayer flags were everywhere and when the wind would blow prayers would be sent out to all living beings. God, theres so much more I could say but...

The first week I was there I was introduced to a place called Travelers Diharealand. It's a miserable place and I hope I never go back there, EVER AGAIN! Once I left that three horse town I really started to warm up to the scedule, whats the scedule?
6:30-Morning Meditation (I admit, I missed this a few times)
7:30-Breakfast (every meal vegitarian)
8:00-Karma Yoga (chores)
9:00-AM Teachings (With Venerable Fedor)
11:30-Lunch/Free Time (up untill lunch there was silence every day)
2:00-Discussion Group
3:00-Free Time
3:30-PM Teachings
5:00-Tea (My addiction to Bamboocha was quickly eclipsed with Milk Tea)
6:00-Evening Meditation
7:00-Dinner
8:00-Night Program/Meditation/Misc.(This was my favorite
9:00-Free Time
10:00-Lights Out (ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz)

The guy who did the teachings was Ven. Fedor who was an acidemic monk from Germany. He has been studying the Dharma for 20 years and knew more than I've forgotten. The only problem was that his voice was so monotone and the subject matter so intense that at times boredom would set in a little. He was a math/science guy, I'm an art/creatyive guy. We also had a few other teachers. Venerable Robina, a woman from Australia was particularly amazing. She works in the prison system in San Fransisco with people who want to take refuge with Buddha (the equivolent to being saved in Christianity). Her talk was moving and it was nice to hear the Dharma come to life.

Ani Karen ran the evening program. She's been at Kopan for many years and hearing her voice was a little slice of Nirvana. The food was amazing. I've never been that big a fan of vegitarian food, untill now. Oh my God it was good! The people there were amazing as well. I met so many people from around the world and it became apparent early on to me that if I had met any of these people back home and they told me they went to Nepal to study Buddhism for a month in Nepal, I'd want to sit down and have cofee with them. I met too many to mention, but trust that I love them.

The last two weeks we took the 8 Mahayana precepts which included; no killing (anything), no lying, no stealing, no sitting on high beds, no sexual misconduct (including anything sexual), no music/dancing (the hardest for me because it included tapping of feet, hands and singing to yourself), no perfumes or jewelry (including deoderant), no intoxicants. We also took a vow to not eat at wrong times which meant no breakfast and no dinner. In the middle of the precepts I decided to take a vow of complete silence for 3 and a half days.

That sounds like a lot but you'll have to believe me when I tell you it was amazing. There were so many things I learned while I was there. So many things that will effect my life in such a positive way. In the interest of time I'm going to withhold that info. Honestly, even if I had the time, a lot of what I learned and shared was for me. Thats the amazing thing about Buddhism that really distinguishes itself from other doctrines. It dosn't impose at all. Buddha taught his "middle way" and if there are parts that you dig, then apply it. If there are parts you don't dig then no worries.

I left Kopan with a heavy heart and said goodbye to a lot of new friends. Some I will see again, some I won't but I will always cherish the time I got to spend with these people. All in all it was so incredible. Bangkok is a far cry from the peace and calm of Kopan. It's loud, crazy, and really sleezy. There are a shitload of tourists here which deadens the experience a little. In all the places I've been sans London, the great thing has been a lack of tourists, at least in these types of numbers. I'l certainly make the most of my time here at any rate.

Truth be told, after Kopan, I'm ready to go home. I miss Bethany. I miss my friends. I miss America. The Pats are 9-3 and I want to watch them today. It'll all be over soon enough and I want to be in the moment as much as possible. I'll send another update as I'm leaving Thailand. I'm going down south to Krabi and then to Koh Phi Phi where they filmed "The Beach". For you Bond fans, I'm going to the place where they shot the crazy rock/laser gun thing in "The Man With The Golden Gun". For you Nathan fans, I love you more than words.

Dig it

Wha' Happened?

Oh Man.

Well, at least I waited until the last leg of my trip to really slack on the updates. I made it down to the southern coast of Thailand. My jaw dropped to the ground and when I first got there I was saying "wow" alot under my breath as to not seem like another awestruck tourist. The tourist.

