Nobody will ever let you know
When you ask the reasons why
They just tell you that you're on your own
Fill your head all full of lies

-black sabbath-

Goodbye India.

I made it. While traveling is one of my favorite things to do in life, flying might really be my least. It's not that I have some neurotic fear of crashing and burning to death, that I feel nauseous or that I don't like sitting two inches away from a complete stranger, who's head happens to be constantly falling on my shoulder. No, no...it's none of those reasons. You see the reason I despise flying is because I have a really small butt with no meat on it and I CAN'T SLEEP ON PLANES!!! Add those two things together and you get a butt crampy dude who doesn't sleep for 48 hours. Oh, did I mention I can't sleep in airports or on buses either? So quite literally I did not sleep for two days.

India was life changing. Not to be fucking cheesy or anything but it was really quite an eye opener. I don't think it was in the same way other guests of India transform. For me, most of all, it was the constant love that i received from being surrounded by family. My life in general, due to my line of work, consists of giving a lot of myself to others. However, in India I felt as those the playing field was leveled and I just sat back and relished in the love that my family lathered on me, in abundance it came.

So what have I learned from this. Well, I learned how important family is to me. I love mine and I want to become better at showing them how important they are to me. I want to treat my wife diligently, with more love and affirmation. I want to be as solid of a rock for her as she is for me. Lastly, I want to continue to cultivate and nourish the many pockets of community in my life. I want my friends to always know how important they are to me. So there it is, now you know.

Thank you to Rachel and Chinua for caring for me the way they do. Unconditional love. You truly are the best people I know, the wisest, most edifying, and all together raddest folks.

So as I said before, my trip to Hampi was both beautiful and inspiring. Although I am not super stoked to travel alone across India it definetly prompted desires to see more of this country.

When my brother in-law could not come on a trip to Hampi, I inherited a two person bunk on the sleeper bus we had already bought tickets for. Score! So I thought... At about midnight one of the workers on the buses ever so politely asked me if he could lay down next to me in order to get some sleep. He let me know that if this was a problem "no problem, I sleep on floor". Well what do you do with that. I can't very well let a man sleep on the floor. So, seven more hours of sleeplessness, he was a bit of a roller, before I arrived in beautiful Hampi. The people are as beautiful as the town. The landscape is covered with incredibly huge boulders, rocks, temples and ruins that date back to the 15th century. It is more then breathtaking.

I am off to find breakfast and coffee before I go searching for the famous waterfalls. Pictures to come soon.

While we were waiting at the hospital today, for Kid A to have some stitches removed, I found this beautiful Catholic church and took some photos. I still have yet to find a way into one of these churches as they seems pretty tightly closed up when not in use. Goa seems to have a large number of devout Catholic members, there are shines scattered everywhere, in homes and on the street. Actually, if you rent a guest house here you are not allowed to take down the shine that is on the wall, as per ones priests instructions. As some of you know, Catholic art is one of my favorite types of imagery so I am constantly oooing and awweinng over these exhibitions of faith.
I believe this is a Virgin Mary shines, one of many spread around Goa.
My man Saint Francis of Assisi (under an umbrella). A local church locacted in the coconut grove.

Disclaimer: These are not the best photos. Just some quick ones I snapped on the go.

Coconut Grove

Well I finally learned how to juggle fire. Although these pictures may portray that I have things under control, it was actually terrifying and clumsy. I vividly pictured burning my face off by igniting my beard into flames many times.
The sound of fire flying by your face is incredible.
I also learned that I am more and more resembling a pirate these days. Whats the deal with that.


Chinua on the other hand is much more graceful and technically advanced (by light years) when juggling.
Even when he is making faces that could make a little child cry.