Gettin' Started

Greetings One and All, My apologies to those of you who have been eagerly awaiting some news from your wayward friend. I'm happy to report that I'm alive and well, presently living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina under the gracious hospitality of Janet and Billy Files. This is my first blog, my first blog entry - first anything really - so I'm figuring this out as I go along. I imagine soon I'll find a way to ad neat little polls, quizzes and photos. But for now, you get boring old words. So, to roughly sum up the last 6 weeks . . . I had a fabulous going away party on September 6th in Saratoga. It was a beautiful day marked by swimming, munching and bouncy house shenanigans. Thank you once again to those of you who attended. On Sept 13th, with the invaluable help of my fabulous brother Anthony, I packed the moving truck and said goodbye to Meg, Bob, Eliot, Jordan, Dexter and Tucker, and to Saratoga. Once again WillWell's, thank you for everything over the past 7 years. I then spent the next two weeks in scenic Fallbrookk CA with my mother, sister Christina and brother Merwan. It took nearly the entirety of that time to figure out what to do with all of my stuff. Mother dearest, my eternal gratitude for your willingness to store my belongings for what appears to be an indefinite period of time. The rest of the time was spent booking airfares and sorting finances online in the local coffee house. Thanks Christina for the generous lending of your laptop. And Ann, a pleasure to meet you! After some more visits with rest of my clan, including my father Michael who was back for a few weeks from India, brothers Francis and Anthony, and our Grandfather Charles and his wife Abby who made the trip from France to celebrate his 90th birthday in LA, I departed for South Carolina on September 28th. I arrived on a Sunday and immediately began my 9 week post on Monday working with the maintenance crew at the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - www.mehercenter.org. It's a place of spiritual retreat dedicated to Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master and Avatar of the age. I've been going there for years. It's beautiful and truly one of my favorite places on Earth. Photos to follow soon. For the past 3 weeks I've been painting buildings, sanding and refinishing porches and a stage, refinishing furniture and digging up a backed up septic tank - well, actually, nearly falling into said septic tank. My co-worker Joe and I were standing on top of the tank when a dirt-covered seem in the concrete slabs that make up the lid gave way under my foot revealing a perfect shoe sized breach. Next thing I knew my left leg was thigh high in pure, raw sewage! Yummy. I traded cozy air conditioned counseling offices for septic tanks and staph infection threats! The incident ended up not being too bad. A couple hours later I was out of the doctor's office with a cleaned leg, fresh tetanus booster and 5 day's worth of antibiotics, just to be on the safe side - good as new! I've slowly been reconnecting with the many people I know and love here in the Meher Baba community in Myrtle Beach - have even made a couple of new friends along the way. As of now I'm booked to go to Argentina in December, Fiji in early January (which will include a 24 hour layover in LA on Christmas) and from there I'll head to Australia sometime mid January. Once in Australia I plan to not have a plan - to visit all of the family I have yet to meet on my mother's side in Melbourne, and then slowly make my way north, doing most of the East Coast as possible. Once I've had enough, we'll see where life takes me then . . . I'll do my best to make an entry once a week. However, for now through December 2nd I am easily reachable by email, and by phone for those of you in the US. Drop me a line any time should you feel moved. With love and thoughts of you. Jonathan

The Final Wrap Up

Wow, it's been 3 months since I've last written. I suppose that goes to show how flat out busy I've been since leaving France and re-entering the US on July 14th. This very well could be my last entry, as I am exactly 1 week away from landing back in California. Perhaps one more to sum everything up and wrap it with a bow, we'll see.

Sooooo . . . My time in France was lovely. My main goal was to simply spend time with my grandfather Charles, who is now 91. Unfortunately, he's having significant trouble with his short term memory as the effects of age are beginning to show, but his wit and his charm are as strong as ever. We sat on his patio, overlooking the valley from the hillside on which he and Aby - his wife - live. Wine and cheese daily, with delicious home cooked meals at night. It was fantastic to do virtually nothing except shoot the breeze with him. I was also quite lucky to reconnect with their daughter and my aunt Isabelle. Isabelle is 30, speaks four languages fluently, and definitely embodies that Ramsden toughness that both my grandfather and father seem to have. She and I hadn't seen one another since we were children, and in my time their I made a new friend in her. It truly was a lovely time with family, a visit I will always remember.

I landed at JFK in NY on the 14th. On my flights from Nice and Dublin to get there, I sat next to a very engaging and fun French gal my age by the name of Catherine. Her very first words to me were "Can I write something in your journal?" as she noticed I was making notes in my journal about my time with my grandfather. She must have felt inspired as she jotted down on the top of my page "Wisdom begins with wonder -Socrates." My kind of person, simply going straight for the human spirit with her introduction. Turns out for the past couple of years she has been teaching science in Houston and loving every minute of it. She had a 12 hour layover in New York, so upon arrival we took a shuttle into the city, dropped our bags, and went for dinner and midnight stroll in the southern end of Central Park. She took off for Newark airport at 3:30am. I have a feeling she'll be a friend for a long time.

