Singapore Sends the Monks Home

Singapore members will tell you they won the Spiritual Geography Sweepstakes. This island nation of 5 million, settled on less than 300 square miles of land (Kauai would have 10 million if it had the same population density!), lies at a hub that brings Bodhinatha and the monks to them quite often, enroute to Malaysia, Lanka, India or Mauritius.

Our three monks were lovingly greeted at the airport and during the day to follow were looked after with grace and affection. For the yogis it proved to be an unexpected contrast, as India and Singapore are opposites in many ways.

An outing to the Orchid Garden (regarded as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO) was a highlight. Walking and talking, seeing plants never seen before, sitting on a grassy knoll to 'talk story," a lunch of amazing veggie dishes and fun conversations about apps and Hinduism Today and our journey.

Then dinner with Doha Deva and Nagavati, Bhani and Remadevi. They got up at 3am to come to the airport and see us off to Japan. Nandri, everyone, for such a happy final day of our month-long yatra. Aum Namasivaya!

Lots of smiling faces waiting for us at the airport in Singapore.

Off that afternoon to the Orchid Gardens.

A birds nest fern with narrow leaves.

And a dwarf palm Paramacharya has his eye on.

Inside we take another group photo.

During the informal class on the grass. Remadevi tells a little of her Innersearch in Sri Lanka.

Did you know that fully 10% of all plant species on the earth are orchids?

A rare calocasia greets the tropical sun.

The yogis sit at the end, waiting for our next adventure. There are talks of the two 7-hour flights ahead of us tomorrow, and of spending time at the Wall of Rain. Yogis are ever the happy souls. Happy to travel afar. Happy to be going home.

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