I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease.

It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace. ~ Dalai Lama

This shot of Mt Fuji was taken from a Shinkansen — a Bullet Train.

I like to meditate. I haven’t been doing much lately, but seeing the person in this snapshot, sitting on a rock looking out to sea, kinda suggested to me that he was meditating and that I aught to get back on my butt and start again.

What to say about the holiest city in India that hasn’t been said a zillion times before? Well, it was a real and unfettered experience for me! It was a good experience and one that I will repeat soon. I never felt any spiritual stuff while I was there — God didn’t tap me on the shoulder. Maybe I was too busy ducking beggars and street merchants and side-stepping these huge black water-buffalo. I liked Varanasi because it is everything good and everything horrid all in one place. Fortunately, all the horrid stuff the Indians do to each other. So wondering around seemed very safe to me.

Along the river Ganga — when you’ve been there you too can call it the Ganga, most everyone else calls it the river Ganges. Anyway, walking along the Ganga was the most interesting part of Varanasi for me. I went back and back and walked different parts of it. I found the people and the sights and the smells enthralling. And now, when I look at my pics from those walks my heart tugs me to buy a ticket and return immediately. It’s madness. I’m sure it’s the beginnings of madness.

Having worked in corporate most of my life I was lucky enough, in latter years, to have had jobs that required me to travel overseas occasionally. I got to spend time in some great cities and stay in some magical hotels — all on someone else’s buck — which is hard to complain about. I never stayed in the Peninsula Hotel, HK and today it would be well outside my budget — but one can dream.

One of the things I like about India is that people seem to have time to spend with each other. Not so much in places like Bangalore or Delhi, but in Varanasi I often noticed shopkeepers chatting together, playing chess or just hanging out. Or here in this snapshot, what looks like a mother and her two daughters sitting on the step of a temple after finishing their chores, enjoying their conversation.

Warm water, a sunny day and a nice clean pool. Why don’t I swim more?