Greetings from Portland Oregon! It feels very exciting to be in the US and I am looking forward to my return to Maryland on October 4. Since I have last written, I have visited Thailand and Laos, before a long flight back to Obama land.

I met my friend Trudee there and we travelled for 2 weeks through Malaysia, exploring a culture that is a mix of Chinese and Indian immigrants, as well as native Malay people. We immediately noticed the warmth and kindness of the local people who cared more about helping us than making money. In the higher altitude of the tropics we visited tea plantations, where we learned the process of making tea. Laborers climbed hills covered in topiary looking tea trees to cut the fresh green leafs off to dry and turn into marketable tea. The islands here are also home to excellent diving and snorkeling and the locals seem to have an eye for Eco- tourism and keeping their natural treasures fro the future.

Greetings

Since I last checked in, I have remained in the same area of North India, called Mcleod Ganj. It is a delightful mountainous area whereI have been practicing Buddhist meditation.

I spent 10 days doing a meditation retreat called Vipassana, an ancient meditation technique taught by the Buddha. The course required total silence, eyes cast downward, and 10 hours of meditation daily. My mind went from a fast moving machine to clear and slow. I noticed the subtle light on pine trees and was not dwelling in the future or present. A band of 20 monkeys would migrate to the retreat every day around lunch time. As the sun was setting on our 4th day of silence we left the meditation hall to find 20 monkeys in a tree staring back at us. Our minds were quiet and for a moment there was a strong connection between humans and our close ancestors.

I plan to head soon to Great Himalayan National Park, and then back to Dehli, and onto Singapore in Southeast Asia.

Thanks

Namaste from India. Since the last report I have made a journey into the northern part of the state of Uttarakhand  in northern India. This area is known for its soaring Himalayans peaks which divide it from China (formerly Tibet).