Questions

So much of our big trip has been visiting holy places or participating in or viewing spiritual and religious ceremonies.  We have learned a lot (a ton!) about the diversity (and similarities) of people's spiritual and religious beliefs and practices in the nine countries we have visited so far on our Big Trip (including the UAE, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Palau, Singapore, India, Bhutan, and now, Myanmar).

Praying in Amritsar, India 

It has been fascinating and has left me with so many questions and thoughts about religion and spirituality.

Is it an acceptable life choice for boys to enter religious schools at eight years of age to learn religious history and to dedicate their lives to their religion if they are Buddhists?  What if they are Christians?  And if they are Moslems (knowing that the Arabic word for school is "madrasa")?

Offerings in an ancient cave in Laos

Why are females no longer allowed to be Buddhist monks?  Why are females consistently left out of religious power structures?

Is it ok to label a religion violent when some people (who follow that religion) persecute and terrorize people of a different religion?  What about if people who are Buddhists abuse a whole community who are Moslems - is Buddhism, therefore, a violent religion?  What if it were the other way around?  When is it ok to label a whole religion based on the actions of some followers of that religion?

Are there any organized religions which do NOT include regular prayers?  Bowing the head?  Prayer beads?  Washing?  Donations?  Fasting?  Some form of meditation?

Lighting candles in Yangon, Myanmar

What is the job description of a monk?  What does it involve other than living in a monastery or religious center?  Which moral rules do monks follow which are different than those of other believers?  What is the difference between a monk living on society's donations and someone temporarily living on social welfare in a socialist country?

The water purification ceremony in Bali, Indonesia

What would the world be like if humans had used the resources they have spent on religion for other purposes?   Think about all those beautiful and elaborate temples and churches and mosques, with all those carvings and paintings and bricks and marble and glass windows. Think about the leaders' rings and crowns and robes and homes.  Think of those wars across Asia and Europe and the Americas and the Middle East.  Think of the lives lost in the name of religion over thousands of years - the lands colonized, the people subjugated, the heathens killed...  Is religion worth it?

Nadia

I am a dog!

I am a dog. My name is Casey. I am here to tell you what not to do if you get a dog. Always cuddle. Never let the dog bowl be empty. Let me eat food off your plate. Let me sleep in your bed. Most important, never leave. Never leave because what's happened to me is, I will sit there all alone. Waiting for my food, wondering why you left in a rush telling me to shut up. I wanted a hug, a cuddle even a stroke on the back, but all you gave, was a glance. All day you should know that I love you. So please come home. I feel lonely. All day I sit there, waiting, wondering, hoping. There is no better legacy to leave, than the beating heart that would not be there had it not been for you. Once you get a dog, you will never walk alone. They will always be at your side. Love, Casey.❤️❤️

Mira

Beaching it in Goa

It's been a relaxing week hanging out on the beach in Goa with close friends Tony, Alisha and Fran Dias, who flew in from Rhode Island to meet us. Most of the time week we simply hung out, swam, ate, caught up on news from home, and shared some of our trip adventures to date.

One day we took a boat trip-slash-picnic-slash-introduction to tourism for Indians (i.e. large numbers, small spaces, and lots of trash everywhere). We had a great time in spite of it all and shared the day on a boat with a group of Indians, all male, out to drink the tour operator dry - lots of laughs all around.

Tomorrow we fly to Pushkar in Rajasthan for their annual camel festival where 50,000 camels will arrive from all over north India. It should be interesting.

