Kaura Travels

SLIDESHOW-A Farewell...for now

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 11:49:00 -0800

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Glimpses of limitless abundance...images, places, and people we will never forget...we have been touched by everywhere we have been...this journey started out as an idea and we could have never imagined what it would become in reality...we hope this blog has and will inspire you to travel, there is so much out there to experience...new ways of living and seeing the world around you. We are blessed to have had this forum to share this life changing experience with you. Thank you, Namaste.

VIDEO- And In The End...

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 01:25:00 -0800

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This file is big but is well worth the wait...
It's bittersweet putting this final video up, truly the end of a beautiful journey that started last summer in Los Angeles and ends in Bay Area.
Words can't really do justice to our experience, but we have been grateful for the response we have gotten from all of you and hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have. We hope we have inspired some of you to get out there, get a backpack and set off...the adventure of a thousand miles starts with a footsep.
Thanks-Benjamin Jones and Malcolm Guess

VIDEO-Motorcycles...Pure Power!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:12:00 -0800

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You just can't tell anyone the rush you feel behind the handle bars of a Yamaha Nuevo...Anyone who has been to Asia knows that without a moto, you can't get around. Motorbikes, motorcycles, mopeds outnumber cars on the roads of Bali, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. For the traveller, it is a necessity to learn how to drive one and how to properly disembark without burning your leg on the right side exhaust which each traveller does at least once as evidenced by the red marks on the tan legs all over south east asia. Hop on board and come for a ride...

VIDEO-Calcutta Tabla Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 23:08:00 -0800

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We hit Calcutta downtrodden, exhauseted emotionally and physically, we were limping to the finish line...The journey from Nepal to Bodhgaya and then on to Calcutta had been arduous to say the least. We were almost stranded in Bodhgaya and could not take a rickshaw as we were told they were too dangerous at night and we would be robbed. The area is very unsafe and full of bandits and we only made our train by paying a local a relatively exhorbitant amount of money to drive us to the train station. When we arrived to Calcutta's dingey traveller's area we were in bad shape but needed to stick it out to finish buying our instruments. We spent a hot day searching through the various music stores and came away with a very nice set of tablas.

SLIDESHOW-Monkeys

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 20:03:00 -0800

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We have come across many different kinds of monkeys on our travels. Rare gibbons in Thailand, macaques in Bali, langur's in India, and the ones we have stumbled upon while walking down streets, on the beach, in the jungle, or while waiting for buses. My (Ben) mayan birth spell is the Blue Resonant Monkey and I have always felt an affinity with monkeys so I have really enjoyed our many encounters with these creatures that are our closest relatives in the animal world. Enjoy...

VIDEOS- 4 From the Vault

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:08:00 -0800

Welcome to our blog!!! If you have a night to kill, we have a lot of videos from our world travels for you. We've decided to go back and pull out some of our favorites and share them with you. Just click on the video image and it will start to download or stream. Enjoy! As always you will need Quicktime to view these do we have provided you with a link on the right where you can get it free from Apple.com.

Dalai Lama: Free Tibet -------------------------From Bali to Bangkok
Laos: Jewel of the Mekong ------------------India: Finding the Beatles

VIDEO-Through a Land of Darkness to Reach the Tree of Light

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 17:00:00 -0800

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It was a tough 4 days as you can read in the entry below, but we made it, even though we had doubts that we would at several times during the journey. When we arrived at this oasis, we were greeted by the sight of monks from all over the world dressed in white, safron, yellow, and red robes chanting and doing prostrations (bowing up and down many times). One cannot but help to feel the profound energy and importance that emanates from this sight, where thousands of monks have been meditating for thousands of years. Upon arrival we circled the grounds which contain many Bodhi trees, temples, and stupas, found a comfortable spot under the same tree as Buddha reached enlightenment and tried to do the same...