Lets get this out of the way now. I'd like to go on record by saying that there are two very distinct side of the tourists coin in Thailand. On one side I'd say that they have almost single handedly raised a developing country out of the slums. The amount of money that is pumped into this part of the world from the tourist dollar is awesome (and I don't mean that in a cool way, I'm saying it as like the amount is huge). It's provided better wages, roads, and access to modern technology amongst a host of other things for the local people in southern Thailand. Now the other side.

White people are ruining the world. I saw more white people in southern Thailand than Thais. Most of the tourists don't really give a shit about the people who live there. They are on holiday and expect these people to cater to their every need. What used to be beach communities have transformed into polluted cash cow towns. I use the word polluted for two reasons. 1:The towns can't really keep up with the amount of people roll through on holiday i.e.buses, boats, garbage. 2:The local people have been polluted. I was constantly berraded by people wanting to sell me stuff and they moved us around like cattle from one place to the next. There was little to no chance to get to know a Thai on a level where they could share some stories with you. I had encountered this before in India but not nearly on this scale. If I had gone there on holiday than maybe I would have seen it differently, but I wasn't. I'd seen things at this point that made me sick of people being polluted. Saving the world is going to be really hard. Lets move on.

I got down to Krabi, a beachside community, and checked in at my bungalow. I went down to the beach and went for a swim and walked around. There were boobies on the beach and so that made me happy. Sunbathing topless in the States has yet to really catch on and I'd like to say that its a fine idea. Boooooobies. I walked around and took a path to the next beach over where upon the end of my walk I was surrounded by little monkeys called Gibbons. Monkeys and boobies.

The next day I took a longtail boat (the main type of transport and sound pollution when you're near water) to a secluded peninsula called Rei Lai. When I got there I saw a cave that was frozen in time with quartz bleeding out of the limestone (I forgot to mention the limestone. Huge outcroppings of limestone were everywhere down here. I thought that they were volcanic at first but it turns out they are like old coral that shoot up in the air. Some are 20ft. Some are 200 ft. They are a sight to see for sure {for all the rock climbers in my life, you would have a heart attack if you saw all these faces. I wished you could all be with me}). I went to climb up this little cliff to a lagoon in the middle of the limestone but it started raining that really hard tropical rain and decided with my knees and all that it would be too slippery. I ended up back at my bungalow and began to drink beers with the Irish. Are they actually born with a beer in thier hands?

The next day I set out for the Ko Phi Phi islands. The ferry ride to them lasted about 2 hours and on the way I met some Kiwis (New Zealanders). They ended up being the coolest people I met in Thailand. I hadn't really had the pleasure of traveling with these guys much and the ones I met far outdid my expectations. We landed on the island and the water was what I had been looking for. Terquoise, in every way. I met the Kiwis at the beach and we walked out into the water which never got deeper than our knees which suited us just fine because we waded there on our bellies and backs the whole time. At one point the lady Kiwi pulled her red card (Whats a red card? On thier trip so far whenever one of them pulled a red card no one could be without a drink in thier hand for the rest of the day. I was hanging out with the Kiwis which apparently meant that I was a Kiwi for the rest of the day. Oh shit). Someone brought beers out to us in the water and there we stayed, through a rainstorm that came through, for the next 3 hours drinking beer and laughing. We decided to go and get ready to hit the bars after our hands looked like they had aged 50 years.

The next part is honestly a little hazy. We went to the what will probably be the first and only "Mens Night" that I'll ever go to. Free shots for men. Yay men. Those of you who know drunk Nathan know that he is a singing man. Thats what I remember (and consequently a bunch of people Thai and tourist told me the next day that they, "recognized me from last night because you were the one singing"), singing alot. I sang in the sidewalks (no cars are allowed on the island), in the shops, to people, and at one point in a Thai karaoke bar. They didn't have english songs so I just improved the Thai. After awhile a Thai guy came with a guitar and plugged in. He played "Hotel California" and it went like this..."On a dark dessert highway. Cool wind in my hair. The warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air. On thefgf blahdk diddy blak bluk, nirenioniongonooimn WELCOME TO THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA". Not pretty. I cohersed the guy to give me the guitar and started playing some Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and GNF'R. I ended up on stage playing a hour and a half set completely wasted as the bar to show thier appreciation was feeding more alcohol. Unreal.

