Day 2: Temple Tour

This morning was hectic because we were supposed to go on a hike but it was raining outside. So we ate breakfast and after some discussion and rearranging plans for the day we had a group discussion about the books we had read. It was mostly about the Circle of Karma, and I really enjoyed it! I am seeing more and more how intelligent and worldly and driven my companions are. All of their stories are really interesting! After that we went to a Buddhist monastery that was beautifully painted on the inside. Then we rode into town and went to an antique store where a guy gave us a mini lesson on mandalas and Buddhist paintings (which were also bright and colorful and intricate). He was talking about how they crush things to make the dye and it was so stunning because it was old and beautiful. Then we went to Kali's temple (I really enjoy the stories about Kali in Hinduism). We decided to walk to the next temple, which Christian but used Buddhist imagery. It was a neat combination, because the Virgin Mary was depicted as sitting on a lotus. And then we walked over to a Krishna temple where orphans were singing Hindu prayers. It was really impressive because it had what would be like the Stations of the Cross but for Krishnas life; they were in full sculpture size around the room. Then we walked all the way back to the farm for dinner and called it a night!