When our overnight train pulled into the Delhi station at around 8am this morning it felt a bit odd to be arriving at a place that seemed familiar. Here is a brief update of what I have been doing in the past week or so.
When I last blogged we were in Kolkata. We went to visit the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's organization) and we saw both the Mother house and orphanage. It was inspiring to learn about Mother Teresa's life and work. At the orphanage we went to an area where the sisters care for children with severe mental or physical handicaps. These children were all rescued from the streets by the sisters. These children will remain in the care of the sisters until they die. We also played with infants and toddlers who were healthy and essentially waiting for adoption. The children who are rescued by the sisters are truly the lucky ones.
We left Kolkata on an overnight train and headed to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha was enlightened. When we arrived, we headed to the Mahabodhi Temple. This is the temple near where Buddha was enlightened. We saw many different important Buddhist sights near the temple, including the bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat. The temple was surrounded with Buddhist monks absorbed in the prayer. I had to laugh when one of the monks saw our group coming and whipped out his flip camera to film us walking past. While we were in Bodh Gaya we also took a day trip to Rajgir. We also had a chance to meet with a monk who is said to be the reincarnation of one of the current Dali Lama's old teachers. I really enjoyed the time we spent in Bodh Gaya and found that I appreciated the spirituality and devotion of the Buddhist I encountered in Bodh Gaya. It was inspiring.
We then drove from Bodh Gaya to Varanasi. On the way we stopped at Sarnath, which is just outside of the center of Varanasi. This is the place where Buddha gave his first sermon. We visited a museum with Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain artifacts from the 3rd century BC through the 12th Century AD. The city of Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the most holy city of Hindus and is filled with many temples. Our hotel was built over 300 years ago and we had a view of the river Ganga. When we arrived in the city, our bus was too big for the streets near the hotel, so we piled two people and all of our stuff on to a bike rickshwa and rode through the narrow crowded streets until we were near the hotel. At that point we had to make our way to the hotel through narrow streets what were inhabited by street dogs and a few random cows.
The next morning we took a boat ride on the Ganga and watched the sunrise over the river. We also saw several cremation pyres from the boats. That day we toured the city and saw several different temples and went to a silk factory. We watched artisans work on old fashioned hand looms and tried on sarees that were made of handwoven silk. In the evening we took another boat ride on the river and watched the 'Ganga Aarti' celebration, which is a nightly celebration performed by seven young Brahman priests to 'put the Ganga to sleep'.
Now, after a boat ride, two bus rides, and an overnight train ride, we are safely back in Delhi for a few days. We will be spending two days working with slum children and then flying down south for a month. I am starting to feel more comfortable here and the culture is becoming more and more familiar.
With love, Laura
When I last blogged we were in Kolkata. We went to visit the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's organization) and we saw both the Mother house and orphanage. It was inspiring to learn about Mother Teresa's life and work. At the orphanage we went to an area where the sisters care for children with severe mental or physical handicaps. These children were all rescued from the streets by the sisters. These children will remain in the care of the sisters until they die. We also played with infants and toddlers who were healthy and essentially waiting for adoption. The children who are rescued by the sisters are truly the lucky ones.
We left Kolkata on an overnight train and headed to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha was enlightened. When we arrived, we headed to the Mahabodhi Temple. This is the temple near where Buddha was enlightened. We saw many different important Buddhist sights near the temple, including the bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat. The temple was surrounded with Buddhist monks absorbed in the prayer. I had to laugh when one of the monks saw our group coming and whipped out his flip camera to film us walking past. While we were in Bodh Gaya we also took a day trip to Rajgir. We also had a chance to meet with a monk who is said to be the reincarnation of one of the current Dali Lama's old teachers. I really enjoyed the time we spent in Bodh Gaya and found that I appreciated the spirituality and devotion of the Buddhist I encountered in Bodh Gaya. It was inspiring.
We then drove from Bodh Gaya to Varanasi. On the way we stopped at Sarnath, which is just outside of the center of Varanasi. This is the place where Buddha gave his first sermon. We visited a museum with Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain artifacts from the 3rd century BC through the 12th Century AD. The city of Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the most holy city of Hindus and is filled with many temples. Our hotel was built over 300 years ago and we had a view of the river Ganga. When we arrived in the city, our bus was too big for the streets near the hotel, so we piled two people and all of our stuff on to a bike rickshwa and rode through the narrow crowded streets until we were near the hotel. At that point we had to make our way to the hotel through narrow streets what were inhabited by street dogs and a few random cows.
The next morning we took a boat ride on the Ganga and watched the sunrise over the river. We also saw several cremation pyres from the boats. That day we toured the city and saw several different temples and went to a silk factory. We watched artisans work on old fashioned hand looms and tried on sarees that were made of handwoven silk. In the evening we took another boat ride on the river and watched the 'Ganga Aarti' celebration, which is a nightly celebration performed by seven young Brahman priests to 'put the Ganga to sleep'.
Now, after a boat ride, two bus rides, and an overnight train ride, we are safely back in Delhi for a few days. We will be spending two days working with slum children and then flying down south for a month. I am starting to feel more comfortable here and the culture is becoming more and more familiar.
With love, Laura