The next 3 days in New York were spent doing some sightseeing and visiting with my best mate Mike and his girlfriend Kat from California. Mike's from Connecticut a couple hours away, and they were spending a few days in the city. It was great to connect with him for the first time in about 10 months. After NY, I headed down to DC for my first visit of the nation's capital. Gorgeous time of year to be there. Thanks to the miracle of Facebook, I stayed initially with a friend from high school who I hadn't seen since 1992 probably - Julie Marshall. Julie is PhD in economics and a financial analyst on Capitol Hill. Whenever a Senator wants to pass a bill, she and her office assess the financial impact and credibility of it. Julie was an amazing host - she took me on a walking tour of the Capitol and the National Mall, bought me a pre-paid metro pass and took me to a Washington Nationals game with a bunch of her friends. Big ups to you Julie Marshall! Can't wait until my next visit. The second half of my DC stay was with the lovely Malia Fisher - clothing designer extraordinaire! Malia and I know one another through Mike, who used to live in DC before coming West to California. We took in a fair bit of fine dining and I got in some much needed resting time while she was at work. I didn't get to do one tenth of what DC had to offer.

After DC I headed down to Myrtle Beach to help run the Youth Sahavas youth retreat that I have been involved with over the years. Was wonderful to connect with old friends, but the biggest icing on the cake was the reunion with Javier, Joia and Camila Nunez from Buenos Aires. Throughout the year I spear headed a fund raising campaign to get them to Myrtle Beach for the event. It was an extremely emotional reunion for all of us. I haven't felt joy that like in a very long time. They are forever my family, and with any grace I theirs. It was a lovely week for all of them, and people who knew their father came out of the woodwork to meet the children of their dear friend. They were welcomed with open arms into the US Meher Baba community, got to spend time with their American brothers from their father's first marriage, and they traveled the US. It was an amazing honor and joy to be involved with helping them come to the US. Truly amazing!

After Myrtle Beach, I headed 5 hours West to Asheville, NC. I went for the opening weekend of Roz Taubman and Bobby Buga's restaurant, Black Bird. Delicious southern inspired gourmet cuisine, Blackbird is simply a phenomenal restaurant, unmatched in quality and price for the area. Well, as it turns out Roz's daughter and my dear friend Molly and her husband Meherwan were in the midst of getting a restaurant of their own going. They had just signed a lease on a prime location in downtown Asheville to open an Indian street food place. The idea was inspired, and well thought out - something that would do really well in Asheville. Since I had time in the schedule, I offered my services to Molly that weekend. I could help them get whatever done they needed to get the restaurant up and running. "How much work do you have?" I asked. "About four to five hours a day for the next two weeks!" "Great!" I said, "Let's do it!" Well, 8 weeks and 10 hour+ days later, Chai Pani was finally born. For two months I cleaned, lifted, painted, gutted, scraped, stained and a million other things. There were tons of friends who participated in the work too, which made it incredibly fun. It was an amazing time, one which I don't have the time to completely recount. In the first couple weeks of being in Asheville I returned to DC for another 5 day visit, mainly to visit my dear old friend Aubrey and her family and get to see some more of the museums and monuments. And, while staying in Asheville I passed the second of two licensing exams for the CA Marriage and Family Therapist license . . . without studying for over a year! It was a beautiful fluke perhaps, or just a sign of my relaxation as I wasn't even attached to or focused on my chosen career field at that time. Either way, I'll be returning to California newly licensed and ready to hit the job market. All in all it was an incredible two months, and a perfect way to end what has been an incredible 13 months.

I left Asheville last on Thursday the 8th and spent a long weekend in Myrtle Beach to simply decompress and relax on the Center. I'm currently in Fayetville, Arkansas visiting some friends from the Meher Baba community Jessica Bender and her father Joe. I'll be here through the weekend and flying back to San Diego early Tuesday morning. I am very much looking forward to connecting back with family and getting back to work. I imagine I will offer one more entry, but for this world stepper, things are coming to a close. To any and all of you who have been along for the ride, many thanks. It's been a pleasure sharing the journey.

Best wishes from Fayetville, and soon to be San Diego!

Post India Reflections from South of France

Hi All,

It has been roughly five or six weeks since I last offered any words. This is namely because internet connection speeds are slow in India, and because of having to pay for internet access. So, I opted to wait for my arrival to France to do a post India summary. I left India on July 6th, very early morning, and since have been relaxing in a mountainside village called Montaroux in the province of Var, about 20 minutes away from Cannes. Not a bad place to reflect indeed. I conceived of writing this post in a few parts to a address a couple distinct experiences of India. I think I'll handle to complex one first and move on from there.

Beggars

It's quite possible that India is home to the largest number of beggars anywhere in the world. So many people live as homeless or in slums, it's virtually impossible to escape begging pretty much anywhere one goes. Whether one gives to a beggar or not I suppose is a matter of personal choice, and it's a choice we in the west are seldom faced with. Or, if we are, we simply read the sign someone is holding up on a freeway offramp or intersection and make our choice accordingly. In India, beggars are persistent and often unrelenting. And they are off all ages, all physical abilities and disabilities. Women and small children alike hold little babies in their arms as they approach. Old, sickly and blind people camped out on the sidewalks, or in dirty streets, hold out hands and cups, demanding money. Full families approach you with hands extended, motioning to their mouths. Little children who appear beautiful and angelic will swarm around you with well rehearsed lines about hunger and families in need. They will grab at your hands and pockets, and walk for blocks and blocks along side of you pleading their cases. As a Westerner, you are constantly approached when in the cities while walking the streets, when stopped at intersections and traffic lights. It's really a part of daily life, and something one has to learn to negotiate.