It wasn't long after that I passed out in my bed. When I awoke the next morning it felt as though someone with a poison coral fist punched me in the back of the head and then turned me around and punched me in the temple with an oak hammer. Hey speaking of poison coral, I went snorkeling with my new Kiwi friend David the next day. We met our guide and made off for Phi Phi Lei the smaller and uninhabited of the two islands. I could fill a whole other entry with what I saw underneth the water. It was truly amazing. Sharks, different colored fish, eels, everything you could ask for. The visibility under there was like nothing I had ever seen as well. In the middle of it we got to go to Maya Bay which is where they filmed the beach in "The Beach". The water there was probably the clearest I'll ever see in my life. I pretended I was a stud and walked in the water with my best Leo swagger and enjoyed myself for a moment amongst the hundred other people doing the same thing.

We finished the snorkeling and I had to get back to Phi Phi Don to catch my boat back to the mainland. I said goodbye to the Kiwis and as I got onto the ferry and went back to Krabi the weather got to be shitty again. No matter, I laid pretty low for the rest of that day and got a good nights sleep. The next day I awoke to the sunlight and went back to Rei Lai to try to climb the little cliff again. I did it this time and the cliff ended up being a tough little climb. There was a robe there to help but there were points in which I figured I was screwed. I can't really bend my left knee and my right can only take so much abuse until it goes out. The climb down into the lagoon was what really hurt. Small 25ft. rock faces going straight down. Ouch.

When I got down the lagoon was at low tide and so no worth it. I climbed back up, miraculosly without major injury and went to a lookout point. When I made my way off the cliff I cursed myself for doing that and found my way to a restaurant where I enjoyed my last good Thai meal complete with some Thai pancakes for dessert. I was leaving for Bangkok that night on a bus and so I got my stuff together and made my way to the station. The ride up was long and the movie they showed on the bus was by the same guy that did "Kids". It was a terrible movie that included foul language, nudity, rape, drug abuse, and murder. Fucking Thailand.

I got into Bangkok at 5:30am and walked around till Koh San road opened up where I did a little Christmas shopping and went to the airport. Thailand was a trip to say the least. Strikes and gutters in this little kingdom in SE Asia (Inever mentioned it but these people LOVE thier king). I'm in Hong Kong now and what I'll say is that it is big. Mumbai might have been the biggest city in terms of numbers but this place feels bigger. I want to come home now. Back to what I know. Back to Seattle (even though I heard the weather has been nuts lately). Back to my friends. Back to the woman I love. It's time. I'll be home soon. Yay.

Signing Off From Katmandu

I've made it to Kathmandu and I'm going to try and recap the last week and a half. This trip has been so amazing.

Samuel and I had an amazing time together and that is all there is to it. I had even written in my journal that I wanted to meet and be friends with an Isreali before my trip was done (seeing as the Isrealis I had met until then were very stand-offish). The next day I met Samuel and the rest was Goan history.

The day after his pure drug induced night scare we hit the relaxing hard and just sort of walked around. We ate good food and got to know some of our neighbors better. I met yet another English couple who were too cool and yet again, I miss Bethany. We watched the sun go down on a pile of rocks away from the beach and that show was unreal. Our waiter Jon was from the north of India and waited on us every time. He got a kick out of me telling him that we have the same job. I get that question a lot and you'll just have to trust that there are not too many servers traveling overseas. Miss you Buca, see you soon.

The next day we got up early and rented scooters to take up the coast. As soon as we pulled away, and I was on a scooter mind you, I realized why people say riding on 2 motorized wheels is freeing. I loved it. We would ride and then stop for water, ride, beach, ride, food, ride, etc. We ended up all the way up in Margao and Samuel bought himself a guitar for the road. He had been missing it so badly and we decided to head back to Palolem so we could watch the sun go down and make music on the sand. Israelis,(along with a lot of other people, LOVE Pink Floyd. LOVE THEM! So we sat there and played "Comfortably Numb", "Wish You Were Here", and "Time" to name a few.

