alilou's Adventures in Wonderland - Rarotonga, Oz, Vietnam

[Buzz]

You are in the land on my distant ancestors and it sounds like you are having the best time. Thanks again for letting us in on your journeys. As always keep safe and look forward to your next entry!

[skatesindreams]

Yet again, another great "slice of life", from a part of the world that I would likely never discover "up close and personally" without your kindness in sharing your experience with us.

Looking forward to the next installment.

[BelleBway]

Loved the latest entry. (as usual) Just be careful with your belongings around the monkeys...

[alilou]

You are in the land on my distant ancestors and it sounds like you are having the best time. Thanks again for letting us in on your journeys. As always keep safe and look forward to your next entry!

So you're part Indian eh? We're doing all we can to stay safe here and still live. The more we adjust the more we love it here. There is much to appreciate.

Yet again, another great "slice of life", from a part of the world that I would likely never discover "up close and personally" without your kindness in sharing your experience with us.

Looking forward to the next installment.

You're welcome, and thanks. Sharing the blog is just fun. And even more fun to hear it brings pleasure to others. I'm looking forward to the next installment too

Loved the latest entry. (as usual) Just be careful with your belongings around the monkeys...

Hey Belle, I remember your story about the monkey coming into your room in Africa - must have been quite freaky. But I don't get "A monkey stole my title" What does it mean?

[BelleBway]

Hey Belle, I remember your story about the monkey coming into your room in Africa - must have been quite freaky. But I don't get "A monkey stole my title" What does it mean?

I was bored with my user title, and couldn't figure out what to change it to. So I decided that I don't have a title because a monkey must have stolen it.

it kinda makes more sense when I am not trying to explain it

[alilou]

I was bored with my user title, and couldn't figure out what to change it to. So I decided that I don't have a title because a monkey must have stolen it.

it kinda makes more sense when I am not trying to explain it

Oh, thanks. Now I get it. It's not you, it's me If I known that "Crazy stalker lady" is my "title" I probably would have got it

[Buzz]

LOL@Alilou!

[alilou]

LOL@Alilou!

Yeah I'm a bit slow sometimes



New blog post is up - some musings from Mr alilou, and a couple of short descriptions of Tiru and some people pics from me.

Link for IE users http://alisonarmstrong.blogspot.com If you want to post a comment directly onto the blog you have to use this link

For Safari/Firefox/etc users the link in my sig line will work.

India is a trip and a half. A whole other world.

[Buzz]

I am using safari and it works just fine. Thanks once again for another beautiful Blog post. I love your photographs and tell Mr. Alilou thanks for sharing with as well.

[alilou]

Thanks Buzz.

There's just an issue with posting comments on the blog. Posting comments on the sidebar link won't work no matter which browser is used. It's a Blogger thing. I hope to get it sorted one day. If I switch the whole thing over to the new format (sidebar view) then IE users can't access the blog at all. So I keep the old format but it means comments can't be posted from the sidebar link. Anyway it's no biggie.

If anyone out there is using IE could you try the sidebar link for me please? Maybe Blogger has fixed it so you can access it. Thanks.

[Japanfan]

Just dropping in to say hi, Alison. Reading your blog has allowed me to vicariously enjoy places I can't travel to at present and to affirm places I have never wanted to go (namely, India - I doubt I'll be up to that in this lifetime).

Know that I continue to enjoy the yellow and orange energy in the paintings I got from you everyday!! It really is color therapy.

Maybe we'll see you back here once your travels are done, all enlightened and blissed out. . In the meantime, send some bliss over the internet to those of use who are lacking it in. Okay?

[alilou]

Hi Japanfan, good to hear from you. How's things in Van?

Good to hear the painting is still speaking to you. It obviously found its right home. And good to hear you're enjoying the blog.

I never wanted to go to India either, but I did want to sit in the energy of Arunachala and Ramana, and so it was finally time to come. We are so very lucky to have Canadian friends who have lived here for 25 years to show us the way and to make our landing here as easy as it possibly could be.

I'll be back in Van at the end of May and probably staying for a couple months. We'll have to get together then. We'd better have an FSU dinner


Bliss for Japanfan from India

(Isn't it ironic that one of the grottiest countries is also the most deeply spiritual. Not an accident I think.)