Traveling is a wonderful way to learn things about oneself. Different contexts call for different choices of actions, different decisions about how to best procede. Well, learning to navigate Indian beggars was something I never managed to do. I often found that my buttons were pressed at a surprising rate. Little kids would swarm around my legs begging and pleading. Instead of feeling sympathy, I was often provoked to anger, to frustration. I was angry for being harrassed, angry that a nation doesn't have more resources to help its destitute, angry that these kids are likely to be the tentacle end of organized crime, angry that many of their deformaties were the result of attrocious, maiming practices that go in India. It was at times overwhelming, even frightening. One time I found myself barking at begging children who were grabbing at my pockets to get the hell away, as my walking pace hastened in the process. Who was this person shouting such things? The relativley calm and level headed self I had come to know vanished and was replaced by a fearful and angry crumudgeon. Once I was stopped in a rickshaw waiting for my sister who had gone into a grocery store. I was waiting there with all of our luggage and a rickshaw driver who even seemed to be getting worried at how long she was taking. As I waited, beggars came to the rickshaw from both sides, probably about 6 in total. They pleaded, harangued, and demanded. All I could do was sit and stare forward in hopes that they would go away and not reach into the rickshaw. By the time my sister returned, I was thoroughly rattled, yelling at her to come to the rickshaw once she came into sight. She walked right past, not hearing or pretending not to hear, and handed a sack of food to the family that only moments early had descended upon me. It was a vivid moment, filled with contrast, irony, and personal embarrassment.

Let me be clear. This is not India in its entirety, not by a long shot. It's only an aspect of India. Anyone who would not go on account of dealing with beggars is missing a beautiful opportunity to experience in many ways a beautiful place. India, even in the recent economic climate, is still booming relative to the rest of the world. It will be interesting to see how it handles its social issues as it comes into more and more means to do so. I suppose all I can do, in anticipation of an eventual return to beloved India, is take these reflections and experiences and allow them to better inform my mind and heart. It's good to discover what rattles me, I suppose. With any luck I can be in and with more grace next time.

Katie Irani

Katie Irani was one of Meher Baba's close disciples while Baba was on Earth. She was quite ill and dying when I arrive to Meherabad in mid May. While she was being cared for only a few buildings away from my father's quarters in Meherazad, no one but care takers were permitted to see her during those days. About my third visit out to Meherazad, I was called in by Casey, a Meherazad resident, who said that Katie wanted to see me and that I had to come right away. My father and I came straight over to find Katie, sick and withered, laying in her bed. It's a complex experience sitting with someone who is dying. She could not speak, at least not audibly, and she could hardly summon the strength to lift her arms. Her hair was flattened, deadened. When she wanted her nose scratched, someone had to do it for her. Sitting on either side of the bed, Dad and I held a hand each, and were simply with her. I said a few words of gratitude for being with her, and softly hummed a melody. We must have been there no more than 15 minutes. By the sounds of her labored breathing, there were a couple of moments when I thought she would pass right there and then. After some time, she mouthed to one of the caretakers that she needed to relieve herself. As she was doing so through the use of a bedpan by that time, it was time for Dad and I to leave. It was reported to me later that upon our departure from the room, someone said to Katie, "Well, that's a good way to get rid of your gentleman callers," to which she and the rest of the room laughed quite heartily. Casey and Shelly reported to me that that visit evoked the largest and most positive physical response from her that they had seen in weeks.

Katie Irani passed away four days later. To my knowledge I was the last non-resident pilgrim in Meherazad or Meherabad to be with her. The day after her passing I spent most of it with her body. I helped to carry it into Baba's room, where the prayers were recited and people offered their kisses and goodbyes. Then her body was carried to Mandali hall, where again the prayers were recited and people said goodbye. I helped carry it into the ambulance, and then followed the procession on the scooter 23 kms to Meherabad, where the body was taken up to Baba's samadhi. It was then taken down to old Mandali hall in Meherabad, where the prayer's were again recited and people gathered to pay their last respects. Finally it was taken to the cremation grounds, where moments later her body was addorned with flowers before being covered with wood and lit ablaze.

The power of love is palpable in all hearts in such times. It was full in me and in others both mourning and celebrating her life. I'm grateful to have gotten to say goodbye, to wish her farewell on her continued quest back to Baba, to God, to Love.

Now in France

As I sit now, I've been in France for 3 nights. My only real intent is to relax and enjoy visiting with my Granfather Charles, his wife Aby, and their 29 year old daughter (my aunt, funny enough) Isabelle. It's beautiful here each day. The sun is shining, there is a cool breeze and it's quiet up here in the mountain village of Montauroux. I'll be back in the States on July 14th, with stops in NY and DC before heading to South Carolina to help run the Youth Sahavas retreat for teenagers at the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach. My trip started there, and seemingly it will end there too. There may be one or two more posts, but things are certainly winding down for this world stepper. Again, many thanks to those of you who may have followed along the way. My apologies for getting photos in late on the last few entries. I have had the time or connection speed to do it until now.

Until next time, au revoire!

Jonathan

India, Happy and Hot

Greetings All,

In some ways it's hard to conceive of how I might write about India given that it is my third visit here, and that the influence of India and spirituality have been in my life all of my life. With each visit it becomes a little more "normal" to my Western psyche, and yet even still, no other place on Earth (at least that I've visited so far) makes me feel further away from home than India.

