Thailand Video 2014

Here's a video from last year. I had just arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Goswami asked his friends at TMS to make a short video about our work together at Guardian of Devotion Press back in the 1980s.

karma

As I continue to work with Avadhuta Swami, we are beginning to bring out some videos to be used later as part of a massive yoga festival to be held in Ukraine in July, called Vedalife.

This is a fragment of a short film on Vedic philosophy. This one's on karma. Check it out.

Home at last.

Arrived in Guangzhou, China after flying from Bangkok. 5 hours later I was airborne again.

Chinese Airplane on Runway at Guanzhou

I was parched with thirst, but a half a liter of water was 10$ American dollars. I held on. I found the gate for China Southern Airlines and waited. When the plane took off, they were generous enough to give me a 2 liter bottle of water just for asking.

Angkor Wat is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Watching the lights from Los Angeles, California through the window of a 380 jet is another. I was born here, 61 years ago. Strangely, my hometown is the only place where I got flagged at customs. I explained who I was and what I was doing, but they didn't get it. They said, "Where have you been?" I said, "Cambodia, Thailand, and China." They said, "Your passport says you've been to Russia." I said, "that's right." They said, "What have you been doing?" I said, "I'm a teacher, and a writer. I'm working on a low-budget film for a Russian director on the mysteries of Angkor Wat." They said, "OK, Redline. Go over there." I waited in line for a half hour and told my story again. I said, "Look it's low-budget. They wanted me for an actor. Just imagine." I suppose the customs officer had seen a few productions. He let me go. But when I got home and opened my bags I found that they had been opened. It's a good thing I gave away that Cambodian drum with the snakeskin head. They might have got me for smuggling cobras.

Anyway the lights from Los Angeles were a welcome sight.

With friend Mario at LAX. Back in the USA

In Los Angeles, my old friends Mario and his wife Veronica picked me up and took me to a nice pizza restaurant. "Boston Pizza," best Italian Pizza run by a Korean Chef in Los Angeles. Only in America.

Finally got on Alaska Airlines to Mexico. There's nothing like having someone waiting for you. Not everyone will pick you up at the airport. It's a real test of love. But no one loves me like my beautiful wife Aurora, and there she was, waiting for me after all those lonely weeks.

With Aurora in Mexico City.

Home Sweet Home: Viva Mexico!

You say Goodbye, and I say Hello.

From Siem Reap, Cambodia to Thailand. Leaving my Russian friends behind broke my heart. Behind the heavy beards and gruff accents they're the sweetest people I've known. We broke bread together for two months from Petersburg to Angkor Wat.

On our way to Cambodian village for film shoot.

With some Cambodian kids in village where helicopter crashed.

Sunset meditation at Angkor Wat

Sunset at temple near Angkor

Our dedicated film crew with Indulekha, Kostya (Hanuman) Andres our helicopter pilot with steady cam and  Rama Kanta.

"All things must pass," as Beatle George Harrison once put it. I hated to leave, but my time was up. Back in Mexico, my wife Aurora had been waiting patiently, allowing me the favor of pursuing my Quixotic dreams of adventure.

So, I said goodbye to Bhakti Bhimal Avadhuta Maharaja, the mysterious Russian Swami and movie director who had so kindly invited me on this adventure. I said goodbye to Indulekha our assistant director, and the film crew that had been so patient with me. They filmed my departure and packed me off through the security check on the flight to Bangkok. 

Bangkok Air is a boutique airline, not so bad. Thai Royal Air is better if you ever get the chance. Next it was off to China Southern Air from Bangkok to Guanzhou China. I sat at the wrong gate reading a book until I realized that something was up. I hurried to the right gate just as they were boarding the last passengers. I thought that souvenirs in China would be cheaper. Boy was I wrong. A half a liter of water cost 10 dollars at the Guanzhou airport. I was happy to get out of China.

Airport in Bangkok

Planes at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

I'll put up more photos later. Right now it's time to catch up on some sleep. Thanks for checking in.

On my way home.

Yesterday we finished shooting. Today I fly to Bangkok, China, Los Angeles and Mexico. Wish me luck.

