myWanderlist

...it's gonna be a wild ride

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Climbing the bell tower of Santa Maria in Ronda. When Spain wouldn't sell it, Hearst built his own in California. (at Santa Maria La Mayor Basilica)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Rafael Tejada invites me to a private event to test the spirit of the wild bulls on his ranch. Should I try it? (at Ronda)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

After a terrifying and exciting pitch black cave meditation where I have to call the lama and explain how a diety got shattered. (They didn't tell me the cave was haunted- more on that later) I'm now on a 23-hour bus ride to Shimla on these roads. (at Reckong Peo, Kinnaur)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

My year long quest to find the limits of human experience has brought me to this cave in #spiti. My gurus tell me that everything most of us "know" is based on a foundation of dualistic concepts (mine/yours, us/them, good/evil, right/wrong) and believing in the concrete nature of these things creates destructive cycles. It constrains our experience and expression live a sieve and prevents us from seeing reality. When that precarious framework collapses, knowledge has to be pieced back together on a true foundation. I'm here to do just that, to find out if the limits of our reality are really just constructs we make in our own mind. It's -7 degrees this high in the Himilayas and I'll be living in this cave in total sensory deprivation. I'll be fasting, trying to maintain my own body heat. The rituals and sensory deprivation is apparently like being stuck in your own dream. Our brains mirror and recreate the outside reality using our senses and without a visual reference point for what is real, all of the repressions, fears and insecurities surface and "fight it out," as they say. They say the serious hallucinations start after a couple days and you have to be strong enough to know they are figments of your imagination for what comes next...

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Heading to the restricted area to stay in somewhere way more rustic than this. #India (at Beautiful Rewalsar)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

The man who took over for the Dalai Lama explains how karma plays into government policy and his own decision to leave a lucrative career for one of the world's most difficult jobs as the political leader of the Tibetan people. Tibet is the only government (albeit not recognized by the UN being in exile) that cannot operate out of touch with reality and the people presents a fascinating model for the rest of us. Most governments operate in a continual state of tension. Shielded from fiscal consequences by debt, shielded from egotistical tension with walls and military, shielded from suffocating and divisive laws with police control, shielded from desirous consumption by ripping up the environment... The government of Tibet has none of those options. Lobsang explains how Buddhist principles allow the Tibetan government to operate in the absence of rational choices, how karmic principles help the administration create mutual understanding with political entities, how the principle of impermanence helps them find happiness while straddling future narratives, how keeping humanistic urges in check at the personal and organizational level creates harmony in the face of challenges. Dr. Lobsang Sangay is fascinating man running a dynamic government and has found a refreshing simplicity when dissolving the dual realities the rest of us create for ourselves. We all have a lot to learn. #dharamsala #india #buddhism #tibet #karma (at Tibetan Government in Exile, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, India)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Unreal: feeling the hypnotic chorus of Tantric Buddhist monks at prayer time. Gyuto Monastery #dharamsala (at Gyuto Tantric Monastery)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Unwinding in the chilled-out hill station of #dharamsala Where India meets Tibet... Thankfully, The Dalai Lama's top scholar has agreed to work with me, so I'm hanging out on a Friday night with this view... doing homework! (at Mcleod Ganj, Dhramsala, India)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

The World's Strongest Man, Mark Felix. I would ask him to arm wrestle, but... he's recovering from the competition. (at Varanasi, India)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

More travelers die in Varanasi than anywhere else in the world, and that's why I'm here trying to find its elusive secrets for the third time. Beneath the throbbing madness of traditional India is a city older than history, older than time, on the banks of the River Ganges where (supposedly) many of the mysterious Vedic sciences originated. (at Ganga River, Varanasi)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

It's a wonderful day for mind control training... #india #vedicwisdom (at Bankey Bihari Temple,Vrindavan)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Proper floor-eating etiquette is critical without eating utensils or toilet paper. #india (at Vrindavan)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Happy Holi from Vrindavan. It's gonna get messy! #holi #happyholi (at Vrindavan)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

I joined this Hare Krishna er.. ashram in the epicenter of Krishna culture. (Where he grew up) Vrindavan is a seething madhouse of homeless sadhus and Vedic pilgrims flocking to the craziest celebration of Holi. The Vedic masters agreed to teach me but the only available space is a closet in the corner of the basement. I'll have to shower in the public restrooms and eat off the floor. They told me I'd be kicked out if I broke any of the super-strict rules, to which I replied, "yeah... of course." I didn't tell them what happened at the last two ashrams... At least the Kool-Aid is really good... #india #holi #travel (at Vrindavan)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

A magical sunrise in India (at Agra - Taj Mahal)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

I discovered this old building today. Forgot the name. #india (at Taj Mahal)

[mywanderlisttravelexperiences]

Seriously! Who's ready for spring? I'm dreaming of Costa Brava. #catalonia #spain (at Platja de Castell)