I stayed with Roy and Aparna a total of 5 nights. Aparna and I, I believe on the 13th, took a little tour of downtown Mumbai. We walked around, and stopped at Leopold's Cafe, one of the several places attacked in the Mumbai bombings and shootings on November 26th. Leopold's was of interest to me because it is owned by a follower of Meher Baba. The spirit of the place felt relaxed, with very little residue of the past trauma. That said, there were still a few sobering bullet holes in plain view, a couple in the glass lining the top of the wall, and one in the ceiling. Aparna and I also visited the Royal Taj hotel, one of the other sites attacked, just a couple of blocks removed from Leopold's. It actually appeared to be in good shape from the exterior, though there was still repair work going over large portions of the building. In typical Aparna fashion, she coordinated a lunch gathering that included 3 people she met on Couchsurfing.com, and two of her friends from capoeira class. After lunch, we headed back to the apartment to beat the heat and take naps.The remainder of my days in Mumbai were mellow. I walked the local markets, enjoyed the fresh food cooked by Roy and Aparna's cleaning and cooking lady, watched movies, and relaxed. Most days it was really too hot to go out. I discovered the absolute best tandori chicken I have ever had, and that's saying a lot accounting for all of the Indian food I've eaten in my life. Just in this little neighborhood place down the road from their apartment. I can't remember the name, but I know where it is and will never forget.

Friday night, the 15th, things got a little interesting. I was scheduled to leave for Ahmednagar that night on an overnight sleeper bus. I had to take a rickshaw about an hour (because of traffic) to the bus pick-up point. I began to get a little uneasy when the rickshaw driver first stopped for gas, and then dropped me off at what I discovered minutes later to be the entirely wrong place. Luckily - for the moment anyway - I found a group of young men who were more than happy to tell me and my new rickshaw driver, where I had to go. Friday night traffic in Bombay will blow your mind, there's nothing else that can be said. It's impossible, and yet somehow, it works - barely. My next rickshaw driver dropped me somewhere in the vicinity of where I needed to go, and I spent the next 15 minutes wondering around, asking everyone where a particular store was. Luckily, a very happy and enthusiastic young guy came right up to me, asked me where I wanted to go, and escorted me there. He also assured me not to worry because Indian buses are always late. I was comforted, for the moment.

I walked up to the store front and was relieved to find several people with bags waiting there. The area was Sion Circle, a main transit stop for private bus companies who aren't contracted to actually go in and out of proper bus stations. There were buses whizzing around all over place. Surely, it was just a matter of time now. I purchased water from two young guys selling drinks out of a cooler. One of them, who's named turned out to be Chundon, took an interest in me (as most Indians do with Westerners. They can just about burn a hole through you with the intensity and duration of their stares). We chatted a bit about where I was from and where I was going, and he reassured me that I was in the right spot. The bus was due to come at 10:00. I arrived at about 9:50 or so, so I felt good. Ten o'clock, no bus. No worries, it's early by Indian standards. Ten fifteen, no bus. It's ok, there are plenty of people still here waiting too. Ten twenty, I see a bus with markings of the bus company I'm traveling with whiz around a corner and vanish. No problem, they're a big company, they have lots of buses. That one would have been in the wrong place anyways. Ten thirty, no bus. Indian buses are always late, aren't they? Ten forty-five, no bus. I tell Chundon I'm a bit concerned. "Relax Mr. Johnson (his best attempt at "Jonathan"). Bus will be right here soon." Eleven o'clock, no bus. Ok guys, someone help me out. I corralled yet another group of very helpful young men who were able to make phone calls to ascertain that one, I had missed the bus by over 30 minutes, and two, I was in the entirely wrong spot. That's India. Turns out, despite what the booking company people told me, I needed to be across the street and down the next corner. That bus I saw whiz by earlier in the evening

. . . you guessed it.

A little defeated and really tired, I phoned Roy and informed him that I'd be heading back to his place for the evening. I would have been screwed at that point had those nice fellows not let me borrow their mobile phones to make calls to both Roy and my father, who I also informed I would not be arriving as scheduled. I did get the number of the bus operator who actually rides the bus and collects fares. He said that because of the mix up I could ride the next evening, but for 200 rupees more. Oh well, that's India. The next day I finally got a mobile phone for India, which was good to have. I relaxed, ate, and headed back to Sion Circle armed with the correct spot to wait, a mobile phone and the phone number for the guy riding the bus I was due to take. Because of less traffic, I got their two hours early. I took up my stoop, and waited. Moments later, who walks by but Chundon! "Oh, Mr.Johnson, how are you? Good to see you!" Turns out he works there nightly, working for a travel agent across the road by day and hawkin' refreshments at night. His family are from Sri Lanka, and undoubtedly he was working to send them money home. Chundon went out of his way to be nice to me, to sit with me and assure me that now I was definitely in right spot. He even ran off and came back with a delicious sweet Indian snack filled with grain and sweets. He apologized for keeping me in the wrong spot the night before. I showed him photos of my travels and learned about his family. Friends are made in the strangest of ways sometimes.When the bus finally arrived, after three or four confirmation calls to the guy on the bus, I was truly relieved. Chundon anxiously and happily escorted me to the bus - where I paid my 200 rupee penance - and even went as far as to show me my sleeper compartment. I gotta' tell you, once I was on, all worries of the past 24 hours had vanished. Air conditioned sleeper buses are the way to go! Plenty of room to stretch out and sleep the trip away. I arrived Ahmednagar, as scheduled, on Sunday morning and was picked up immediately by my father in his old 1950's Ambassador He took me to Meherazad, where he lives, and I slept a few more hours.

