24th October Bylakuppe

Well it has been an amazing day here in Bylakuppe - it is not every day you see monks on motorbikes, a philosophy debate with several hundred monks, younger student monks playing football with an elastic band style ball, visit several quite outstanding temples and have a guided tour with our delightful friend and guide Sonam then bless the mala beads we bought around the hundreds of prayer wheels surrounding the monastry....then go back to Sonam's house to make momos and dhal with her and her husband and share a very privileged moment with her discussing life, budhism, tibet and how her family came to be in India, her daily life and oh so many more memories. Visually this whole journey has been an array of colours and diverse experiences and today the temples were also a mass of colour and sounds but my lasting memory of today has to be the time spent with Sonam sharing her real life Budhist philosophy built on devote belief and simple humility....her eyes, smiles, laugh and sometimes tears said it all.....such a wonderful day. Very sad to leave her home this evening and tomorrow we start our return journey to Mysore and Chennai.....France bound on Wednesday morning. From this corner of Budhist Tibet in the heart of Karnataka... namaste