Randy's 50th birthday travel adventures

In January and February 2011 I had the fabulous opportunity to travel through Northern India and Nepal. The photos and stories in this blog document my adventures and experiences; what I saw and what I learned. My travel started in Delhi, India and then led me to the spiritual town of Rishikesh, India for a week long stay at a yoga ashram - Rishikesh Yog Peeth. After that I traveled to Khajuraho, India to view the ancient Hindu erotic temples, tour a local farming town, and spend the day at a small Indian village. Next I traveled to the holy Hindu city of Varanasi where life revolves in and around the holy Ganges River. I spent a day visiting the town of Sarnath where Buddha offered his first teachings, and which served as a pre-cursor for my trip to Nepal and the Kopan Monastery to study meditation and Buddhism. After Varanasi, I flew to Kathmandu and spent a couple of days walking the streets of the city before venturing about a half-hour above the city to the Kopan Monastery for a week-long retreat to study meditation and Buddhism. Afterward I went back to Delhi and took a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.

Khajuraho - touring a revitalized Rajput garden estate

        I met a gentleman from Belgium who took me on a tour of one of the gardens he is helping Indian farmers revitalize. The Indian government is working with international groups on a project referred to as the "Lost gardens in Khajuraho."  These "gardens" are actually large farming estates previously owned by the Rajput Kingdom and used by the prince and his family as vacation estates. These gardens at one time produced vegetables, fruits, and grains. The estates have a Hindu temple and a small palace, and part of the revitalization project is to restore the temples and palaces.

       These photographs are from my day spent at the garden estate learning about efforts to help the Indian landowners learn about sustainable farming practices. The elderly woman in the photos is the owner of the land and she explained to us that her great-grandfather was given the land from the Rajput prince, and it has been held in her family ever since. Some of the pictures are of the cane grown on the farm which is soaked in water, stripped, and then made into rope.