The next couple days I just got settled in. Dad gave me a tour of the free medical dispensary he runs about a kilometer from his quarters. He then took me to the home of Roshan and Sam Kerawala about 30 minutes away in Meherabad, who have lovingly offered me a place to stay free of charge. They have an apartment unit on the second floor of their home the size of the ground floor. It's huge, with four bedrooms, each of which has it's own bathroom. Mine has been room number one, first on the left. Truly, an amazing gift. Roshan has also given me use of their scooter, which is an immense help, given that 3 or 4 days a week I've been making the 23 kilometer trek from Meherabad to Meherazad and back to help out in the dispensary.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Couldn't be truer for India, at least when it comes to driving the roads. First of all, the sun is unlike any sun you've ever felt in the hot season. It's hot, but it leaches energy and life from you if you're exposed to it for even a few moments uncovered. Sunblock does not do the trick at all. You have to cover up, plain and simple. Light long pants and long-sleeved shirts, including serious head coverage. So, in such garb, which includes a light colored scarf, wet and wrapped around my head, I hit the roads of Ahmednagar each day on the scooter, and variably take my own life in my hands each time I do it.

Unless you experience it, you can't comprehend it. The roads are shared by huge trucks, buses, SUV's, large tractors, small tractors, rickshaws, goats, cattle, buffalo, pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, taxis, horses, horse drawn carriages and dogs. People and animals cross wherever and whenever they feel like crossing, and every vehicle it would seem is out to overtake everyone else. Which means on any given trip you'll be staring down a huge bus or truck (the two fastest vehicles on the road, sadly) coming right at you in its attempt to overtake a pedestrian or buffalo, or any of the aforementioned things. It's madness, and yet somehow, it works . . . well, most of the time. The only things you have to keep you safe and moving are your heightened senses and your horn. Because of the the me-first nature of the traffic, everyone and their mother (including me!) lays heavy on the horn. The road is a cacophony of every pitched and volumed horn you can imagine. Enough to give you a headache, or startle you out of your seat And yet, it works, somehow.After my daily trek out to Meherazad, I arrive at the medical dispensary where I've been working in the pharmacy filling prescriptions. It's really an amazing place. All available services, including medications, are free. The place is supported by an endowment and fundraising, that's it. The budget is tight, yet they are able to service about 100 patients daily. That's a tremendous amount of medical care given in a week, in a month and a year - all for free. I felt really moved to be there, getting to know the staff, as I stumbled through learning the organization of the medications.I was certainly filled with a lot of love and respect for my father, who administrates 4 doctors, 5 staff and a tide of ever changing volunteers, all in exchange for simple staff quarters where he inhabits a single room with an attached bathroom - that's all. His food, his gas and everything else are on his dime. Meherazad is a small, amazing place in the world. The residence of Meher Baba when he lived and his closest disciples called the Mandali, it has been a place of pilgrimage for years for people all over the world. And here I sit, writing this entry from Dad's simple room.That's about it for now. Pictures to follow, again depending on upload times. Wishing everyone the best.

Catch you again soon.

Jonathan

As Things Would Have It

Greetings to one and all from Mumbai, India!!!

I last left everyone when I was in the middle of my stay in Koh Tao with Ella. We stayed on Koh Tao for a total of 4 nights, and Koh Pangang for two. All in all it was beautiful. We did a half day trip around the island of Koh Tao and snorkeled five different sites. The next day I went scuba diving in a couple of local spots and it was beautiful. We left back for Bangkok on a Friday, with Ella's departure scheduled for the following Monday. We chilled, watched movies, did some sight seeing at the Royal Palace and Wat Pho where the shrines are spectacular and the photo opportunities endless, and we walked around crazy Koh Sahn Road. Ella left early Monday (or perhaps it was a Sunday) morning. We said our goodbyes, and I was grateful to have had a friend come out to join me on a leg of the trip.

On Monday morning I headed straight for the Indian consulate to apply for my Visa. By this point I had more or less decided that India was going to be my next stop, and that Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia would have to wait for another day. I seem to be leaving every region with a reason to come back, which I suppose it good. After a brief detour I made it to the office for visa applications. After paying an exorbitant fee to apply, I was told I'd have to wait five days to pick up the visa. Five days without my passport. Five days just hanging out in Bangkok. By day number two, day five couldn't have come soon enough. I don't know exactly what it was, but I was feeling really done with Bangkok. I stayed close to my two guesthouses (switching things up a bitfor a change), and just read, walked around, visited more temples - not to mention the biggest Buddha there is to see, 23 meters tall and 45 meters long - absolutely huge!!! And I went to the Bangkok zoo, which actually was amazing for it's reptiles and primates. Fantastic monkeys and apes live there. All the pics are on Facebook.