SLIDESHOW-Tough Times, Nepal to Bodhgaya

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 15:34:00 -0800

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We left Kathmandu 4 days ago thinking it would take 2 to reach Bodhgaya, India. We could not have predicted what lay in store for us though. Our pilgrimage started out with optimistm and energy but ended with frustration and freyed nerves.
Bodhgaya is home of the Bohdi tree which Sidartha Guatama, or Buddha, reached enlightenment under. Until, we began researching our trip, I did not know that you could visit the actual tree, I thought it was just a myth or a story, but there is an actual tree.
Unfortunately, to get to Bohdgaya, we had to go through hell. The roughest part of our trip up until this point was going from India to Nepal, but from Nepal into Bihar, India was surpassed it. Never was the difference between Nepal and India so evident. Literally, after crossing the border, the vibe of our trip changed, the tone of the people changed...we were thrown back into fending away desperate people who were intent on selling us something or stealing what we had. I cannot judge these people because they are so poor, I do not know what I would do in their situation... Malcolm has been very ill with Giardia, and we have been stuck on dirty trains, horse drawn carts, auto and bicycle rickshaws who have been anything but honest.
The 2 hour bus ride from Muzamphur to Patna was by far the worst of the trip. We had to literally fight people to get a seat, and when we did sit down we were wedged in by people nad luggage. If the bus would have flipped we would have been done. The foul air, thick from chemicals from plastic waste bonfires wafted in throughh the windows and gave us headaches. In Patna, we could not find a guesthouse to sleep in, apparently because we were foreigners. We finally found a place that catered to tourists and we had to pay the most for lodging that we have so far. Upon collapsing on the bed we were excited to order food asw we had not eaten all day. Unfortunatley, the yogurt in the Lassi drink I ordered was off and I began throwing up in the toilet. The hotel staff would not give us our money back and the hot water which should be standard in a hotel of this price did not work.
We left the next morning and made the final leg of the journey to Bodhgaya by bus and by rickshaw. Bodhgaya, is located in the state of Bijar, by far the most dangerous, poor, and lawless region of India. You must watch your back at all times and unfortunately, Buddha's prophecy that the area would be forever plagued by famine, poverty, and war has been true. It is ironic that the holiest of all Buddhist sites is in the middle of such a place.
At this point we are feeling that we are enduring India rather than enjoying it. However, we have been looking forward to reaching Bodhgaya and the Bohdi tree and are looking forward to meditating under it and soaking up the ambience.

VIDEO-Swayambunath Temple, Kathmandu

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sun, 8 Jan 2006 18:55:00 -0800

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Here is some video from a visit to Swayambunath temple to accompany the slideshow below. Enjoy

SLIDESHOW-Kathmadu and Buddha Eyes...

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Thu, 5 Jan 2006 19:35:00 -0800

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Kathmandu...located in a valley amidst the mighty Himalayas, it is crowded, polluted, and beautiful. A calm buddhist air manages to overcome this city despite the hustle and bustle. Swayambhunath Stupa is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu valley and home of the "Buddha Eyes" that adorn hemp bags and wallets of hippies throughout the world. The temple is located on the top of a hill with lush 360 views over the city. Buddhists and even Hindu's come to worship at dawn making the clockwise circumambulations of the stupa. A collection of legends about the site, the 15th century Swayambhu Purana, tells of a miraculous lotus, planted by a past Buddha, which blossomed from the lake that once covered Kathmandu valley. The lotus mysteriously radiated a brilliant light, and the name of the place came to be Swayambhu, meaning 'Self-Created or Self-Existent'.

VIDEO-Nepalese Wedding Procession

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:58:00 -0800

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While walking the streets of Kathmandu, it is not uncommon to come across a grand New Orleans style wedding procession complete with brass and drum band. This quick video will give you a peak at one.

Happy New Year!!

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 15:55:00 -0800

We both want to wish everyone a prosperous 2006, where intentions and dreams are created and fulfilled. Be...be here...be there...be that...be this...be grateful for life...be grateful to life.
We are looking forward to this year and excited to share it all with you. Thanks for all the kind words and support that you have given us during our travels. We still have so much more video and slideshows to share with you so keep checking the site. Go on over to myspace.com and be our friend, and you can listen to our music via the links on the right. Thanks
Ben and Malcolm
KAURA

VIDEO-Pokhara, Nepal

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 20:40:00 -0800

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This is a short video offering a peak into some of the people we came across in Pokhara, a beautiful town in Nepal, used as a launching pad for treks into the Himalayas. With the mountains providing a backdrop, the town is set around a lake and is one of those places you want to take with you.

VIDEO-Bus Ride From Hell Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 20:39:00 -0800

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If you are ever in Varanasi, India and you want to go to Nepal or vice versa, TAKE THE PLANE, the 3 day bus ride from India to Nepal were by far some of the narliest travel experiences we have had. They will break even the most seasoned traveller. I was seriously ill with a stomach virus, drifting in and out of unconsciousness at various states of the trip. Shit, it was horrible.

VIDEO-Bus Musicians

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 20:38:00 -0800

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On the bus ride from Pokhara, Nepal to Kathmandu, these two young boys who coudn't have been more than 12 jumped on the bus for 5 minutes and played some very interesting Nepalese folk songs on violin-like instruments. Unfortunatley, the other people on the bus treated them like an annoyance. However, I was enchanted by there playing.

SLIDESHOW-OM around the world

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:01:00 -0800

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The sound OM, and the symbol that represents it are omnipresent throughout India and Nepal. OM is the original and universal sound and seed from which everything is created. It is used in most chants and mantras and is a tool for meditation. You can literally not walk for 10 feet in India without seeing the 3 like symbol on a wall, a taxi, or hanging from a rear view mirror. Here are just some of the OM's we have encountered while in India.

