cross-blogging

one of my friends from the last course i did created a website with some photos - there are some good ones of what's around mccleod ganj, and there's one of me with my girlfriends: tushita.blogspot.com.

en-joy!

is today a...what day is it?? (big lebowski)

today is a wednesday (i think) but i woke up early to turn my alarm off so i could skip chi gong and t'ai chi classes this morning and slept in till 8. i proceeded to knife around (spaceghost quote) for a few hours with my girlfriends, just relaxing, reading, cleaning, making breakfast, making lunch...it was great and much needed.

in 2 days i might be going into a vipassana meditation, which is a solid 10 day course that somehow lasts for 12 days. i'm on the waiting list so if i get in, i'll be incommunicado for a while.

there are so many things to do here in mccleod ganj that i can't make up my mind when to go to thailand: the dalai lama will be giving public teachings on june 24; his birthday is on july 6, and i'm thinking of sticking around until that point. there are also a few really good yoga classes here, as well as an ayurvedic medicine and massage course. ALSO we've been having dinner parties back at the homestead and they're just so much fun! especially b/c one of our friends is a chef...hmmm, it's gonna be hard to leave this place!

just wanted to check in in case i do get into this meditation course - wish me luck, i reckon it's gonna be a doozie!

much love and namaste,
mev

rainy afternoon in dharamsala

i'm just ducking into chai shops and internet cafes to avoid the afternoon deluge - it's nice though, it cleans everything off and then the sun pops out again!

i moved to a new hotel that's pretty amazing - it's about a 15 minute walk off the beaten path and full of cool travelers - musicians who throw dinner parties to be exact. can't ask for much more, but it's nestled in the hills with a beautiful view of the mountains, there's a porch where i can do yoga and meditation...and my girlfriends are still with me! happy as a pig in shizah i am.

wanted to let everyone know what all i got with the $25 joanne gave me for my berfday: a really beautiful silver ring that looks like a leaf wrapped around my finger, a beautiful long skirt that would cost $60 at home, a long sleeved tshirt, a pair of brown linenish pants, and a book. not bad, not bad at all.

by the way, HAPPY BELATED AUNTIE JOBA - hope your birthday was spectacular! was thinking of you but kept forgetting to write...

props from the crossroads of the Marine Corps

hi miss,

things are well here in lovely Quantico. i've been going throught the Staff Orientation Course for the past two weeks. good times. This morning we did the Tarzan course which is a series of rope obstacles 50 feet in the air and then we did the Confidence Course which is a bunch of height obstacles designed to build your......confidence. Other than that it's been a lot of running on the trails trying to memorize them so we don't get the candidates lost when they show up....no promises from me on that one.

two weeks ago went up to DC to see matt and company. last weekend i was in philly to visit some old friends from college. this weekend i'm going to camp hill for a few days, then flying out to minneaopolis to finish moving my crap into the new apartment. we pick up the candidates next Wednesday so i'm off until then.

there is a little black cat that has an injured front paw that lives in the woods behind the BOQ on base where i'm staying. I feed her every morning or night, she hears the sound of the mustang and knows its chow time. i figure that is my good deed for the day or the week, hopefully her leg is better before i leave in 6 more weeks, she can't catch any food on her own the way she is.

that's all that is fit to print for now from here. i had some chai tea the other day, matt brewed a mean batch of it, i think it was the stuff you sent from india, it was damn good, now i know why you all are always drinking that stuff, it's like crack, huh?

you travels sound awesome, it's almost soothing just reading your descriptions of everything, and it sure beats crawling through the snake and leach infested standing water in the OCS Quigley. Be safe and know i miss you and love you.

Semper Fidelis,

W. B. FENWICK
CAPT USMC

back to life, back to "reality"

i suppose it's been a wee while since my last post...

i've just finished a 10 day meditation/philosophy/retreat that allowed zero communication with the outside world, or the inside world for that matter...we were supposed to be in silence the whole 10 days except for during 'discussion groups'. it was an awesome experience though! at the end of the course it was like one big 80-person family - old people, young people, americans, brits, aussies, israelis, swiss, canadians, koreans, and on and on...

i can't really give too many 'highlights' of the course - it was 10 days of silence, lectures, and meditation! but one guy did rip a really loud fart during meditation, which got a big laugh. my friend also fell asleep during one meditation, falling forwards onto her face and going 'oof!'.

so now i'm back in dharamsala among the peaceful people, indian smells, chai shops, bakeries (they have CHOCOLATE CAKE here!) and just enjoying the company of some good travel companians.

that's aboot it from this end for now...

love and namaste,
mev

Xtreme!

hey rooski,

whats the good word? you're making a liar outta me by not blogging :) hopefully, the bloggers at large are a forgiving bunch. attached is a picture of my whitewater rafting adventure in west virginny last weekend. thats tom davis on the left, looking scared, and yours truly on the right. the rapids were class V so the xtreme factor was in play.



will is taking a break from beating up on marine officer candidates in quantico to come to DC for the weekend. should be a rockin good time. reckon we'll have some quality pics to post ...

other than that, cath and i have our marathon training kickoff breakfast tomorrow. we'll be spending every saturday morning running. but only for the next 5 months. eesh. hopefully my gimpy knee will hold up. keep your fingers crossed.