By the time Friday rolled around I was itching to leave Bangkok. A few things intensified the itch - the heat, the grit, perhaps a few too many angry Thai guesthouse employees, or all the European tourists smoking up a storm. Sadly, with chronic fatigue syndrome, sensitivity to chemicals in increased, which makes tolerating cigarette smoke all the most difficult. Maybe it was a combination of all things. I cabbed it back to the Visa office, was second to be called, and had my passport, with my India visa in it! I felt alittle freer again. That night, I again took the overnight bus back down south, except this time I went Phuket, which didn't have me arriving until 2pm the next day. Screw that - 20 hours on a bus! I decided I would definitely be flying back to Bangkok for my flight out to Mumbai on the 11th. Not knowing much about Phuket, I ended upgetting a place in Patong Beach. I hated Patong Beach! It was wall to wall bars, massage parlors, European men walking around with Thai girlfriends and wives, and far too many street girls soliciting for massages and other services. It was the cleanest, and simultaneously seediest part of Thailand I had visited up until that point. It's just as well, I was sick again, this time nursing a fever and low energy. For the second time in just about as many weeks, I convalesced in a hotel room, just watching DVDs, napping, and drinking plenty of fluids.

I stayed in Patong for 4 days, and finally feeling just well enough, I hopped the ferry an hour and a half over to Koh Pi Pi. Koh Pi Pi was one of the hardest hit islands by the tsunami in 2004. Much of it is rebuilt, but the memory of the event still lives strong with the locals and tour operators. Not to mention that it was absolutely beautiful. A real gem of an island - one of my favorites in all of Thailand. There are only walking paths through the main town, which is more a tourist village than anything else. But you don't have to deal with the noise of traffic - just long strolls from your restaurant to your hotel. After being sold a room that looked nothing like the brochure, I settled on another place, and finally gave in and signed up for the advance open water diving course. The advanced course gives you skills in under water navigation, marine life knowledge, using a diving computer for more efficient diving, and night time diving. I'm glad I did it, though it certainly wasn't cheap. My new Danish friend Morten was my instructor. He was a veritable encyclopedia of diving, but more importantly he was a good guy who was just stoked on diving. He knew his stuff, and I felt happy to be back out in the water, doing what I've so grown to love.

For an extra 45 bucks, I decided to do my first two dives at a dive site 60 kilometers from the island, called Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Because of it's location, it required a speed boat to get out there, which cost more because of the fuel consumption. The reason for the choice - manta rays. Hin Muang is a renown cleaning station for mantas, where they come to have the sea lice, bacteria and other hangers on eaten off by littlefish. There was excitement in the air as we sped off for the site. Several mantas had been spotted the day before. We arrived, and true to our hopes, after 10 minutes in the water, we were joined by no less than 5 huge manta rays, gliding graceful through the water. The experience was beautiful, to say the least. Mantas are docile, curious creatures, who, if not disturbed, will fly directly above, beside and below you. They like to swim through the bubbles of divers, getting a little tickle on their bellies. For two dives and nearly two hours, we swam with these beautiful creatures. It was a gift, truly unforgettable.

I finished my course the next day with two local day dives and a night dive. Diving at night is, well, different. If not for the ambient light of you and your buddy's underwater torches, it would be pitch black. Given that, you have to focus more intently on what your flashlight illuminates. More crustaceans, more predatory fish, and the phosphorescent plankton. Not my favorite, but good to have the experience. The following day I did a half day cruise of the island, which included some more snorkeling of a site which a I had dove the day before. From above or below, it's all beautiful. Thank God for the ocean, nature's best playground by far. On the trip I buddied up with an international school teacher from New York named Terri. Terri was over on Koh PiPi for the weekend, taking a break from Phuket where she teaches. We hung out into the evening, taking in a fire twirling exhibition at one of the lively beach bars. The next morning, Sunday, we ventured by longtail taxi boat to another part of the island where we went for a nice long snorkeling swim to take in the reef and catch a fleeting glimpse of a passing reef shark. Later that day we left for Phuket, Terri heading home and me heading for the airport. India, I was finally on my way.

A couple of very long periods of waiting later - 5 hours in Phuket airport and nearly 8 hours in Bangkok airport, I was finally on the flight to Mumbai. I arrived yesterday to discover the new airport which I've heard so much about. After an extra step of going through a survey screening for swine flu, I was through customs with my bags in less than 15 minutes. I don't know what the hell happened, but that sure was not the Mumbai airport I used to know. I hopped in a cab and headed to Bandra West where I turned up at the doorstep of my wonderful friend who I met in Argentina, Aparna. Aparna opened the door with her usual smile, and welcomed me into her home. I have had a good 36 hours here with Aparna and her husband Roy. We have dined, drank, and done some touring of Mumbai together. I will head for Ahmednagar, and Meherabad, on the weekend, where my father, and the retreat center of Meher Baba await. I will write more of Mumbai in my next post.

That's it for now for this world stepper. It's good to travel. It's also good to be in a familiar place with good friends and just chill out for a while. It's funny, on the surface Bangkok and Mumbai have similar qualities - hotter than hell right now, gritty, dirty in places, congested, noisy, polluted, and did I mention hotter than hell? Bangkok I could not wait to get out of, Mumbai I am thrilled, and even relieved to be here. You never really know what's moving you from the inside. Suffice to say, in some ways I feel very much at home in India, as I know many of you do as well. And if you've never been, you simply must come at least once in your life. I describe India as the photo negative of pretty much everything you know - something to be experienced. More on it later.

That's it for now. Much love to you all. And, GO LAKERS!!!

Jonathan

Southeast Asian Slowdown

Greetings from Ko Tao Island, Thailand!

