What is it that you want to achieve or not achieve? You should relax and be joyful in this moment. As long as you think there is something to achieve, then time passes fast, and I have not reached there yet, whatever it is. In fact, […]
Tuesday morning’s satsang was silent and peaceful throughout. First, I thought not to join Satsang today, but I changed my mind. I had breakfast and a shower. I am still coughing sometimes, and an infection in my chest persists. I left for Satsang at 08:30, just […]
The first time at Satsang in a few days. I managed not to cough during Satsang. I was sitting in the last row on a chair so I could leave the room quickly in case I got a coughing fit. After Satsang, I drove to the […]
Gopika would leave for Gokarna this morning. I was packing and emptying my room on the rooftop. I removed the beddings and brought them down; it’s all from Gopika. At 10:00, I had an appointment with Saryana. Saryana rented me the scooter, and we would meet […]
Still sick from coughing, I bought Swasa Kalpa Syrup from the Ayurvedic shop this morning. A traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulation primarily used to manage respiratory health. It is most commonly used for conditions like asthma, bronchitis, and chronic cough. In Sanskrit, Swasa refers to breathing or […]
“The greatest wealth is health.” ~Virgil~ I am still coughing. Last evening, a big plug of mucus was released from my throat. It was pretty solid and stuck in my throat. Coughing is easier now. I am eagerly waiting to feel fit again. It must last […]
I didn’t feel like joining Satsang again. I was still coughing; something was blocked in my throat. So I more or less rested. Outside, construction is underway, and there is a lot of noise as drainage is being installed for a new building. But mentally, I […]
I still have a cold. My nose is not running anymore, but now I am coughing from time to time. It feels hard in the chest. Maybe I got it from Gopika, maybe it’s from the pollution. Usually, many people in Tiru are coughing. At least […]
Free will, destiny â we refer them to higher planes within you, yourself, nothing outside. âDo I have free will?â â This question belongs to the one who identifies with a personality. So the answer also belongs to that. In fact, you are not this or […]
When Ramana says âyou are the Selfâ or âyou are the True Happiness,â he is not speaking as a separate realised person pointing to you. He is speaking as the Self within you â as that one, undivided Reality. As Amma explains, the pointing is not […]
It is Sunday morning. It doesn’t make much difference here if it is Sunday or another weekday. The shops have opened, and the streets are busy as usual. I caught a cold; it started yesterday already, and my nose is running. I don’t feel very sick […]
Good morning! After coffee and some bread, reading and writing, I prepared for Satsang. I shortly visited Gopika, then I left. I arrived at the Ashram at 08:45, just in time to get a chair. People can enter the Ashram at 08:45. Slowly, the room filled […]
Gopika sent me another shopping list for this morning. She is still sick and can’t go out by herself. So I changed my plan, going to Sri Ramanasramam, and went shopping. At first, I got some Colloidal Silver from Penny, who is Gopika’s Pilates teacher. It […]
The Self doesn’t attain anything Today I will join Satsang with Ganga Maa. I walked down to Gopika to have a shower. I thought she would be in the Ashram already, but she was home. And she looked very sick. She didn’t feel well and was […]
In todayâs satsang, Amma explained about _summa iru_ â the stillness that is the Self. At first, attentiveness (_shraddha_) is essential, but at a deeper stage neither attentiveness nor inattentiveness is needed. The power of attention is no longer pulled outward or inward; it simply rests […]
What state of being comes to you when you think of your mother? Itâs the _bhava_ of a mother. What emotion comes to you when you think of the guru â guru as the bhava, the state of being when that is invoked? As the Lord […]
The first time I woke up was at 03:00 in the morning. It would be 08:30 in New South Wales, where I am coming from. I spent some time on my laptop reading. It must have been around 04:30 when I fell asleep again. I woke […]
The flight with IndiGo lasted four hours. We grounded at 06:40 with a 45-minute delay. The immigration was fast; there were not many people at the e-Visa counters. I just had to complete my Arrival card, which should usually be done on the plane already, but […]