i posted the remaining pics from my time over there so peep those if able. i've been such a slacker printing out the photos and sending them to our friends in bundi and jhawalar ...

hope things are lovely in dharamsala ... much love, pie.

pics: delhi 2

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hbriykx.cgqsp2qp&x=0&y=d8vd5b

pics: jhawalar, day 2

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hbriykx.4lufblpd&x=0&y=e9dnvc

pics: jhawalar, day 1 :-)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hbriykx.50q2wa1t&x=0&y=-6z1801

pics: bundi

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hbriykx.2rztsi8x&x=0&y=h289es

the adventures of humgry hypo (natalie), speed racer (ally), and lee gold (thatz me)

these are my travel partners for the last week or so...

we found ourselves in these little himalayan villages that reminded us of switzerland, china (though we've never been), and paradise, more than india. the blend of east asian culture with indian as well as the distinctive (and beautiful!) look of the mountain people. it's fascinating, charming, perfect.

which leads me to yesterday, my 27th bday, and possibly the most perfect day in the world. we started off with yummy bfast at this restaurant that had become our 2nd home, a balcony surrounded by snow-capped mountains. we literally made up 50% of their business in the few days we ate there. our friend ashok from the restaurant HELD the bus for us, put our bags on the roof (trust me - this favor did not go unappreciated!)

best bus ride ever: a little girl sat on ally's lap, an indian man sat on nataliana's, and a kind man gave up his seat for me! i will not even attempt to explain the scenery. also amusing was the way the busdriver would stop in the middle of the road to chat with other bus drivers and shake hands out the window. this is possible bc the roads are not much wider than a driveway. also they twist and turn over hundreds-of-feet-high cliffs with only small rocks as a 'guardrail'.

enter kalpa, cutest mountain town ever. found a barbgain hotel for $3, and set out on a meander out of town. we found a rock carved out just for us near a waterfall. on the way back we stopped a a guest house - where we stayed for 4 hours, drinking chai and avoiding a storm outside.

finished off the evening with some quality bonding girl time, a happy bday song, some chocolate, and oh yeah - mixed drinks!

now i'm in dharamsala in the mountains - lots of tibetans, monks, and tourists. after a good night's sleep i'm feeling much better. the bus rides can be a bit brutal!

thanks all for the happy bday wishes - jb that was the best bday card i got! joba, i'm going to spoil the bjeez outta myself with with your bday gift, $25 could get me 5 massages!

for my bday i would like a post from the bloggers, how 'bout it champs?

all right i'm off to dinner and an open mike with LIVE MUSIC!

much love to all,
mevarooski

Happy Birthday, GIRL!

Wow--another year.....I hope that you had a wonderful birthday in India. Here's my little birthday photo for you--not quite as great as when you used to make me waffles for breakfast on my birthday, but it's the best I can do, seeing as how you're so far away!

I've loved all the pics and stories.....why didn't I just blow off this "job" stuff after grad school and come traveling with you?! Speaking of jobs, I just got a new one....no more juvenile delinquents for me. I'll still be working with families and kids as a social worker, just for a better agency, for better pay and just an all-around better job!

Chris and I just visited SAn Diego this past weekend--for the first time since I moved away! It was GREAT...we went to Sushi on the Rock, went to Balboa Park, watched baby seals in La Jolla and hung out with Meghan and Guido in OB. We also drove by the old apartment.....ah, the memories!

Happy travels, be safe!

Love, Jen

Heath Bar,
Remind me when you get back to teach you how to play MSN poker since I am the reigning champ. I keep embarassing your brothers. It's shameful, really.
LOVE the new pics!!
xoxoxo

miss in the himalayas

mev sent me these pics ... after a long 10 1/2 hr bus ride, she's in dharamsala now and said she had the best birthday ever :) reckon she'll post soon.

BERFDAY!!!!

Cooz!!!!!!! HARRRRPY BERFDAY!!!!!!!!! I came into work just to give you a birthday post, though by the time you get this I am sure you will have been 27 (heheh, welcome to the club, sista!) for several moons.
Hopefully you were able to do something spectacular for the blessed event . . . maybe get the corner piece of cake if there was cake. Even though none of us over here were able to celebrate it with you, I am sure we were all thinking of you (at least I know I am). I wish I could call you and have a proper chat with you today, but alas, I will settle for a blog entry. I will give you an update in another blog entry this week . . . I wanted this one to be dedicated just to your big day. TE AMO!!!

Shake It Don't Break It - Took Your Momma 9 Months to Make It

Well, this is the closest I could come to mixing your adventures over there with a traditional party here. Anywhosits, my dear, have a very very very happy birthday. Who would have thunk at 27 you'd be twisted up like a pretzel along the Ganges?! May this year bring you everything you ever dreamed of. I luv you and miss you tons!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Luv, Rach

last batch of pics from jaipur

shop till you drizzop
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hbriykx.awoolnrt&x=0&y=-oqna9d

pics from jaipur: part 6 of 7

enjoy!



http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hbriykx.a8czjeah&x=0&y=-et0hku

pics from will