[skatesindreams]

Thanks to both of you for continuing to share your unique perspective about your experience.
So much "food for thought" there.

Your photos are wonderful
Your subjects spring vividly to life.

[Japanfan]

I'll be back in Van at the end of May and probably staying for a couple months. We'll have to get together then. We'd better have an FSU dinner

You bet. In your honour and looking forward to it.

Bliss for Japanfan from India

Thank you

(Isn't it ironic that one of the grottiest countries is also the most deeply spiritual. Not an accident I think.)

I don't know about that. My brain is going into pinwheels as it contemplates the idea.

But then, I'm really not a very spiritual person - to me spirituality is a rough and ready thing, something bestowed rather than something pursued and attained by an enlightened few. It's a very good excuse for eschewing meditation.

[alilou]

Oh I just think that the tougher life is the more likely a person is to turn to some form of spirituality. And life's pretty tough for many people here. Plus there is a deeply rooted and ancient spirituality here. I'm not talking religion, though there's plenty of that, but rather about a deep experiential mysticism. And maybe you're right about it being bestowed, or imposed, or a simple twist of fate, or something like that. I would never have thought in my 20's that I'd be on such a committed spiritual path a few years later and on through my life into my 60's. Who knew? I sure didn't, but I couldn't have changed if i'd tried.

Hey skatesindreams, once again thank you for your positive feedback

[Japanfan]

Oh I just think that the tougher life is the more likely a person is to turn to some form of spirituality.

But equally likely to turn a person into a gritty realist or a maniac, I'd think.

And life's pretty tough for many people here. Plus there is a deeply rooted and ancient spirituality here. I'm not talking religion, though there's plenty of that, but rather about a deep experiential mysticism.

You're there and I'm not, but I'd ask: isn't the mysticism part of the religion and the culture?

I also wonder what you think about the caste system in India, which some have questioned in terms of its capacity to deliver a sense of agency and autonomy.

[alilou]

I think the caste system is appalling. This is a culture that has brought us some of the greatest mystics of all time, but it is the same culture that has a group of people that are actually called "untouchable". It boggles my mind.

I am by no means any kind of expert on India. Far from it, but for me mysticism is something vastly different from religion. I see religion as dogma, and rules, and be good and do what you're told, and worship and pray and maybe you'll be safe and saved. I see it in all religions. They all have their rules and veiled threats. And yes the Indian people seem to be very religious (Hindu) and there are many temples, large and small, and lots of praying and worshiping and ceremony and ritual going on the same as any other religion, only here it certainly seems more obvious than in the west. It's out on the street, everywhere.

On the other hand mysticism/spirituality is about a genuine search for the truth of being. I've been on this path for my entire adult life and all the teachers I know (who I consider really do understand this absolute truth, the true nature of being) would be appalled to be worshipped or prayed to. Their message is look within and find out for yourself.

The mysticism has been co-opted into the culture and turned into a kind of religion (which shows up as people praying to, and worshipping, enlightened beings) but I don't think true mysticism is the same as religion at all. There is indeed lots of spirituality/mysticism here - it's strong here. But I would guess there is a lot more religion happening.

Oh boy, Japanfan. You challenge me to really think about this stuff, and try to express it. Don't know if I've made any sense or not, but either way India seems to be both very spiritual, and very religious. Just a final thought - the way the Indian people have turned spiritual truth into religion is no different from any other people or any other religion, anywhere in the world, it's just that it's much more open and prevalent here.

Mysticism is part of the culture. Religion is part of the culture. Don't think mysticism is part of the religion. I think they're two different things.

BTW I agree that a tough life can equally well turn a person into a gritty realist or a maniac.

I qualify all of this with a great big IMHO!

[Buzz]

Thank you for the wonderful post. Travelling to a country like India is always so challenging. If it is any comfort cast system is slowly, think glacier, changing because of the skewed girls to boys ratio, and a need to compete with it's neighbours.

[Japanfan]

Oh boy, Japanfan. You challenge me to really think about this stuff, and try to express it. Don't know if I've made any sense or not, but either way India seems to be both very spiritual, and very religious.

Sorry, I'm always arguing about this type of stuff, to a large degree because I stand apart from so much of it

[Angelskates]

What an interesting read this has been. I'd love to have you all over for a long chat over wine and/or coffee!