Reflections on traveling to Nepal, India, Israel, and Belgium
Before I arrive in Ladakh, I am apprehensive. For an ole’ fogey like me, I can not ignore the altitude of 11,000 feet. Don, a friend in Atlanta, even emailed me the Mayo Clinics treatment for high altitude sickness. I plan on slowing down and acclimatize myself to the high altitude for the first …
Continue reading 87. A Tree Planting, a Conversation, and an Employee
Over thirty years ago, I rode a Honda motorcycle. While I had no cross-country adventures, I frequently made roundtrips of 200 mile. Since I didn’t have much money, I found the bike cheap and fun, especially in the autumns and springs. Slightly behind or contemporaneous with James Dean, Peter Fonda, and Dennis Hopper, I probably …
Continue reading 86. Motorcycles, Scooters, and Tibetan Buddhists
When I travel, I remember two things. Since I travel alone, I remember to initiate conversations. If I don’t attempt conversations, then traveling solo would be very lonely. Since I love taking photos and often get mesmerized by what I see, I must remember to ask myself: “What don’t I see?” With these two reminders, …
Family histories are complicated as evidenced by my family history and Mary, my wife's, family history. Regarding my family history, Chuck and Donna, my brother and sister-in-law, and Charles, Susan, and Melinda, my cousins, helped me recall parts of our family history. On my father’s “Lindquist” side, my Swedish great- grandfather came to this country …
Even though I only have access to the surface features of Ladakh life, I find it fascinating. Here are some of the faces, posters, and signs that I see while walking the streets of Leh and visiting sites in Ladakh. I’ll begin with the kids. While this may not be the best photo of …
Continue reading 83. Faces, Posters, and Signs of Leh and Ladakh
Nobody today is a William Moorcroft. After establishing a “hospital for horses” in London, the first veterinary college, and acquiring four patents for making horseshoes, Moorcroft became a veterinary surgeon of the British East Indian Company. In India, Moorcroft traveled to Tibet and then, with George Tredback, traveled and lived in Ladakh for two years …
I I’m browsing the Leh (India) Tibetan guesthouse bookshelf. I don’t know why, but I count the number of books. There are twenty-two books including Robert Pirsiig’s classic counter-cultural text Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Jane Austin’s Victorian novel Mansfield Park, and Enid Blyton’s Hardy-boys inspired childrens' book The Five Go …
Continue reading 81. His Holiness the Gyalwang Drupka My Crazy Tale
I pay my 500 rupees at the kiosk for permission to continue. As I continue down the side street from the north, I suddenly see Boudhanath Stupa. The experience is like walking amongst downtown Atlanta’s skyscrapers, turning a corner and suddenly seeing Mercedes Benz Stadium. Or, like walking in downtown London, turning the corner, …
While meandering along side streets between Kathmandu’s Thamel and Durbar Square, I came across some street art. Underneath many of the paintings was X College in conjunction with Kathmandu’s Heritage Walk. Rather than the work of a solitary artist such as a Banksy, this work appears to have been planned to celebrate Kathmandu. The subject …
I carry a camera over my shoulder. I look to the right to see if there is a photo op; I look to the left to see if anything catches my eye. I don’t want to miss anything. I’m obviously a traveler, worse yet, a tourist. Thus, I’m a target for touts, for individuals who …
Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 