From Brahma to Buddha, Fall 2008

Hello (I know everyone else said Julley...), it's 12:15 PM India time, which means it is 2:45 AM in the US and 6:45 AM in Morocco. This little collection of electrons is coming from the Himalayan Cyber Cafe in Leh, Ladakh. This land of mountains and MIG-29's is a close to paradise as I have ever come. On an interesting note, it is a blissful fusion of my interest in Buddhism and a simple relaxed life style coupled with my long standing fascination of military hardware...it's somewhat of a paradox. When we got off the plane at Leh Airport/Airbase Tracy said something like half of all people in Kashmir are with the military, it's safe to say she was right. Standing on the tarmac, my eye was drawn to radars, parked MIG-29 fighters, and what looked to be a C-141 Starlifter coming in to land. The morning seems to be the height of military activity, as throughout the wee hours of the day the placid air is ripped apart by the silhouettes of MIG-29's and SU-27's roaring through the sky on full afterburner, no doubt participating in the aerial ballet between the Pakistani, Indian, and Chinese air forces which is as much a part of life here as the cacophony of dog's at night or the Westerners looking for their next adrenaline fix. Hey, it's not like there is terrible poverty or some other problem which needs the money...I'm in no position to criticize, after all, the US does spend more on "defense" than every other country on Earth combined (about $700,000,000,000 in 2007). I hate to end on such a somber note, so I won't. At the Kidar Guest house, where we are staying, there is a young boy named Sonam. If there is hope for the world, he is it...I'm a close second.

We'll meet again, don't know where don't know when.
-Doug B

P.S. Mom and Dad I got both your e-mails.

P.P.S. I swear I saw a collie on the way from the airport to Kidar Guest house, that made my day along with everything else in this Shangri-la.