I was supposed to leave the next day but I ne4ver got the chance. I was having so much fun and Samuel was on no time clock. We just hung around all day and walked around some more. I got some X-mas presents and we had our last supper with Jon. The next day we went to Margao again to catch trains to our separate ways. Samuel was going to Hampi, a town which I wanted to go to so bad. I was headed to Mumbai. We said good bye and exchanged e mails and took pictures and ended our initial time together. Suffice to say, the family will probably take a trip to Isreal at some point. Love you Samuel.

I headed up to Bombay/Mumbai and when I arrived on the overnight train it was 6am. Really early to be in a huge city. At that point, I don't think I knew how big it was. I walked the streets and they were pretty desolate. The buildings were surreally different and I needed breakfast. After I got my flight to Kathmandu all patched up and checked in at a seedy guesthouse. I went to "The Departed" that night at a theater in Mumbai. Going to the theater in India is very different. They have assigned seating, metal detectors, and get this, an intermission. Watching the movie, which is set in Boston, made me miss home terribly. I was certainly the only person in there who had a Red Sox hat on and I felt overwhelming pride (I did have a conversation with a couple Indian guys afterwards and assured them that I'd never killed anyone).

The next day I hit the streets and strolled down Marine Dr. which hugs the coastline of the city. Seeing all the people and getting a feel for the make up of Mumbai, I quickly realized that this was the biggest city I'd ever been in. 14 million people and I was just one guy walking around amidst the madness. I saw the Gateway To India, which was this gigantic arch by the water. The Taj hotel which was the definition of luxury. The I walked around the Colaba area and did some more X-mas shopping as well as fighting off the random people trying to sell me worthless shit. Yes, I did go to McDonalds and I felt like a jerk immediately after. I also went to this classic cafe called Leopolds. It's been there forever and there is a book that is set there that Johnny Depp just bought the movie rights to.

Yesterday was a travel day as I went from Mumbai to Dehli to Kathmandu. It was a long trip and there was a guy from Brazil that sat as we were waiting in Dehli and sang to himself as he listened to his i pod in an off key voice that could have curdled milk. It was long and I was happy when we set down in Nepal. I haven't been here long enough to give an account but I can tell you that it is different from anyplace I've been so far. It certainly isn't tropical and honestly, it's nice to not be sweating at every minute of the day.

By the way, how was everyones Halloween? Everyone is going to vote tomorrow right? The word by the campfire here in Asia is that the Dems are going to take the house. The Senate is tight but will go to the GOP. Everyone is talking about how Iraq is the main issue and global eyebrows are raised at Saddam being handed so called justice just days before the election. The world thinks that the trial was bunk because due process waved bye-bye to the preceding a long time ago. People out here don't hate Americans, on the contrary, they dig us. They hate GW and his whole administration. I can't count the amount of times people have referred to him as a terrorist and put him in the same league with Bin Laden. At home this kind of talk is reserved for liberal rhetoric, here it's the norm. I see another evangelical has gotten himself in trouble. The funny thing to me is that 1000's of Christians would have stood beside Rev. Ted Haggard before this happened and said what a shining example he is and look at how his righteousness shimmers in the sunbeams. Let's see where his supporters go now. Thats one thing I've picked up from reading the new testament, Jesus forgave, Jesus loved, Jesus didn't give a shit what you did, as long as you asked for forgiveness. We could all stand to be a little more like Jesus.

I heard it's been raining in Seattle quite a bit. I got to watch Monday Night Football this morning,live, and it looks like the Seahwks defense is running on all cylinders. Too bad the offense is struggling. The Pats got beat by the hated Colts yesterday and I'm as sad about that as a Pats fan can be in Asia. Whatever. We'll see you in the playoffs Peyton and God knows you have more trouble there than you know what to do with. Football started, basketball started, hokey started, the new Bond movie is out. I miss home and I miss you.