Cheers, Rob

Beaching it with the Dias clan 

Looking for dinner 

Beach we stayed at in Goa 

 Crowded Indian beach barbecue

Goan backwater cruise boat 

Lunchtime 

Alisha and Maya off Monkey Island 

 Boat trip with group of 'Wild and Crazy' locals

 Scoping a good place to cliff jump

Maya goes for it 

Mira puts on the air brakes 

With our dear friend Tony, Fran and Alisha

Sea of Waste

Fisherman were just starting to pull their nets in, and the sun was just peaking over the hills. The morning was perfect. At six we headed to the surf shop to rent paddle boards, and by six forty five we were paddling down a shallow river, heading out to sea. Only the paddles made noise, effortlessly gliding in and out of the water. It seemed as if we had left all our cares behind, it was just us and the ocean. Everything was wonderful until we turned back towards shore. Clouding the surface of the water was muck left behind by fishing boats. It's ok, I tell myself, the muck will be gone soon, and then we will be back in the clear blue water. I kept waiting for us to paddle out of the polluted water, but we didn't. We just kept paddling through the fishermen's waste. Finally back on shore, looking out at the horizon, the water seemed bluer than ever, the muck was invisible.
We don't see any pollution, so we don't believe there is any. When we do stumble across it, we just ignore it, and tell ourselves it will be gone soon. But it's out there, and it's not going anywhere. Soon, if we aren't careful, we will all be floating in a vast sea of waste.

Maya

Words to Live By

Seen recently in Goa, words to live by.

Nadia

Surfs up

Last week my blog post focused on all the aches and pains associated with surfing but I couldn't really contribute too many action shots (i.e we weren't riding too many waves then). We'll, it's amazing how much progress can be made in a week (see action shots below).

For most of the past week we surfed at the same beach called Edava, where we shared the space with the local fisherman. We would arrive at 7am for our morning session and would usually help the fisherman pull in their boats with ropes before even getting in the water. Most of the boats would have been out most of the night fishing and it takes up to 20 people to pull a big wooden boat up onto the beach so the extra manpower we provided was always welcome.

Maya really excelled at learning to surf this week. She picks her waves carefully and would usually catch the waves she chooses. This is in contrast to my style of trying to catch every wave that comes down the beach, getting continually pounded by the surf, and only catching 1 of 10 waves. Mira really picked up later in the week also and had some long rides. Nadia prefers boogey boarding over surfing so she had a blast catching the same waves we did but she regularly enjoyed much longer rides on her boogey board.

We had such a great time in Varkala. The staff and guests at the Soul and Surf retreat where we stayed were really exceptional and having time to get to know them made all the difference. We've now just arrived in Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India, and look forward to good friends from RI arriving soon to join us at the beach.

Cheers, Rob

 Maya wipes out and snaps board in half

Boogey board madwoman 

Sisters catching waves 

Next cover of Wave Boarding magazine 

 Local fisherman steering boat to shore

Catch it, catch it, catch it

Mira's idea of 'downtime' between waves 

Fisherman looking to sea 

 Trying to stay ahead of the wave.....almost

Nice ride Maya

 Go girl

The old guy catches one 

Fisherman riding wave to shore 

 Colorful fishing boats on Edava Beach

A beach for everyone

Thank You

So far we have been in India for over a month, and there was only one place with decent toilet paper, Soul & Surf. It seems that at most hotels here they only give you half a roll of toilet paper. I mean, you use the toilet three times and then you're out of toilet paper. What are you supposed to do when your sharing a room with someone else? The toilet paper lasts for half a day. I guess maybe these places are trying to cut costs, but come on, just put a full roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, is that half a roll really going to make a difference? For that reason, I would like to take a moment to thank Soul & Surf for being the only hotel in India to put a normal full roll of toilet paper in the bathroom. They even leave one or two extra rolls above the sink. The rest of India could really learn from them. Shout out to anyone at Soul & Surf reading this, your toilet paper is great, keep doing what you do.

