new zealand. sweet as!

so here i am, sitting in the student lounge of my dormitory in Massey University. we've only been here for less than 48 hours, and we're leaving in about 9 hours (it is almost 4 in the morning - the only time i have to write, so please pardon any grammatical errors that may pop up like chunks in a glass of milk). New Zealand thus far has been fantastic. we arrived on the 19th, spent a few days in Wellington, where i promptly spent ungodly amounts of money on the overpriced commodities here (a beer at a decent bar is $7-8). no worries, though, we moved away from the beautiful coastal town soon enough to go to riverslea retreat and start our lectures at a lodge tucked into the forest next to a beautiful river just outside the town of Otaki on the North Island. the countryside is so idyllic and green and... quiet!!! a welcome change from the chaos of Mumbai, though i do miss all the activity sometimes.

while at riverslea i spent my days learning about Maori cultural revival and political struggles, conservation problems and the army of invasive species complicating ecosystems here, climate change and the importance of the amazon in regulating hydrological cycles for the entire western hemisphere, and similar low-key topics. luckily we have the river close by so i can go for a refreshing dip after the intensity of class. or i will just sit on the deck and "have a yarn" (there's all kinds of glorious phrases i'm learning here) with friends.

after riverslea we relocated to a Maori "marae," which is difficult to translate because we really don't have anything equivalent. it fulfills the roles of community center, spiritual sanctuary, and guest house for the local "iwi" (tribe, people). sadly, our visit coincided with the funeral of a young woman, which was taking place at a nearby marae. as a result, many of the people who we were supposed to meet and spend time with were there, so it was mostly just us this time. still, it was great to spend some time on the land there and be guests in a totally new culture.

tomorrow we're going up to the mountains of the North Island to see Tongariro National Park (volcanoes! hurrah!) and stay at another marae. after that, we'll be going back to Wellington to stay in homestays with members of New Zealand's green party, so that should be some more good clean fun. then vacation, and i'm not quite sure what i'm doing yet, but i intend to see as much of the South Island as i can in 12 days.

i apologize for the rather superficial overview of the experience thus far. i know i've left a lot of gaps (and there are still weeks of India that i need to include) and haven't really covered the important stuff, but honestly there is just no time to get online, and now that i have found the time, i am a little too tired to write anything substantial. i guess that's part of the nature of this program. ha. just kidding, there is a hell of a lot of substantial stuff going on, but unfortunately you won't get to hear the whole story until i return. mua-ha-ha. [evil smirk].

school's out! where to? to the abode of HH the Dalai Lama, of course.

if you have been following my trip closely thus far, then you may notice that there has not been much mention of the geological features so dear to my heart - mountains - because the closest we've come to actually being on a mountain was gazing up at Kilimanjaro or hiking around the foothills of the Western Ghats near Pune in India. being the clever fellow that i occasionally am, i realized this harsh reality of the program's schedule long ahead of time and planned my India vacation (a pitiful 6 days, but hey, what more can i ask for) accordingly, i.e. destination: Dharamsala!

for those to whom this name rings no large gong of recognition, it is the city in India that hosts the Tibetan government-in-exile. in other words, it's full of monks, monasteries, hostels, hippie-chic (and not-so-chic) backpackers, and all of the lovely tourism accoutrement's that follow the USD and the Euro like greyhounds behind a plastic hare: punjab-run "authentic" Indian restaurants, western-run trinket shops, bars, loads of Tibetan gift shops, eco-tourism ads wherever the eye falls, street hawkers selling pirated dvds, and many very persistent street beggars. it was really difficult for me to walk through the center of McLeod Ganj (where i stayed just above Dharamsala, and much more visitor-oriented) because it meant that not only was i bombarded by evidence of "cultural commodification" in the highest degree, but i also had to confront my oft-ignored but nevertheless ever-present identity as a white American tourist. not the label i self-identify with, but the locals don't know that, and so they treat me accordingly.

if i'm painting too grim a picture of the town, don't take it as a sign that i didn't enjoy my time there. on the contrary, it was one of the most incredible places i've ever been. the clear mountain air; the prayer wheels; the long conversations with monks about life, compassion, practice, culture; the biting cold; the cozy Tibetan restaurants serving momos (steamed dumplings, usually stuffed with cheese or bak choi); the hikes up steep goat trails; and of course, the HIMALAYAS! the town is literally built on a mountain, probably about 7000ft above sea level, and everwhere you go is on a formidable incline. when you look up, the snow-and-granite titan peaks grab your eyes and shake your whole being into humility. running parallel to the grandeur of the place is also an immense joyousness that seems to resonate from the rock, carry itself on the wind through the prayer flags, and find fertile ground in the smiles of everyone living in the vicinity. i felt like i was constantly surrounded by laughing air-spirits. goofy as it does sound, if you ever go there you'll know what i mean.

my time is running out, so i'll just sum up some of things that i did: after a flight, an overnight train ride, and a bus ride up steep, guard-rail-less switchbacks (planes, trains, and automobiles all covered), my traveling buddy and i finally made it to our destination, found a cheap place to stay in no time at all (that's our window in the first picture. not bad for $7/night), and crashed out under layers of covers and sleeping bags. it's even colder inside than out, because the building is concrete with polished stone floors and no heating whatsoever. the next day i spontaneously decided to go for a walk. with my backpack full of school supplies, i started hiking up. and up. and up. it was a marvelous way to procrastinate my studies. 3 hours up the Triund trail until i reached the last ridge before the REAL mountains begin. i think the climb was something like 3000 feet, but i'm not too sure. either way, i was winded and sore and hungry by the time that i reached the top. luckily there was a little hut halfway up that served the best chai i've ever had in my entire life. at the top of the ridge, a mad wind greets you from the deep valley on the other side, and looking across it, the full magnificence of the mountains reveals itself (see second picture). i spent a good hour just sitting under the prayer flags, listening, meditating, basking in a part of earthly existence that i didn't think could be possible. i'm doing really horrible injustice to the situation with my inadequate descriptions, so i'll just stop there.

some of the other highlights of the 5 days were exploring some of the Tibetan buildings, visiting the Norbulinka Institute (see third picture - this place is incredible - i can't go into much detail here, but you should look up their website if you have any interest in Tibetan culture), and making friends with a monk. there was a lot more that i cannot go into now, but suffice to say that it was one of the most spiritually, emotionally, and physically intense experiences of my life. please direct further inquires to me in person upon my return. i'd love to share some more stories, but now i must depart, as there are other more pressing matters to attend to.