Well, life has certainly taking a few interesting twists and turns since I last wrote. At last check in I was on my way to Bali. Currently I'm in Thailand, enjoying the sand, sun and beautiful blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand. But it hasn't been all fun and relaxation. Traveling is just like anything else in life - you do it long enough and you're bound to hit some rough patches along the way.

I arrived in Bali feeling awful. Some general abdominal pain, coupled with really low energy had me thinking that something serious was going on. I spent my first two days in Bali visiting doctors and trying to get sorted. The medical docs couldn't come up with anything after an abdominal xray turned up nothing. Oh wait, they did suggest I take and pay for a 980 dollar CT scan! No surprise there. The next day I took myself to the chiropractor. I found an excellent one in Kuta - the tourist mecca of Bali. After some massage, and adjustment, and electro-stim treatment to my lower back, I felt about 90 percent better. When you're used to exercising the body almost daily, and going in for regular chiro adjustments, after nearly 6 months of doing none of that, I was more than due to feel something. On the mend but still needing to rest, I spent my first 4 nights in Bali indoors, watching several very cheap (and very suspect) DVD's I purchased,and just generally taking it easy.

Finally feeling better enough, I hopped on my rental scooter and headed to the village of Ubud, about 45 minutes from Kuta. There I was greeted by Ketut, the friend and business client of my good friend Mikey Files. Ketut showed me around the local monkey rain forest and took me to dinner at a phenomenal restaurant. Best fish I'd ever had! The next day I joined Ketut and her son Oneness (yes, Oneness) for a day trip out to the reef at Ahmed on the Northeast corner of the island. We snorkeled the reef, ate pizza, and generally had a wonderful time. Ketut had never been for a proper snorkel because of her fear of the depths. So I took her along with me, keeping her close by. She lit up like a Christmas tree for having seen all the beautiful fish and corals. Her seven year old son took to water like a fish, and followed me all around the reef. Imagine swimming in clear tropical waters over beautiful reef with a golden child named Oneness at your side. It was ethereal.

I stayed two nights with Ketut, Oneness and Uli, Ketut's business partner and Oneness's father. I returned to Kuta set on just relaxing, and enjoying some of the beach. All was going quite well on the hour scooter ride home, when all of a sudden - the shakedown. Bali law enforcement is notorious for corruption, particularly when it comes to tourists. A motorcycle cop pulled me over and fined me 3,000,000 rupiah (a touch less than $30 US) for not carrying an international driver's license. And this dude wouldn't even haggle. No money on the spot, and I'd have to go downtown as it were. Oh well, easy come, easy go. Later that day I checked out famous surf spots Dreamland and Balangan. Beautiful spots for sure. Dreamland wasn't rideable when I arrived - only shore break. Balangan I surfed a little bit on the inside, but generally took it easy. At the end of my beach day, I was cruising along in the last afternoon when BAM! - flagged down by another cop. This time, for apparently not stopping completely before I made a left onto a the main highway. Bastards! I wasn't having it though. I angrily told him that this was the second time in a day I had been pulled at that I only had 50,000 rupiah left for food for the next two days (I lied - but was still angry). He acknowledged my complaint, and let me go with a begrudging handshake.

My last full day in Bali I had another chiro appointment, and dealt with some travel logistics online. I feel like Bali was more of a rest stop for me than anything else. Though, I did have the opportunity to visit some very beautiful spots on the island. If you've never taken the opportunity to experience the beauty and calm of seemingly endless rice paddies, do it. They're spectacular in Bali. Every turn through the country reveals another scenic vista of stepped rice paddies, green and wet. Ketut and Uli lived in a house that backed up to a rice paddy. Completely amazing.

After a brief layover in Jakarta, I arrived Bangkok on the night of the 16th and rendezvoused with my old time friend, Ella Dascalos. Ella, who I hadn't seen or heard from in years, tracked me down on Facebook a few months back. Needing a break herself, I suggested she join me for some exploration of Thailand with me. She accepted, and here we are!

After one day in hot, hot Bangkok, we hopped on an overnight bus and headed south for the islands. The first two nights we stayed on Kao Phangan, and now are currently on Kao Tao. It's beautiful here. The water is blue, the accomodation next to nothing, and the food is varied and fresh. All of the islands in the Gulf of Thailand have something of beauty and relaxation to offer. Take yourself here one day if you ever get the opportunity. It's been wonderful having Ella here with me for this 10 day leg of my journey. Traveling alone certainly allows for optimal flexibility, but from time to time lonliness, or even boredom can set. Having a travel buddy has been refreshing, and it's been wonderful to reconnect with someone who I hadn't seen in about 15 years.More to come later on. Right now I find myself debating whether or not I venture into Vietnam and Laos, or whether I just relax here in Thailand for a few more weeks and then make an early jump to India in mid May instead of early June. Funds are beginning to fall, and so is my thirst for adventure a bit to be quite honest. We'll see what presents itself to me in the next few weeks.

Much love to all still following along. More soon.

Jonathan

Don't Cry For Me Australia . . . :-)

Happy April 6th!

Well, I am just several hours from getting on my flight to Bali. My indeed does time fly. I'll give the usual rundown of what I've been up to, then perhaps a few reflections on Australia.

