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.

Sightseeing in Delhi - Akshardham Hindu Temple

       A short subway ride out of Old Delhi took me to the banks of the Yamuna River and to the Akshardham Hindu Temple, reportedly the largest Hindu temple in the world. The building is constructed entirely of pink sandstone and marble and contains no steel or concrete, and is a monument to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Entry to the facility was tightly secured and absolutely no contraband was permitted - no cameras, no pens, no nothing except the clothes on your back! Therefore, the only photos I could take were from the subway platform.