Work In Progress 2

From a distance, this place looks absolutely amazing luring you into a visit, that includes a trip on a boat, that is somewhat safe - well just another colorful experience :o) If the locals were relaxed when sailing in this boat, why shouldn't I?

This is the Dhamma Pattana pagoda in the outskirts of Mumbai, India as a place where you can meditate. Meditation calls for silence etc. so it seems a bit strange, that this Buddhist place is adjacent to a amusement part, the Esselworld. Occationally you could hear a lot of noise from the amusement park's guests.

If you click on the picture of the pagoda, you will se, that this is truely a work in progress - it is not yet finished and will not be for at least a couple of years. Our local friend taking us there, was actually unaware of the place not yet being finished despite already open to the public - but when we got absorbed in watching them working with the small details and got demonstrations of some of the techniques. We were the only non-Indian visitors, and since we were so fasinated, we soon attracted some of the workers attention.

When they found out, that we have some (albeit limited) knowledge of buddhism, they opened up for a well of information, that revealed their passion for their work and the cause.

How lucky are we to be able to see them build such a beautiful place? In most part of the world, you will never be able to visit these type of places untill they are completely finished. And this place is build with funds either raised privately or donations - amazing.

 

Work in Progress 1

For future reference: I will never complain when they are doing road construction, repairing or anything else on the local roads. After what I witnessed in India, this will never be looked at in the same manner as before I visited that remote place.

They might have dug up that street - stripped it for bricks, asphalt etc. - but that does not mean, that they will close the road off.... people are still walking, biking and driving through a street, that people are "renovating" - an accepted regular expense when owning a car in Mumbai includes suspension, brakes and stick shift... for them it is usual, and they can drive on the road albeit a "bit" bumpy.

By the way - the dog in the picture is one of the city's huge number of stray dogs - amazing, why they don't do anything about that issue. Witnessed a man getting upset with a stray dog (it was "standing in his way" ??!!) and therefore trew big stones at the dog - heartbreaking. But as a foreigner it is hard to address that incident, when the solution to the problem with stray dogs must be taken centrally in an official office.

Where Do I Even Begin....

How do I even start describing last week? Catching up on a lot of blogs that were posted during my absence before I even started to figure out, where to start.  I had hoped to do some more posts while travelling, but with the busy schedule - the bed just "attacked me", craving my full attention everytime I returned to my hotel room (sleeping)

OK, that is why I opted for the very last picture I shot before leaving India - the adventure was coming to an end - or better yet hopefully the beginning of new adventures to come.

I can't believe how lucky I have been to even have this change to travel to this place - it has been mind blowing in so many ways, that there are no sufficients words to describe it all.

The day after was a new day - that included a new experience. The long flight home was full of fond memories of old and new friends - discovering some of the gems from their part of the world.