Travel Report: Vishnu Cyber Cafe

(Despite a pretty cool name, the Vishnu Cyber Cafe does not want me to upload any photos or use their usb port at all. So, no photo sharing yet.)
(Edit: Photos added now - enjoy)

After a very long and exciting journey, I've arrived in Bodh Gaya, India!

My plane landed in Kolkata around sunset. The weather was warm and misty. I changed some money and got in a taxi to the train station. Within a few minutes, I was racing down the streets of Kolkata in traffic insanity. My first glimpse of India - dark with a hazy, dusty, polluted mist that glowed in the lights of busy street stalls and headlights of oncoming traffic. And, I mean on-coming! Not an inch of cement was going unused with feet, bikes, animals, rickshaws, cars, buses, and more.

I didn't take any photos. I just wanted to bask in the experience. I was going to write: "let the experience soak in." But, then I thought: "actually I don't want anything to soak in to me here - it's kinda dirty!" Ok, more than kinda. Kolkata (and most of India that I've seen so far) is very dirty. I went back and looked at the guide book and noticed how skillful they were at editing out the litter, pollution, and filth ridden animals. Kudos to the photographers. I'm hoping my photos can be a bit more true to life.

I arrived at the Kolkata Howrah train station about four hours early for my train. I didn't feel hungry or tired, but I was a little delirious. I was tempted to do some sightseeing in Kolkata before departing, but given the insanity of the streets, my delirium, and the overwhelming experience of my first Indian train station, I had enough to keep me busy.

The train depot looked a bit like how I imagine a post-disaster emergency housing center to look. People were jammed in the large ornate building taking up spots on the floor where they would lie down, take naps, enjoy a little train station picnic, or just generally huddle together. There were some clumps that carried with them an obvious religious bond as indicated by their specific uniform (headwear, or robe, etc.)

There was a main entrance from the subway transfer that appeared to be a constant moment-to-moment flow of people flooding in. I attempted to walk against the flow just to see where they were coming from, all with a big smile on my face.

Every window that looked like official business (ticketing, schedules, etc) was swarmed with a large crowd (no line) of people pushing toward the window. I found a sign that said my train was on time, and was content to simply wait it out and assume my e-ticket was going to work. I did enjoy the small signs that say "please queue." It was only written in English, so I had to wonder what the point was.

After a little while of just wandering aimlessly through the station, quite amused by the non-ordinariness of my situation, I eventually met my first friends. In the sea of thousands, I probably saw less than a dozen westerners during the entire four hours. But, as I retreated to a little stairwell for a cozy place to sit, I met with a couple of students from a university in Delhi. One was Indian (though he spoke perfect English) and the other was French. They seemed quite pleased to come talk with me, and they'd taken bets on where I was from. The French guy guessed Holland, and the Indian guy guessed Germany. When, I revealed that I was from the US, they were surprised, and the Indian guy was really hoping I was from Texas. He liked Texas.

It was nice to have a little conversation at this point. They set my mind at ease, and confirmed that my train was indeed on time and on it's way. They're train, however had been delayed twice for a total of 14 hours. They had been taking it in stride and made the best of their extra time in Kolkata.

When I finally jumped on the train, I found a quaint little bunk bed waiting for me. It was quite modest, and separated by curtains from a number of Indians who would occasionally yell out from their curtains throughout the night. I imagine they were saying things like: "Are we there yet? How much longer? Where are we?" or maybe it was, "I've got to pee." "Why are you telling me that?"

The train was about an hour late getting to Gaya, but that gave me some time to make another friend, an older army man from India. His English wasn't great, but we were able to chat enough so that he could give me some fatherly advice about being careful in India.

I finally pulled my camera out and took some photos of him, and the bumpy auto-rickshaw ride that I later took to Bodh Gaya. Hopefully, I can find a way to share these photos soon.

Dawn at Bodh Gaya. Home at last.

I'll have to write more about Bodh Gaya later on. Monks were out; People were smiling; Horns were honking.

I'm off now to do a little more exploring before heading back to my room for some evening meditation (unless I find a little temple spot to meditate).

My retreat starts tomorrow afternoon at the Thai Monastery (no address, just "The Thai Monastery").

I think I like it here.

Travel Report: Almost There...

I'm in Bangkok, sending a quick message with some time to kill before my flight to Kolkata, India.

I spent about 5 hours laid over in Tokyo airport, and just spent the night here in Thailand. It's fun seeing some long-time-no-see surroundings. I didn't really want to leave Japan.

I was excited to watch some sumo wrestling on TV in Japan.

Once in Thailand, I've enjoyed watching infomercials on thai television for women's slimming cream, and breast enhancement cream. Very informative programs (sarcasm). It kind of makes me wonder what would happen if you used both together? Counterproductive? or do you get some weird slimming-enhancing inversion type scientific breakthrough? It's either that or the 24 hour soccer channel here.

