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If you’d told me it would take me a year to share our travels to Nepal – I would not have believed you!

Alan here – with our crazy New Year’s Eve border story! So here it goes … Happy New Year! Welcome to Nepal … oh wait. There is a certain charisma about border towns, like the meeting of a river and the sea. An entirely different ecosystem exists, that has salt water and fresh mountain water ...

First, quick flash back to when we were in Kathmandu: We were all pretty worn down & sick. At one point, I remember dramatically thinking: "I don't even remember what it feels like to have energy or feel well." [insert long poor me sigh]

I wanted to share some of the ways that we used flower essences on our trip in hopes that it inspires you to use them recklessly (for yourself & with others) in ways that you may not have thought of before.

Katie shared here that the last time she went to Varanasi, she almost died. During our latest trip, I had a scary situation where this thought arose: “oh no … this time, it’s ME!” And the wild thing is … it happened entirely while riding a tuk tuk.

The last time I was in Varanasi I thought I was going to die. I got deathly ill. Food poisoning to the max. I found myself on my back, staring up at the ceiling fan – for days. I was traveling with Lisa; she found a bright, shiny clinic and wanted to bring me there, until our young friend Dolly said: “No, not there! ...

It’s me, Alan, again. Here to bring you a different perspective from our travels. I’ve always been curious about the mountain Vulture Peak in India, partly because the name sounds so ominous, and also because it’s where so many teachings by the Buddha himself, have been recorded. As I recovered from my illness and slowly regained my strength, my mind craved an adventure ...

I remember visiting the Mahabodhi Stupa one night – I’d stopped to listen to a group of nuns singing the most enchanting melodies together. They each carried a big drum and methodically moved it from side to side. The following day, I took a day trip, walking several hours through dusty villages to get to a place called Mahakala Cave ...

It’s me again ~ Alan! Thought I'd hop on to tell you a little about our trip to Asia. It's so easy to take our health and happiness for granted, especially with the excitement of travel and moving through many time zones. After flying for 14 hours from LAX to Taipei, and continuing on to Bangkok overnight, landing in Bodhgaya … India seemed like the long-awaited arrival to our destination!

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to share about our trip to Asia. I guess because it grabbed my heart so hard and … I needed time to integrate. I think back to the first time I went to Bodhgaya, India in 2003. I arrived at the Mahabodhi Stupa and promptly broke down in sobs. It was the oddest sensation, as if I suddenly understood why I always felt like I never fit in anywhere growing up. I became acutely aware of the familiarity of this place and how it felt like ‘home’. I heard myself think: It’s been so long since I’ve been here, coupled with a strange unfamiliar grief at the passing of time ...