Subscribe to our blog-RSS Feed Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 19:24:00 -0800

We have added an RSS feed, which means you can now subscibe to this blog. If you have an e-mail program set up for a newsreader than you can receive our full blog to your e-mail account every time we update it. Pluck.com has a free newsreader you can download.
To subscribe to our blog just click on this icon
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VIDEO-Trekking Anapurna

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 14:55:00 -0800

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Words can't really do justice to these mountains and neither do images but hopefully we can give you just a fleeting feeling of what it was like to be at 15,000 feet above the cloudline, walking among giants. Unreal...

SLIDESHOW-Hitting the Cloudline, Himalayas

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 14:43:00 -0800

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We woke up at 5AM at Gurapani and made the hour long hike up to Poon Hill to catch one of the most awe-inspiring views of the Himalayas that you can get, short of being up on Anapurna itself. It was cold, the air was very thin, but we made it up there as the sun broke rose above the horizon. We were amidst the clouds but as the wind swepft the top layer off, we gasped as the peaks of 8 mountians exploded into our sight. It was one of the greatest moments of the trip so far and a feeling we will hold close to us forever. To the left is our trusty guide Lok.

SLIDESHOW-Beginning the Trek-Anapurna, Nepal

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 22:14:00 -0800

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We cannot describe the feeling of hiking the Anapurna trail in Nepal, one of the most amazing high altitude treks imaginable through the majestic Himalayas. I have dreamt of the day that the Anapurna mountain range would be within my eye sight...it took 28 years but we are here, and soaking up every minute of it. Our Nepalese porter/guide, Lok, is amazing, a kind soul who takes care of us like we are his children. The scenery is undoubtedly the most beautiful I have ever encountered while backpacking and is lush and green. A huge river creates mamoth waterfalls over huge boulders and a rhodedendrum forest is waiting to bloom. Song ideas are coming fast as we are coming up with soundtracks to suit this awesome landscape.
We have not encountered the Moaist insurgents yet, who have made travel here dangerous for the foreign traveller, until a recent ceasefire was arranged with the government. If it hadn't been for that we would not be in Nepal right now. We expect to encounter them on our way up to Poon Hill, where they collect a $15 "voluntary Tourist Visa" even though it is far from voluntary.

SLIDESHOW-Nepal

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 00:51:00 -0800

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We left Varanasi thinking we would have a somewhat hard 2 days of train and bus travel to Pokhara, Nepal where we would start the Anapurna trek. Unfortunately, it took 3 days and was some of the worst travel conditions yet, and I was was feeling the sickest I have felt in my life. I picked up yet another stomach bug, and when you are travelling on a rickety bus with chickens in the seat next to you, horns honking non-stop, it can make you wish you were home in a hot bath. However, you cannot, we pressed on, and we finally arrived to the glorious sight of the Anapurna range on the horizon. Unfortunatley, my iPod was stolen from me while I was passed out sick on the bus, but we are both ecstatic to be here. These photos of are our first day in Pokhara, which we love. We are headed out trekking in 2 days, which will give me a little more time to recover. Stay tuned...

VIDEO-Famous On Trains

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Thu, 8 Dec 2005 15:00:00 -0800

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When we travel by train in India, we seem to attract an awful lot of curious attention. If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a monkey at the Zoo or a Rock Star then hop on board the India Express...

Musical Gods

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Tue, 6 Dec 2005 12:49:00 -0800

The sanskrit word for musician is bhagavatharm which means "thee who sings the praises of god." They are people who dance with spirit, who interpret the language of the gods and turn it into something that we can hear. They are thus given the respect that I feel musicians in the west are deserve, but are not given.
Music plays an imprtant role in Indian's spirituality and Hindu religion. Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the eternal trinity, were the first musicians. Shiva, the cosmic dancer, worked out the infinite modes of rhythm in the process of universal creation, preservation and destruction. Brahma and Vishnu accentuated the beat with cymbals and mriganga's. Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom plays the mother of all string instruments, the Vina, while Krishna plays the flute, calling the human souls lost in Maya delusion, bacl to their true home...

VIDEO-Ganges at Dawn

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Sat, 3 Dec 2005 12:47:00 -0800

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Taking a row boat at dawn down the Ganges was a magical experience and I hope this can convey some of the energy we felt through this video.

VIDEO-Musical India

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Jones & Malcolm Guess) — Thu, 1 Dec 2005 07:50:00 -0800

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We laughed as we walked down the narrow streets here as ragas and the drone of the tambura wafted through the air, we couldn't believe our ears. We are so happy to be here as Varanasi is known as the music capital of India and offers up a smorgasboard of musical perfomances, shops, and lessons for the interested traveller. Every night we checked out a different performace, from the guitar-like sarod, to the sitar, flute, and tabla. We even managed to sneak in some lessons for ourselves in between all the yoga and meditation.