Bodh Gaya

Just when I thought i had just about seen it all in India, I came to Bodh Gaya. This is where the Buddha found enlightenment under the bodhi tree. The tree is still here, although it's a third generation. The temple that surrounds it is stupendous.

I came here for 5 days of teachings by the Dalai Lama. It is now day three and I am enjoying it so much.

This little village usually holds around 2,000 people, I would guess and it has now swollen to about 30,000. Along with that there are more beggars here then I have ever seen in India. Whole armies of them. Old women sitting on the ground, small children with metal bowls hanging on my arm, the most horribly disfigured people crawling along begging for money. It's a bit overwhelming and so strange because the rest of the atmosphere is so spiritual and special. It's an interesting mix.

Overnight so many stalls have sprung up everywhere, selling everything you would ever want: pots and pans, shoes, prayer beads, shawls, travel packages, monks robes, birds, fruit, shampoo, tobacco. There are many more richshaws then this town needs and it's so small that not many people use them. I feel bad for the drivers.

I go into gate 6 each morning at the field where His Holiness speaks. This is for foreigners and press. I have to show my passport and not take a cell phone or camera. I bought a cheap little indian radio so that I can hear the English translation of the teachings. I sit in the same place with my Tibetan friend Pema who I met in Varanasi. Everyone is very kind and there is a great feeling during the teachings. I have made pages and pages of notes.

I can feel myself winding down now and am ready to come home after such an amazing journey. I think this is a great way to end it. I'll go to Calcutta from here and see my friends one more time and then fly out of Delhi somewhere around the 20th of January. I can't wait to see my friends and family again and have some yummy food, a hot shower and a toilet that flushes. :)