After all my belongings were stored in my suitcase and backpack, I left the hotel at 10:00, the last check-out time. The bus station to Strathfield was just a few meters opposite the road. There was a pedestrian bridge to cross the road. I drove to […]
Dawning of the second morning in Sydney. We left the hotel around 10:00 and got the M90 bus to Strathfield. There is this little Cafe where we were yesterday evening. The breakfast was good there, sourdough bread with avocado cream, onions, and feta cheese. After finishing […]
When we left the hotel this morning, I still wasn’t hungry at all. We took the M90 bus to Strathfield. From there, the T2 train to Circular Quai, which is closest to the famous Opera House. We sat down first in a nice Cafe for a […]
The last morning dawned in Canberra for us. The train would depart at 11:58 from Kingston Station in Canberra. We took the bus from the hotel to Kingston shops and had a good breakfast sitting outside in a Cafe. The weather was beautiful. After breakfast, we […]
Another day in Canberra. The WiFi in the hotel still doesn’t work. We went to town again on bus R6. The internet for the bus also didn’t work, which means we couldn’t pay for the bus. We had breakfast in Coffers Cafe, where we had lunch […]
Bus from Wagga Wagga to Canberra – 250 km The alarm was set for 05:30 this morning. Andrew would drive us to the bus terminal. We had a coffee and a short breakfast and packed our suitcases. The car would stay here in Andrew’s place. After […]
Roadtrip – 41 km – Wagga Wagga 12967 km Today was the last day using Andrew’s car, the KIA Rio. He will leave it here in Wagga Wagga. Our trip in this car was precisely 12967 km. From Wagga Wagga, we will take a bus tomorrow […]
Road trip – 106 km – Wagga Wagga><Junee I slept long today, until 07:30. I got the bed in the room, Andrew had some cushions from the veranda and was sleeping on the floor. Today was the day to drive to the Licorice & Chocolate Factory […]
Road trip – 166 km – Wagga Wagga Everybody woke up quite early. They were using two bedrooms, Andrew and I were sleeping anyway on the couches in the living room the last nights. They prepared a breakfast and we were all eating together. It was […]
Roadtrip – 122 km – Talbingo><Kosciuszko National Park A beautiful day again, blue sky, and just a little wind. Perfect for a drive through the Kosciuszko National Park. It looks pretty much like prairie here. On one spot, we saw some brumbies. There is another place […]
Roadtrip – 0 km – Talbingo âOneâs destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.â ~Henry Miller~ After waking up this morning, I booked a Hotel in Canberra for two nights. The tickets I got already yesterday, by the way, it’s by […]
Roadtrip – 114 km – Talbingo><Tumut After a relaxed night, we had a trip to Tumut today. Tumut is 40 km from Talbingo. Tumut is the town where Andrew grew up and lived until 1999. Around 7000 people live in Tumut. This town is quite alive. […]
Roadtrip – 25 km – Talbingo The summer is back! We had a warm afternoon and evening yesterday, and the sky was mostly blue. Today it is 28 degrees. It’s chill-out time. We drove to town, just a few minutes from our house. There was nobody […]
Roadtrip – 228 km – Talbingo âAdventure is worthwhile.â ~Aesop~ It was a good night in a comfortable Hotel. The Hotel reminded me a bit of the style of Switzerland. Also, the name, Bernti’s Mountain Inn. Today we would drive to Talbingo, where Andrew’s nephew offered […]
Road trip – 178 km – Threadbo âOnce a year, go someplace youâve never been before.â ~Dalai Lama~ It was pretty comfortable having a spacious apartment in Cooma. After a good sleep, shower and breakfast, we started driving to the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre. The Snowy […]
Road trip – 177 km – Cooma âTake only memories, leave only footprints.â ~Chief Seattle~ Another morning in Victoria. This pub was pretty old. It could have been cleaner here, and it was smelly. It was the typical smell of stale beer. The windows looked as […]
Road trip – 207 km – Cann River âLife is short, and the world is wide.â There was a bit of rain again in the night. I heard Andrew walking out at 06:00. He was soon back and said it’s better to pack now, before there […]