I'm going to take a trip around Kathmandu in a little bit and then it'll be off to the Monestary. I'm feeling a little nervous about it but also assured that it will be wonderful. It's going to be a month before I write to everyone again. I'll be in Thailand and possibly a monk (although I doubt it, I enjoy my worldly possessions too much). I'll be thinking of each and every one of you while I'm there and even some of you that aren't on here. Do me a favor and tell everyone that you know that I love them. Even if I don't know them than you should tell them that you love them. Vote Democrat, Happy Thanksgiving, and may the force be with you. This is Nathan Bean signing off from Kathmandu.

Drugs, Beaches, And Sunsets

It's been a long time since I updated and honestly, I don't remember much. I left Allepey on a train headed north and met some wonderful people. A doctor from England that had worked in South Africa for awhile and had some amazing stories. I also shared the trip with a really cute couple from Spain and France. I love hippies. I slept a little on the train and when I got off I was so weary. It took another 2 hours before I arrived at the sleepy beaches of Gokarna.

Om Beach is the name of the main beach where I would make my hub for the next few days. It's called Om Beach because it resembles the symbol for "Om", which is everything. The mood when I showed up was a little cold. There were westerners there but they were all seemingly into what they were doing and nothing/nobody else. I got settled in my room, which was covered with fire ants, and went for dinner. There I sat, alone, wondering if I had come to the wrong place. I also knew I had been in transit for a long time and maybe I should just sleep it off.

The next morning I woke up determined to not let the day suck. I would go on a hike and meet as many people as I could. The day started out with talking to Bethany who was visiting my Mom in New England. She is out there for my Nanas 80th birthday and to say I'm happy about all this wouldn't do it justice. It's such a wonderful thing that she got to see my family seeing as they are such an important part of my life. I've since found out that it all went great and a good time was had by all. Oh by the way, Happy Birthday Nana. 80 years is an amazing landmark and I'm so proud to have you for a Grandmother. BIG HUG!!!

I left for my hike and I almost immediately started missing the old roommates. This would have been something we did for a weekend trip except it's in India and more secluded. It was a little dangerous at parts but the scenery was ridiculous. Lush palms and jagged rocky coast. I talked to a guy from Turkey on the way to Half Moon Beach and he also mentioned that the vibe at the guesthouse where we were at was wield. I was happy it wasn't just me. I continued on and found myself a cove to swim in at Half Moon Beach and then continued on to Paradise.

When I got there I was awestruck with how desolate it was and I found a cute older couple and chatted with them for a bit before heading back. When I was passing by Half Moon again I ran into an English couple named Kirsty and Charlie. I only talked to them for a moment but I would end up hanging out with them more later. Then on the path I met yet another English couple much more of the hippie ilk. We sat down and started talking...then I got high. I was going to finish all my walking...then I got high. So I found a big palm tree, and I know why. Yeaaaaaaaah, because I got high, because I got high, because I got high. Da-da-da-da-da-da. Watching the sunset from the lone palm tree that was on this little outcropping was one of the most memorable moments of my entire trip. I went back to the guesthouse and had a wonderful dinner and met a bunch of guys talking about America. I assured them that I wouldn't bomb them if I sat down and they all agreed. Shortly after I decided to retire and I was loving my life again.

Just to put this out there, from the moment I stopped with the English couple and smoked from a chillum;

Chillum:
-noun 1. a hookah or other water pipe adapted for smoking marijuana, that can be passed in ritual fashion among a group of participants: used esp. by Indians.

I was lifted the rest of my time here. Some may say it's a bad decision and they might be right but it felt like the right thing to do and I'm still here. I decided to go back to Paradise Beach for the evening and spend the night there. When I got there I met up with the English couple, a crazy holy kid from Germany, an actually crazy guy from Argentina, a kid from Bombay who spoke perfect English, a couple quiet Isrealis (they are all pretty much quiet) and the staff for this guesthouse. It wasn't really a guesthouse so much as a Shack with a lot of beach area. I had a wonderfully chill time there and slept under the stars in a hammock. The next day I went back to Om Beach and got another night at the guesthouse Namaste. I spent a lot of time with Kirsty and Charlie and we agreed to meet in the morning so I could go to town which was a long walk and something I had no idea about.

