Last year I trekked into the Moroccan Sahara desert on a very trusty camel named Aszu. In the evening, my guide, Jusef, a sixth grade educated Berber nomad, surprisingly fluent in six languages, fixed me a tantalizing chicken tangine. All that it lacked was a glass of wine, unfortunately verboten for Muslims just days before Ramadan. At night we slept under the incredible desert night skies. Never before had I seen so many stars, stretching from one horizon to the other – the stars so bright and numerous, it was difficult to make out the constellations. That was Morocco, a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, smells, and experiences. From Morocco I traveled on through much of Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, and finally concluding my trip in Japan. This year's trip will take me to Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Central Asia, India, Nepal, Southwest China, and Indochina. At times I hope to report back on my experiences and observations, perhaps posting a few pictures and videos that may be of interest. I've posted below a few pictures and videos from some past trips. For my blog on my travels through East Europe check out my blog at http://tallinntovarna.blogspot.com.

I’ve been asking myself lately, is there a theme to all this? Maybe not, but one thing I can say that piques my interest, is the dangerous nexus between religion and politics that engulfs the world today. In Morocco, where the King is both the head of Mosque and State, a Muslim, during Ramadan, can end up in jail for doing nothing more than drinking a glass of water under the scorching daytime heat – his crime, the thirsty Muslim broke the fast. Imams in Morocco claim that such an abhorrent act defies the teachings of God, infringes on the religious liberties of practicing Muslims, and is deserving of serious sanction. Of course, such a violation of an individual’s personal freedom could never happen in America. Or could it? As I write this, the U.S. Catholic Bishops are ferociously attacking President Obama’s Affordable Care Act for requiring institutions to provide birth control under their insurance policies. Like the Imams, the Bishops consider it not just an affront, but an existential threat, to their religious liberties. A poor woman, without the means to support a family, let alone a brutally raped woman, should not expect any sympathy from these Catholic institutions, as they, like their Muslim brothers, are scripturally bound to impose their beliefs on others. Does it matter that no one is telling Muslims that they cannot fast or Catholics that they cannot abstain from sex?

Now that I think of it, I’d like to dedicate this blog to Americans United, a terrific nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to preserving the principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom. Before I move on though, I’d like to share with you this political satire piece I wrote a few months ago when Senator Rick Santorum had a chance of being the Republican nominee. It pretty much sums up my take on what a large segment of the American population would like to see should their wildest dreams come true. Finally, I begin this blog with three postings from last year’s trip just to give you an idea of who I am and what you may or may not come to expect as I embark on this year's trip. If you have something nice to say, I'd love to hear from you.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

No Quarter Pounders Here


Holy Cow
I just have to ask, “Is there a McDonalds in Varanasi?” “Yes…,” Anup says, then smiles, “But they don’t serve beef. We don’t eat beef because the cow is sacred, the living symbol of mother earth. It provides milk to mothers who cannot produce their own milk. The bull, or ‘Nandi’ as we call it, is also holy, because it was the vehicle, or ‘Vahana,’ of Lord Shiva, and represents strength and virility. In this way, the ‘Nandi’ is characteristic of Lord Shiva — the same way other animals are emblematic of the gods with which they are associated; for example, the peacock is associated with Murugan and symbolizes the destruction of the ego and the owl is associated with Lakshmi and symbolizes the light of wisdom. Of course, some animals like the elephant and monkey are worshipped as deities in themselves. Elephants, because they are associated with the elephant-headed god ‘Ganesha’ and monkeys, because they are associated with the monkey god, ‘Hanuman.’ This is a stretch for me so I ask the question that has been bugging me most: “Do Hindus actually believe there was an elephant headed god or a monkey god?” Anup laughs, “To western tourists who come here, it’s mythology, plain and simple, and in some books you find here, the gods are actually described as such, but to us they are real — their stories are true, in the same way the six days of creation or the snake in the Garden of Eden are true for Christians.”
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