Route 66

Yesterday was a long day. After a quick cappuchino at the local coffee place, I put on my jungle suit and met the Russian Swami outside the hotel. For today's adventure he rented an old army jeep. We needed some aerial shots with the helicopter. We drove outside town and found some rustic areas with water buffalo and rice paddy. The whole village came out to see. Then the film crew sat on the hood of the jeep with the steady cam as I played "Route 66" on the ukulele and the Swami barreled down a dirt road in the country somewhere. With the top down on the jeep, the sun was furious. We stopped for an ice tea and a bowl of rice. The story line in our film turned out a bit weaker than we had planned, but we did our best to improvise some dialogue while local girls tried to sell us scarves and trinkets. Back on the road, we filmed some bits about the jeep breaking down, again the entire village came out to watch. Our helicopter crashed, but the camera was fine and got some good shots. We finished the day driving off road to a buddhist shrine in the jungle where we filmed the campfire scene. I need a day off, but tomorrow I'm flying back to Mexico. I hope it was all worth it. I found a faster internet connection and should be able to post photos if time permits. Thanks again to all my faithful readers for their encouragement.

Secrets

Angkor Wat is a riddle wrapped in an enigma cloaked in mystery. We know who built it and when. It was Suryavarman II of the Khmer empire, about a thousand years ago. But why did he build a Vishnu temple in India and what strange hold did the Vedic culture have over him?

We topped the Yak Milk

I'm exhausted. We just arrived back in Siem Reap after two days on the road filming in different locations.

There's a special police force for protecting the different temples and ruins. They're called the Apsara authority and they particularly don't like people filming without a permit.

Our cameras are small, but the issue is that according to the police we are an organized film company and therefore need a filming permit. I thought that was the funniest thing I had heard, because if you see us in action, we're not too organized.

 But the sight of big russian guys with shaved heads, tattos, and beards climbing on rocksnwith radios and cameras scares the hell out of the poor cambodian police who track us down wherever we're working and demand bribes.

We drove way out of the area, about four hours by car to film at the forgotten temples of Koh Ker and Prasat Thom.

There's no tourists and the pyramid temples have impressive views of ruined shrines amid ponds of lotuses and stone statues of elephants. It's very Indiana Jones.

But as soon as we set up, got sound rolling, and began to shoot the police showed up demanding money. We finally found a great place to shoot with some really remote temples.

We began filming our artistic docudrama in the forest outside a ruined Shiva temple only to discover that it had not been thoroughly cleared of landmines.

a palmful of sticky rice and a few bananas later and we found ourselves walking through dry rice paddy in the shadow of mahendra parvat where our helicopter crashed after getting some of the best footage yet.

Finally we gave away bananas to the village boys and girls who were following Avadhuta Maharaja. Some of them climbed trees and hid as we taught them to chant hare krishna.

We headed for Siem Reap at sunset and were almost home when one of the cars broke down. Somehow spare parts appeared and we were back on the road again. Everyone was happy but exhausted when we finally hit the best vegetarian restaurant in town.

We dined on springrolls, chinese noodles, stir fry vegetables and pumpkin shake frappes.

 I think we topped the yak milk. I'll try posting photos tomorrow.

Ideals and Examples

It's difficult to post photos here. Takes a long time and the connection is slow. So my posts will take a written form and I'll put up photos when I get a chance. I'd like to thank the people who are reading. I'm not sure really who's reading the blog, apart from a few who have commented, but the idea that I have some readers gives me energy to write.

I'm not entirely sure of my motives for going on this adventure. I like to think that I have some high ideals. On the other hand maybe it's only selfishness and ego. I was called to teach what I know about    bhakti to young people in Russia and Thailand, and also to write a documentary script for a film about Angkor Wat. Now, I find myself  ready to depart for remote jungles in Northern Cambodia in search of alost Mexican pyramid.
Of course, it isn't really lost. Anyone with google can look up the Prasat Thom temple of Koh Ker and find it. But getting there isn't as easy as it looks. I only have 4 days left on this trip, and I'd like to see  it before I go.
One of our goals here is to investigate the influence that India had on Indochina, so long ago. The Mexican pyramid here is pure mystery.
What does this have to do with bhakti?
Bhakti is a peculiar form of dedication or devotion whose practice involves surrender. Hence the title of my blog, Journey to Surrender. Some people want me to teach about bhakti, but what I'm trying to do is demonstrate a certain level of dedication through my own personal example. I'm trying to show young people how to be creative by being creative. I'm trying to show how to plan and execute a project, by doing exactly that. I'm trying to teach how to get up early and go to work, by doing that. So, while the ego of accomplishment sometimes becomes a factor, I'm trying to be a good example. I hope our mission is a success.

bas reliefs of bayon,angkor thom

The bas reliefs of the temple of Bayon, in Angkor Thom are fascinating for the details they reveal about daily life in the area, 1000 years ago.  

monkey see coconut

The gibbons here love the coconuts and steal them from tourists whenever possible. This one took the coco right out of my hands.