We met in the morning and with my bag on my back (which, I gotta tell you, is paying huge dividends here in India Jay) and my mind somewhere up in the clouds, I left this place for Goa. Everyone has told me Goa sucks now but I wanted to form my own opinion about it. I said goodbye to Charlie and Kirsty and thanked them for being cool people ion a strange place. I stayed the night in town at a terrible little shanty called Gokarna International. If you're planning on being in Gokarna, don't stay here. One cool thing though was that the TV, which didn't really come in, was showing the World Series. The Cardinals won huh? Someone in Seattle give J.P. a big hug for me and tell him that I would send him to St. Louis if I were there. Go Birds.

The next day was a travel day and I headed for Palolem Beach up north in Goa. I arrived and noticed that there were two growths on my forearm. I don't know if something bit me or what but they are discerning. Oh well. I ended up hooking up with this guy named Samuel from Isreal and he is so cool. He reminds me of Craig a little bit but with Zach's laugh and...he's Isreali. All these guys finish their time in the army and then go on trips, more often than not, in Goa. This is the first guy though that I've really talked to and he's so cool. Last night we talked to this guy and he gave me a piece of pure MDNA. I didn't even hesitate and told the guy that I didn't want it. There, finally some willpower when it comes to the drugs! Samuel on the other hand was down and thus I began my long night of designated human. It was fine (although I wouldn't want to be Sams jaw right now) and I had a good nights sleep.

The beach here is great. It's so much more touristy here than where I've been. There are so many tourists here and it's just a bit of a trip! It's expensive, well, expensive for India (I'm staying on the beach with Samuel for 5 dollars US). I just found out that the Patriots ripped a hole into Minnasota. The huge bumps on my forearm are fading a little. I'm going to watch the sun go down on an island off the coast tonight. I'll be in Nepal one week from today. I've got a woman at home who loves me and she has our son in her belly. I love my life.

Namsate,

Nathan

Ashram

We got up in the morning and headed for the boat jetty to cruise to Ammas ashram halfway down the backwaters between Kollam and Allepey. The boat was medium sized, whatever that means, and was filled with about 9 people out of a possible 50. We shoved off a little after 10:30 and entered the intricate system of canals and waterways. Rama had never done this before so it wasn't just me who was in awe of the trip. Once we moved away from the small city of Kollam the scenery got smaller and smaller revealing the riverside villages of Kerala. People living their everyday lives i.e. washing clothes, bathing, cleaning. It was an honor to float by and observe this.

The trip reminded me of when I was younger and I would go and visit my Grandparents home named "Honey-Do" located on Lovell Pond in Fryburg ME. They had a canoe and I would take it just off to the side of their house and there was a sort of swamp there. It wasn't very big but I could go into these makeshift canals and pretend I was in the jungle for a little bit. This time I was actually in the jungle. Lined with lush palm trees and houses stuck in the middle. Man, it was incredible.

After a 3 hour trip we arrived at the ashram. A gigantic pink collection of buildings that were seriously in the middle of nowhere. You can see them down river from about 30km away. We got off and headed up to the office. I was pretty nervous, I don't know why but it just had a little intimidating feeling to it. Walking into the courtyard there was a mix of Indians and westerners mostly dressed in all white. They walked around with a purpose and without Amma there it seemed peaceful.

Now the shitty part. As I went to check in at the office the guy at the desk was telling me that Indians and Westerners were not allowed to share a room. The accommodation seemed to be segregated. Rama said that there must be something that could be done seeing as we had shared a room for the last couple nights and it was clear we were friends. The guy at the desk called a superior (not Amma) and asked if we could, the final answer was no. Rama decided shortly after this that he did not feel comfortable there. We walked out to the small village that lay outside of the ashram and walked for a bit. We said our good byes, hugged and then I watched Rama ride off in the sunset. You will be missed.

I went back into the ashram and kept to myself for the most part. In a place that was billed to have endless love, compassion, and equality, I was feeling pretty confused. The room was as basic as I've seen yet but the view from the 12th floor was absoloutly stunning. Unlike anything I'd ever seen in my life. To be that high up and to see what I was seeing, in a place where nothing much is over 8 feet, wow. I went to bed and hoped for a better day at the ashram tomorrow.

