South Asia is spiritually overwhelming [period]. There are mandirs and mosques and temples and holy places and holy people and religious symbols and spiritual slogans literally everywhere you look. 

And if you haven’t ever been to a spiritually diverse culture, sometimes you need some help wading through the mess and making sense of it all.  

We definitely don’t claim to be experts on South Asian Religions. In fact, we are far from it.  But I do find joy in pushing people into the deep end, just to see the expression on their faces when they come up for air. I know that sounds mean, but unfortunately I think it’s the best way to introduce this culture to people. You can’t just read about it in books and magazines or watch a documentary on it.  You have to experience it.

So, that’s what we do. And that’s what we did with Bread. He spent 3 weeks going to mandirs and mosques and temples and holy places and seeing holy people and religious symbols and spiritual slogans. And what was the expression on his face when he came up for air? A look of joy, exhaustion, enlightenment, mild confusion, and... well, pink eye.

Below are some photos of the Lotus Temple.  It is the largest of the 8 remaining Baha’i temples in the world. Baha’i is just one of the many religions found in South Asia, but it tends to incorporate them all. If you don’t know much about the Baha’i faith, you should check it out.

Once again, it’s been a while since my last post. Fortunately for you, my wife stays on top of things.

Seeing that it’s been nearly 4 months, a lot has happened [naturally] since I’ve last filled you in on our travels in South Asia. We’ve been to Thailand, the Taj [twice], the mountains, and a holy city. Along the way, we hosted a few foreigners for 7 weeks, A’s family has come and gone, and a friend as close as a brother came on independent study.

My hope is to fill you in on all of these things over the next couple of days. So stay tuned.

Below are a couple of photos from our trip to Varanasi.  We had the opportunity to take a morning boat ride while we were there. It was humbling to see the devotion given to what much of South Asia believes to be their life blood, the Ganges River. 

The people of Varanasi, as well as other communities along the river's banks, sleep on or near the ghats, wash their clothes in it, brush their teeth and bathe in it, and even play in it. 

This trip makes my second trip to Varanasi. And at this point, I don’t know if I will ever return. I do know though that the glimpses I have gotten of this place will never be forgotten.