First Morning Pokhara....the clouds clear!

It's now 6:00 AM and monsoon clouds give way to early morning views of the Annapurna Range looming over Pokhara.

It looks like a great opportunity to begin some training with a day hike to the green peak you see in the foreground of the upper photo. This is Sarangkot -- from there, in one direction I'll look over the lake valley below and then back to the snow-capped range.

The Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway

The highway between the Kathmandu Valley and the lakeside town of Pokhara in central Nepal is a series of hillside-hanging "S"-shaped curves, one followed by another. Nonetheless, the scenery is utterly spectacular - terraced hillsides, green with baby rice seedlings, and below, a furiously flowing river of raging water browned with the monsoon run-off of hundreds of mountains streams.

A mist hangs low over the river valley as farmers weed their fields in the morning light. Cooks in roadship dhaabas (restuarants) prepare masala dishes for the crews that move an unending array of trucks between the industrial states of north India and the Kathmandu valley. The trucks, loaded with market goods, seem to ply the mountain road with their own form of aggression. As you see in the photo above, the pay-off is that some never complete the journey.

Kathmandu

The great Boudhanath Stupa dominates the skyline of this sector of Kathmandu, sitting on the ancient trade route that once connected Tibet and the Kathmandu valley. The 15th/16th century stupa, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal. With large migrations of Tibetans to Nepal, the stupa is surrounded by more than 50 temples and monasteries.

The majestic Himalayas overlook Kathmandu and Boudhanath, although the clouds of the seasonal monsoon occlude the view of mountain peaks during this visit.

Tomorrow I'll travel by bus through mountains and terraced fields to Pokhara in central Nepal where I'll begin to prepare for my planned trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary later this month.

Delhi's Lodi Garden

Delhi always draws more energy than one seemingly has to expend, but the city still does have its beauty. Last Friday, the number of people who traveled on the Metro exceeded 2 million for the first time ever. I waited out several trains at one station since there simply was no space to board. Do you wonder why they have separate coaches for women?

The photos are of Lodi Garden, an expansive inner-city park that is home to the mosques and tombs of 15th-16th century Mughal emperors of the Lodi dynasty.

Cows go shopping too!

Over the years during visits to Varanasi, I've repeatedly seen this cow in its favorite haunt, a cloth shop in the city's Godowlia Market. She has become the shop's signature pet.

Hindus regard all cows as sacred and they seem to wander the streets throughout the country with freedom and license to sit wherever they choose.

This cow apparently has a favorite corner of the shop for lounging; just before she hobbled up the granite steps, I observed the shopkeeper moving the stools out of the way to make way for the venerable.

Sarnath and Deer Park - site of the first teaching of the Buddha

Twenty kilometers from Varanasi sits the small town of Sarnath and its Deer Park, a forested area where the historical Buddha offered his first teaching after achieving enlightenment nearly 2600 years ago.

Today one finds archaeological remains of monasteries built at the site and an ancient stupa constructed to commemorate the event of the Buddha's teaching.

Deer still roam the neighboring park, while vendors sell local snack foods to Indian visitors and local boys practice their classroom English by asking foreigners to take their photo.

Being in the moment in the midst of chaos!

Earlier today I found myself weaving through thousands of Hindu pilgrims on a busy Varanasi thoroughfare that leads to the River Ganga. There was little order to the hurried march of devotees as they were prodded along by stick-waving jawans (soldiers) and police in riot gear.

I was impatient, so I picked up my pace in order to put the unruly crowd behind me.

Then I caught the eye of a soldier who was watching me with apparent interest when I realized he was reading the inscription on my tee shirt. I paused and remembered that the shirt carried the words of my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, "Do not hurry. Enjoy the present moment." I had a little laugh, smiled to the policeman and came back to the moment. I slowed my pace and realized that I could enjoy even these moments of chaos. More aware and very slowly I continued to my destination.