By the way, it's hot here.

How to Change Your Life with a Backpack and an Airplane Ticket

Only a few hours left before I head to the airport, slug through security, find my little seat on a crowded plane, and then take to the air for a long journey across the globe.

If you read the title of this post and were hoping for some kind of how-to guide, well here it is in three simple, easy, marketable, friendly steps:

Buy a plane ticket.
Pack everything you have into a backpack.
Go.

Change your life - it's that simple.

Why Travel The World For What You Already Have?

Why India? Why go all the way around the world just to sit in silence with my eyes closed? What am I going to find in India that I couldn't find anywhere else?

These are some questions that a lot of people have asked me lately. I imagine them to be commonly asked of any spiritual traveler.

Well, my story might be a bit different from others... It starts with frequent flier miles. I earned enough miles for an international ticket, and my miles were set to expire in March of 2010. I wasn't about to let them go.

So I had the first ingredient: a free ticket.

Another thing worth noting is that many of the meditation centers in India and Asia are run entirely on donation. The California Vipassana Center, and some other centers in the US are also run on donation, but many of them charge too. Not to mention, a donation in India goes a lot farther than it does here. And, when I'm not at a meditation center, my costs will be much cheaper for daily room and board.

So, free ticket, free meditation centers... this is looking pretty cost effective so far.

Then, of course, we can throw in the fact that: I will meet many other international pilgrims also on their spiritual journey's; I can visit the historical sites that I've read about in the Buddha's life; I can meditate in the same places where thousands (if not millions) of Buddhist followers have sat and meditated before; I can visit the land of origin of Buddhist thought (not to mention so many other spiritual traditions too), etc.

And, to top it all off I was in search of a place where I could do some serious meditation long term with highly qualified instructors. These were my two biggest challenges with the S.N. Goenka center that I recently stayed at: retreats were limited to 10 days max, and there was very little personal instruction.

So from one perspective, I'm off for a pilgrimage to the holy land in hopes to find the eternal Truth of all human existence by studying with the great enlightened masters and surrendering into the sacred spaces of India's ancient country. From the other perspective, it just seemed like a fun way to not have to go back to work.

Will I find my soul in a fresh cooked Samosa? We'll just have to wait to find out.
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

India Dreamin' (Travel Plans For January)

Santa Cruz - Pacific OceanTen Days Left in the USA!

I'm gettin' a little antsy in my pantsy over this ...I'm excited! In ten days, I'll be boarding a plane heading off for my next grand adventure.

Here's my itinerary to start with: The trip to my first destination will be a four day trip. (At least I should get in a lot of airplane meditation.)
January 12th - San Francisco to LA
January 13th/14th - LA to Tokyo to Bangkok
January 15th - Bangkok to Kolkata (Calcutta)
January 15th/16th - Overnight train to Gaya
January 16th - auto-rickshaw to Bodh Gaya

I chose Bodh Gaya as my first stop because I wanted to attend the annual Bodh Gaya Retreat led by Christopher Titmuss and some of his other co-instructors.

January 17th to Feb 6th - Silent Retreat in Bodh Gaya, India.

The perfect place to start a trip, Bodh Gaya is the town where the Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment. And, there is even a tree in the middle of town which is said to be a grandchild of the very tree under which the Buddha sat.
"This Truth, won to by me, is deep, difficult to see, difficult to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond dialectic, subtle, to be experienced by the wise... This that through many toils I've won"
- The Buddha (upon his enlightenment)
I've been told by fellow meditators that a retreat in Bodh Gaya will inevitably have a special energy to it. The entire city is said to be a center of Buddhist practice in India (though in the country of it's origin only 0.76% of Indians are Buddhist). A world famous pilgrimage spot as well, Buddhist practitioners come from all over the world. Literally, it is said to be a Buddhist bouquet - red and yellow robes of Tibetan monks, the saffron robes of south-east Asia. Black and gray robes of China, Korea, and Japan.

The teachers of the retreat aren't any whom I've studied with before. However, Christopher Titmuss was a monk under Ajahn Buddhadasa at Wat Suan Mokh in Thailand, and this is where I first learned Vipassana (although many years after Titmuss had left, and after Buddhadasa had died.) Christopher Titmuss has a number of his discourses available online in mp3s (many which were recorded at previous Bodh Gaya retreats.) I've listened to a bit, and liked what I heard.

I'm definitely looking forward to this opportunity, and to my longest retreat yet (20 consecutive days).

After my sit, I plan to hang out in Bodh Gaya for a bit and get a chance to actually see some of India... with my eyes open! I also plan to visit some other Buddhist pilgrimage spots while on my way up to Nepal for more meditation. I'll write more about February's travel plans a little later on.

Wish me safe travels!