Thought I'd provide the brouchure details of the trip in pdf link below. Also including an email I rec'd this am from one of the planners...Heading to airport!
http://www.appliedmeditation.org/programs/india/india_trip.pdf
Dear Fellow Pilgrims,
When I was in the States in December I bought the November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler, which listed the 133 best travel destinations in the world. Rajasthan, where we will be spending most of our time, was rated # 19, and was the destination with the most improvement (8 points up, to 64) since the last rating 5 years ago (I haven't been there for 10 years). They called it "India's Tuscany" and noted is has "strong sense of cultural identity" and "remarkable appeal and mystique."
The only other destinations in India in the ratings were #23, the Kerala backwaters (in the far south) and #30, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri area, which we will also visit.
So, even though we are not tourists (!), we will be visiting some much esteemed destinations.
Love, Sharif
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Entertainment while you wait
"Here's a little number I think you're gonJOWEE"-blind radio station deejay in O Brother Where Art Thou
Many thanks to Mizzzz Laura Neville, my good Irish chum, for turning me onto Sita Sings the Blues and, in general, keeping life spicy.
Krishna meets scratchy record blues in this clever and colorful telling of the Ramayana story. You'll want to see it in full screen for all its sights, sounds and nuances that will make you laugh out loud. (ha! the old-fashioned spelling)
(In 10 parts on YouTube, produced by Nina Paley)
Enjoy!
YouTube - sita sings the blues full movie
Many thanks to Mizzzz Laura Neville, my good Irish chum, for turning me onto Sita Sings the Blues and, in general, keeping life spicy.
Krishna meets scratchy record blues in this clever and colorful telling of the Ramayana story. You'll want to see it in full screen for all its sights, sounds and nuances that will make you laugh out loud. (ha! the old-fashioned spelling)
(In 10 parts on YouTube, produced by Nina Paley)
Enjoy!
YouTube - sita sings the blues full movie
Monday, January 18, 2010
A map of plans...and life
rajasthan india - Google Maps
If I did this right there should be a map above or at least a link for refernce. (UPDATE: Jaisalmer is not pictured on the map unless you zoom in but is located on the furthest point west where India sort of juts into Pakistan)
Just a little background about the group I will be with and how I got all tangled with them... Not very exciting reading but it might help things make more sense as this trip takes shape. A few years back I was part of a meditation group through the Institute for Applied Meditation. We studied 'Living from the Heart,' a book based on heart rythym meditation with its roots in India under the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan(not related to Genghis OR Chaka). Since that time, I have stayed on their emailing list and the announcement about India popped up on the heels of following the Dovzak's blog during their trip to India last summer. I was already wistful and had wanted for some time to visit India so it didn't take me long to decide to do this.
Incidentally, the authors of 'Living from the Heart,' Puran and Susanna Bair, will be our leaders on this trip. There are 26 others, only 4 from Tucson in addition to Puran and Susanna, about half or more from the US and the rest appear to be coming from various other parts of the globe.
For those interested, here is a run down of our tentative itinerary. Several of us arrive early in Delhi on the 31st of Jan. and after sleeping off jet lag will find plenty to see and do in our spare time. By the 4th of Feb, all will have hopefully arrived and we begin with some volunteer work in Delhi arranged by IAM. More to come on that as it unfolds. From there:
Feb 6th- night train to Mt Abu
Feb 8th-Ranakpur/Jodhpur
Feb 10th-Jaisalmer
Feb 11th-back to Jodhpur
Feb 12th and 13th-Pushkar and Ajmer
Valentines Day thru Feb 15th-Jaipur
Feb 16th at sunrise we plan to be at the Taj Mahal in Agra
Feb 16th night train to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
Feb 20 return to Delhi
Feb 21 US bound arriving Feb 22
OK so so that's the plan and well, then there's life. Naturally, it's the part I look forward to with all it's depths, surprises, twists and turns, and hopefully what I can reverberate back to any interested readers out there.
PS I've meant to give a credit to Brad and Rita Berglund whose gift of a little laminated photo with the Miriam Beard quote on the back, is something I've carried with me everywhere I go. Many thanks for so much!
Cheers, all.
If I did this right there should be a map above or at least a link for refernce. (UPDATE: Jaisalmer is not pictured on the map unless you zoom in but is located on the furthest point west where India sort of juts into Pakistan)
Just a little background about the group I will be with and how I got all tangled with them... Not very exciting reading but it might help things make more sense as this trip takes shape. A few years back I was part of a meditation group through the Institute for Applied Meditation. We studied 'Living from the Heart,' a book based on heart rythym meditation with its roots in India under the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan(not related to Genghis OR Chaka). Since that time, I have stayed on their emailing list and the announcement about India popped up on the heels of following the Dovzak's blog during their trip to India last summer. I was already wistful and had wanted for some time to visit India so it didn't take me long to decide to do this.
Incidentally, the authors of 'Living from the Heart,' Puran and Susanna Bair, will be our leaders on this trip. There are 26 others, only 4 from Tucson in addition to Puran and Susanna, about half or more from the US and the rest appear to be coming from various other parts of the globe.
For those interested, here is a run down of our tentative itinerary. Several of us arrive early in Delhi on the 31st of Jan. and after sleeping off jet lag will find plenty to see and do in our spare time. By the 4th of Feb, all will have hopefully arrived and we begin with some volunteer work in Delhi arranged by IAM. More to come on that as it unfolds. From there:
Feb 6th- night train to Mt Abu
Feb 8th-Ranakpur/Jodhpur
Feb 10th-Jaisalmer
Feb 11th-back to Jodhpur
Feb 12th and 13th-Pushkar and Ajmer
Valentines Day thru Feb 15th-Jaipur
Feb 16th at sunrise we plan to be at the Taj Mahal in Agra
Feb 16th night train to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
Feb 20 return to Delhi
Feb 21 US bound arriving Feb 22
OK so so that's the plan and well, then there's life. Naturally, it's the part I look forward to with all it's depths, surprises, twists and turns, and hopefully what I can reverberate back to any interested readers out there.
PS I've meant to give a credit to Brad and Rita Berglund whose gift of a little laminated photo with the Miriam Beard quote on the back, is something I've carried with me everywhere I go. Many thanks for so much!
Cheers, all.
Friday, January 15, 2010
15 days to go...
My push pin is still on the map in Tucson but I am nearing the runway with every passing day! Finally, this adventure is on the verge of fleshing out.
It's hard to know how often I will find myself wifi connected but will try to post whenever possible. Please feel free, though, to comment in my absences so I will happily find you there when I return to the world-wide-web. In the next couple days, I'll try to lay out some sense of itinerary and a little more detail about the group I will be travelling with. Again, welcome to all and stay tuned!
This here post is my champagne-bottle-against-the-bow!
It's hard to know how often I will find myself wifi connected but will try to post whenever possible. Please feel free, though, to comment in my absences so I will happily find you there when I return to the world-wide-web. In the next couple days, I'll try to lay out some sense of itinerary and a little more detail about the group I will be travelling with. Again, welcome to all and stay tuned!
This here post is my champagne-bottle-against-the-bow!
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