Maya

Surfing

In the early morning I once again cast myself to sea, like a stone to be tossed and tumbled where all my rough edges and wild sides can be worn away so that the sea will cast me back upon the shore only to start over doing the thing I love most again realizing that life is a lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you've got to get back up because you never know what could be over the next wave. So I carry on being pounded wave after wave, but when you do catch that one wave that makes everything worth while, you know what it feels like to live. Then it's time to pass the big waves to get far enough to catch one. Being pounded again and again, again. But all that time of getting cuts and scrapes and bruises, I remember that no matter what, nothing but the sky can keep the waves from coming, and once you get out there you choose the ones to surf. Life, like surfing is all about wave selection and balance. Don't let the best waves in life pass you by, ride it now before it's too late. 

It's also about courage, you can't cross the ocean unless you have the courage to loose sight of the shore. Don't spend time fantasizing about flying, when you can surf, which is almost the same thing.😛😛😛😛🏄🏽🏄🏽🏄🏽

Mira

Sensory Overload

India is the opposite of subdued and muted.  It is vibrant and stimulates every single one of your senses.

In Delhi, it was the sounds.  People spoke loudly.  Horns honked continuously.  And behind those overpowering noises, there was the call to prayer from mosques and the chanting and bells from temples.  We joked that we needed to wear noise canceling headphones whenever we went outside.

In Varanasi, it was the smells.  Incense wafted out of every shop and temple in the crowded streets.  Spices filled the air.  Other, unmentionable smells attacked our noses.

In the Punjab, it was the food.  The delectable and rich paneer dishes.  The buttery, melt-in-your-mouth breads.  The cool and refreshing raithas.

Here in Kerala, it is the colors.  Houses and walls and mosques and cars come in unexpectedly bright and jewel-toned colors, contrasting sharply with the green of the forest.  Even trees are painted!

The key is to not get used to it, to continue to notice and soak it up, relishing and appreciating every sensation in the moment...

Nadia

Battered and Bruised in Varkala India

Everyone has heard the saying "you can't teach an old dog a new trick". Well whoever originally coined this term probably did so while attempting to learn surfing after turning 50. That would be my guess anyway. Wow, the sport sure is harder than it looks and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Today was our 5th day of surf lessons on the beaches of Varkala in Kerala India and my body feels like I've been in a 15 round fight.

As I write, my shins have a couple of eggs on them from the board smashing into them, my ribs are sore, my feet are cut up from the board fins, my left elbow banged up, shoulders sore from endless paddling on the board, and toes bruised from getting slammed to the ocean floor by big waves. In spite of all this, I'm loving the new challenge. Today I was able to ride two modest waves and hope to move up to the larger and more lethal 10-12 footers in the next week (if I don't die first trying). Hopefully we'll have more chances to surf after India and as our trip continues.

We're in a laid back area of coastal, southern India and staying at the 'Surf and Soul' - a surfer hotel/guest house which is perched on a cliff and looks out over the Indian Ocean. The people working and staying here  are slightly younger than Nadia and I, say by a generation or so, and are free spirited travelers and surfers we're really enjoying spending time with. Maya and Mira seem to know everyone here and have also enjoyed the surfing and swimming. 

Every late afternoon there is yoga on the roof here and where, in addition to getting a good workout/stretch, participants get to watch beautiful sunsets over the ocean. Nadia, the kids and I are all enjoying the vibe and have decided to extend our time for another week. This will give me time to improve our surfing and give all of us time to slow down or travels a bit and enjoy this wonderful place.

Cheers Rob

 Checking out surf conditions at a beach we surf and fisherman keep their boats

 North beach where we've had several surf lessons

 Beautiful coastline, challenging surfing

 Local fishing boats

 Sunset, Varkala

Nadia chipper, Rob winded

People are People...

Having just departed Bhutan, I am reminded of the importance of identifying similarities.  It's easy to see differences among people and cultures, especially in "exotic" places in which people wear different clothes or speak different languages or have different rituals and practices.

We can learn and grow when we are mindful and strive to find ways in which we are alike.

Nadia

All of us have dreams and prayers...

...we love to dance...

...we need food...

...we have cultural and religious rituals...

...we are inspired by art...

 ...and we need love and hugs.