Muy Bien β My Top Ten (Costa Rica) continued …
(Here's the first part of the Top Ten list in the previous post). 6. Pipa Fria Who needs Whole Foods, when you can pick up fresh coconut water at the numerous roadside fruit stands? Pull over immediately (smiling and pura vida-ing) and donβt be alarmed by the machete the fruit guy is holding. Watch, as within seconds, he hacks open an unripened,...
Muy Bien β My Top Ten (Costa Rica)
I tried to keep it to just Five Fab Reasons, I really did, but it was impossible. I couldnβt condense a week of immersing ourselves in the splendor of our Costa Rica yoga retreat, to just five little cameos. So, I opted for a Top Ten (out of a shortlist longlist of over thirty), and here they are, in no...
10 Reasons To Go On A Yoga Retreat (on Lake AtitlΓ‘n, Guatemala)
1. Your Destination Is Dramatically Beautiful Set in the highlands of Guatemala, Lake AtitlΓ‘n is celebrated as βthe most beautiful lake in the worldβ β as famously described by German explorer, Alexander von Humboldt. Itβs the deepest lake in Central America, a crater lake (caldera) formed by the very volcanoes that surround it today. The three giants rising up over...
Book Packing In McLeod Ganj
[caption id="attachment_542" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Β How can FedEx compete against this charming setup?[/caption] Yes, thatβs Book Packing in McLeod Ganj, not Backpacking. The latter being a travel adventure for those exploring the Himalayas in (most likely) scruffy-baggy-unisex trousers and cotton rasta-colored friendship bracelets; seeking budget accommodation, ethnic meals and meaningful inter-cultural connections with locals and likeminded international explorers. The former being an...
Meeting The Dalai Lama at 36,000 Feet
I met His Holiness the Dalai Lama on my flight to Delhi today...
Goodbye, McLeod Ganj
It's our last day in McLeod Ganj and my sunrise walk took me through the peaceful woods on the way to the Buddhist temple - a kaleidoscope of Tibetan prayer flags flapping in the breeze, prayer wheels spinning to the hum of Om Mani Padme Hum, stray dogs lazing in the early sunlight. I realize how little quiet time we've...
Mcleod Ganj Moonrise
I was going to write a post about Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana) and the Moon Salutations (Chandra Namaskar), to accompany photos of the magnificent moonrise last night and then I thought all that really mattered was to share the moon's magic with you. Every morning and evening, the view from my balcony here in McLeod Ganj is different, as the...
Buddhist Nun and Anger
A magical day today. I met a Buddhist nun at Tushita, after finishing morning meditation (sans Hairy Bearded Dude). The only reason we met was because I heard uncontrollable laughter as I walked past her home, so I stopped to see what was going on. She'd just thrown a papaya skin into the woods for the monkeys and by mistake...
Tushita and the Hairy Bearded Dude Meditation
I finally made it to Tushita today, a Buddhist meditation center between McLeod Ganj and Dharamkot, where you can drop in for daily morning meditation. It was our day off, so the walk through the forest with its silent, tall trees was a welcome shift from the tuk tuk, taxi and car fumes we try to avoid by breathing through...
Daily Scenes of McLeod Ganj
[gallery type="circle" ids="522,69,91,114,120,145"] Halfway through the teacher training tomorrow; amazing how quickly it's whizzed by and how the foreignness of things has subsided into the new normal. The monkey that came ransacking last week appeared again tonight at my door and this time I was armed with my squeegee/mop thing to chase him off the balcony. I am officially a local! Other...