Monks in New York

Our swamis enjoying some artwork (a Van Gogh to be precise) in New York

Manhattan skyline as seen from our plane

Walking trough the Indian section with the Tanzi family

Jai!

Sekhmet, the Egyptian Durga, as far as we can tell

We noticed these conches, as we’re currently editing an article about conch carving in Hinduism Today

Must be a Chinese Muruga right?

Off into the forests the next day for a walk

fairy houses everywhere

Aum Namah Sivaya

Our traveling monks have been making several stops along the way to Mauritius. After they left the Bay Area, they spent a few nights on the East Coast and took a quick journey over to Manhattan to enjoy some of the classic New York experience. The Tanzi family met them at the MET, and everyone enjoyed exploring the towering marbled halls of this world-renowned museum. Apart from the 3000 year old Greek statues, Egyptian sarcophagi and some of the world’s most famous paintings (including a few of Monet’s water lilies!), there was a wonderful display of ancient Indian murtis in both metal and stone. Some of them still had some notable shakti to them, especially Ganesha.

The next day, while waiting for their evening flight to the UK, our monks went to a nearby trail outside of the Newark area to get some much-appreciated time in nature. The trail is known as the Fairy Trail, and features countless little fairy houses to be discovered around every turn. It seems to be a place that families love to bring their young children, as well as a place artists enjoy. There must have been about 20 painters around the trail, each settled down to canvas a different fairy abode. Aum.