So, I flew to Canberra and was greeted by Megan, a friend I had made while in Fiji. Megan, like so many in Canberra, works for the government - the air force specifically. She took me to the Australia War Memorial museum, up Mt.Ainsely for a panoramic view, out to dinner at local eatery, and out for my first ever netball game (watching, not playing). I have to say, as hard as I tried, I'm not really all that fond of watching netball. Must be my love of basketball getting in the way! GO LAKERS!!! And if all that wasn't enough given that I arrived at 2pm, after watching her friend play netball, we went up to Telstra Tower to the revolving restaurant for a true panoramic nighttime view of the city. Back to my hostel, and off to sleep.

Next day I just walked around town, going to the Australia National Museum - an historical display of all things Aussie. In the evening, I was picked up by Campbell, the last relative from the Melbourne family crew I had yet to meet. Campbell and his girlfriend Emily live and work in Canberra for Australian government as well. That night we joined my friend Niki, another unrelated friend from Fiji. Campbell, Niki and her boyfriend and I had some food and drinks and some good laughs. The next day I relaxed and was again later joined by Megan. We went for a drive and ended up back at her friend Sally's house for dinner. Off to a costume party - sans costumes - we joined Campbell and Emily in a lively and crowded apartment filled with various

cartoon characters. Was quite fun.

The next day I connected again with Nikki to take in some really lively Rugby League footie at a local sports bar. After watching nearly 3 games that evening, I was sure I had a pretty good grasp on the game, and on the fact that rugby probably is the most taxing, bruising and tiring game played in the world. We said our goodbyes, and the next day Campbell dropped me off at the bus stop and I was Sydney bound.

Last Sunday I arrived Sydney, greeted at the airport (where the bus dropped me off) by Matt Ives. Old friend from the Youth Sahavas days, Matt shuttled us back to his apartment in a beautiful coastal neighborhood of Sydney, southeast on the map. We collected his brother who was visiting as well, and headed to an actual pro rugby game - the Sharks v the Dragons.

The crowd was huge outside the stadium as we walked up. Luckily, some very nice strangers had three extra tickets to sell before we arrived. We happily accepted, not knowing that had we not we wouldn't have gotten in. Sadly, the Sharks lost in a somewhat defense-heavy game. Back to the apartment where I met Matt's roommate Carolina and saw my old friend Sage. We spent the evening hanging out and generally enjoying ourselves.

The next few days were spent visiting with friends and touring Sydney. I noticed that I was a bit off my tourist game as I didn't really push myself to see and do all things tourist while in Sydney. That said, Sydney is an absolutely beautiful city. Very clean, appealing, and easy to get around in. The Harbor, with the bridge and Opera house were one of very few man-made spots that have taken my breath away. Well worth a visit!

After staying with Matt for three nights and Sage for a couple, I spent the weekend with Roshan Keating. Roshan, Sage and Roshan's friend Sherie and I all went sub thermal as we visited Sydney's Ice Lounge. Sadly I have no photos to share as the bar did not allow us to take pictures. It essentially a large freezer room with a bar, decked out in ice sculptures and ice furniture covered in animal skin. Even the glasses were ice - so the drinks had to be strong to prevent them from freezing. We got buzzed, ran around and had ice block races with the furniture. At -15 celsius, the allotted time of 30 minutes was more than enough to hang there. Once I get the photo that they take and make you pay for scanned, I'll put it up!

Friends who opened up themselves and their homes to me - Matt, Sage, and Roshan Keating and her family - thank you so much. It was really amazing to reconnect with all of you while here. I got to see Sydney as a tourist and an insider. Yesterday, I finally got together with Amy Clay, another old time friend from the Baba community who moved to Sydney over 6 years ago. Amy, an Olympian in Beijing for Australia'a rowing team last summer, is the daughter of my beloved friend Barbara back in Myrtle Beach! After a couple of hours of catching up, I was picked up by Sage and we headed to Stuart's 43rd birthday BBQ. Great to see Stuart and Meherose on my last evening in Sydney. All the best to you all. Until we meet again . . .

Well, 3 months has been the longest I have ever stayed in another country. Time has certainly skirted by, that is for sure. Australia is big, beautiful in some places and barren and rugged in others. The people are, true to reputation, generally easy going and easy to be with. There exists in the cultural ethos an Australian identity that sometimes blatantly, and others subtly, underpins virtually everything you see and here in the media, and in the way people talk about themselves in reference to the rest of the world. It's not just butter or grapes you're eating - it's Australian butter and grapes. They're not beaches you're lying on - they're Australian beaches. Being Australian in Australia is probably more collectively understood - and perhaps valued - than being American in America. It's fashionable here to poke fun at people from other countries - light heartedly of course - particularly if you're American. In one night I was jokingly accused of having every stereotypical American trait, and later in the evening told how incredibly important the American alliance is to Australia,politically and culturally. They eat and breathe American media here - much to my embarrassment and at times dismay - often referencing all the shows and all the movies and musicians we all know and love. They certainly know popular media and entertainment way more than I.

All told, I got the sense that this vintage is still aging, still writing it's story for history. It's a relatively young country I suppose, with tons of room for growth - despite a slowing population growth. I truly can't wait to return to take the opportunity to visit the places I didn't get the opportunity to this go around. Thank you to all here in Australia who made my visit amazing. Here's to reconnecting later on down the road.

Next stop - SouthEast Asia. Get your sunscreen and spice appetite ready!

Until next time.

Jonathan