The next day started out with seva, which means selfless service. It was helping with food prep, a area in which I had some experience. I cut dates with some other travelers and we did it for 3 hours. It felt good to do and after I had lunch and went to the big hall to meditate. I got to know this really cool couple while I was there. Sasha & Jessica are from Brooklyn and they have been in India for some months now doing a photo shoot on Westerners finding spiritual significance in India. It made miss Beth even more (who am I kidding,everything, food, showering, and walking make me miss Beth). We had wonderful conversation and when it was all finished they are people that I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with. The majority of people staying at the ashram were, for lack of a better description, glazed over. As a result, we didn't interact very often. Kind of a bummer.

I kept a smile on the whole time though realizing that the same seems to go for every religious entity, rarely do the disciples act like the guru. Christians don't act Christ-like, Muslims don't act like Allah, Hindus don't act like the Hindu Gods etc. It's because most of the people set the bar so high that it's impossible to reach. In reaching for it, I belive sometimes, something is lost. Such was the case for the Amma devotees. The feeling that Amma has left there though was wonderful. I enjoyed being around the ashram of a living guru, a living saint. The music, the chanting, the atmosphere was so different.

On the eve of my second night there was a massive thunderstorm. I could see it coming in the distance to the east. When it hit I went to the 16th floor, end of the line, and watched as the rain marched and swirled from on high. The lightning struck so powerfully and so closely that goose bumps ran down my neck, arms, and back. The thunder shook my insides as it was ripping through the sky. The whole show lasted about an hour and then slowly moved on. It was the best thunderstorm I have ever seen.

The last day I woke up and helped again with the serving of food. I smiled and acted awfully chipper and the people seemed surprised. Why is it that they practice love and compassion with only themselves? I went to the small shop and got a new dohty (the Indian man dress that has captivated my thighs...Mm mm, thats hot), a postcard and a bracelet, along with some Xmas presents. I left the ashram feeling mixed emotion. Whatever it is, I am much more relaxed and ready for the next leg of my journey through two states to Gokarna, the holy beach city. It's a 15 hour train ride and I am so looking forward to the beach. Word.

Waiting On The Train

The train ride there was pretty uneventful. We arrived in Kollam at 2:00am and to save trouble and time went to the nearest hotel and checked in. We both were pretty tired so we fell asleep pretty fast to the sounds of a thunderstorm overhead. When we woke up the next morning we had breakfast and then asked if the backwater boat would be leaving anytime soon. The man at the front desk said that the boat leaves at 10:30am. It was 10:27am. Shit. Ammas ashram will have to wait one more day. Rama and I decided that it was best not to waste the day so we decided to explore Kollam a little bit.

He had been there before and mentioned something about a lighthouse. Those of you who know me, know how I feel about lighthouses. I jumped at the chance and we took a rickshaw to see it. It was big, beautiful red and white stripped piece of Indian shoreline beauty. Normally we could have gone up it, but it was closed so we just admired it from the outside and moved on. We walked through these little fishing villages and for some reason, walking with an Indian holy man gives you some sort of street cred. At least I felt more at ease about walking up to peoples homes and starting conversations with people. Rama said it was because they were unpolluted. That made so much sense to me. We talked to so many people and the beauty of it was that since Rama is from the north and only speaks Hindi and English and the people in Kerala only speak their own local language we were all forced to communicate in other ways. It was a blessing to be able to connect with these people. After this we went and got me a Dohtty, which is for all intensive purposes a skirt for men (but so comfortable). We had dinner at another local vegetarian place and then went back to the hotel.

In the middle of the day I called Bethany. Thankfully I got through and she told me that after having an ultrasound, she found out we are having a boy. The idea gets stronger and stronger every day. We're going to be a family. I was so excited that I told everyone in the shopping mart where I was, (and got some pretty strange looks for my effort). I'm so happy about my life right now. My life is over as I knew it in so many ways and in the same amount of ways, my life is just starting. I'm so happy. This place is amazing, I'm off to Ammas ashram in the morning.