Road trip – 60 km – Eagle Point><Bairnsdale âA journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.â â Lao Tzu It was drizzling a bit when I woke up at 06:00 this morning. Nothing to worry about, the tent wouldn’t get too wet. At […]
Road trip – 213 km – Eagle Point It was a tough night, with strong winds. And I had a cold. I used some white Tiger Balm, rubbing it under my nose. I could hardly sleep, the wind was very noisy. In the morning, I used […]
Road trip – 104 km – Toora “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” ~John A. Shedd~ We stayed overnight in Warragul. We drove back this morning to Toora. On the way, we stopped in Foster for some […]
Road trip – 106 km – Toora><Warragul Today we would drive to Warragul where a friend of Andrewâs lives. Itâs around a 90 minutes drive. Warragul means âWild dogâ in the Aboriginal language. It has 14.000 inhabitants. Warragul is the center of western Gippsland and the […]
Road trip – 146 km – Toora><Wilsons Promontory “Adventure is out there!” ~Mark Twain~ Another day trip starting from Toora. There was some rain in the night. I heard it coming and going. We are blessed to have the tent under a roof. The tent stays […]
Road trip – 140 km – Toora><Tarra-Bulga We had a light on top of our tent tonight. Itâs using a sensor and works all night. Maybe we can hang something on it today. But first, we would drive to the Tarra-Bulga National Park. There would be […]
Road trip – 100 km – Toora The night was quite cold. It went down to only nine degrees. Especially before sunrise, I could feel it. Once the sun was out, it felt much warmer. In this campground were some chickens, I think they should not […]
Road trip – 39 km – Philip Island When waking up this morning, we still didn’t know what to do today. Staying one more night in the Holiday Park, get another room there, or set up the tent. The forecast didn’t show rain for today. We […]
Road trip – 189 km – Philip Island After being for three nights in Geelong we would be back on the road. 30 km from Geelong would be Queenscliff. There is a ferry to Sorrento. I got the ticket online already yesterday. The ferry would need […]
Road trip – 0 km – Geelong><Melbourne Another day where we would be in Melbourne. Andrew got a message that his business meeting would be pushed back for one hour. We left again for Geelong by train towards Melbourne. We just strolled around, had a coffee, […]
Roadtrip – 0 km – Geelong><Melbourne It was a good night. This room would be our home for three nights. After 10:00, we left the Motel. It would be 12 minutes to walk to the train station. There was a counter where we could buy the […]
Road trip – 136 km – Geelong “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didnât do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your […]
Road trip – 150 km – Apollo Bay “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” ~Helen Keller~ On another rainy day, we wouldn’t look for a campsite tonight. Our destination would be around Apollo Bay for today. There were more sightseeing views along […]
Road trip – 227 km – Port Campbell “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” ~Anonymous~ The Retro Motel in Portland was very convenient. Some retro items in the motel included an old radio, and the shower had a red lamp that […]
Road trip – 144 km – Portland “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” ~Henry Miller~ Another comfortable night in Port MacDonnell. I had a hot and good shower in the morning. Michelle has a coffee machine, much better than […]
Road trip – 0 km – Port MacDonnell “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” ~John A. Shedd~ It is convenient to be in a beautiful house when it is rainy and stormy. Andrew and I have our […]
Roadtrip – 204 km – Port Macdonnell “Not all those who wander are lost.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien~ I slept well this night, although I had a two-hour nap the day before. Woke up at 06:00. More than enough time to arrange everything, check out would be at […]
Roadtrip – 252 km – Kingston S.E. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” ~Saint Augustine~ The road trip starts again. There was not much more to pack this morning. We cleared it all up before we left. […]
“Traveling â it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” ~Ibn Battuta~ This week, we will just be in Clayton Bay. Andrew had to prepare a few things for his new home. We drove to Bunnings in a town nearby. He needed to buy […]
Road trip – 263 km – Clayton Bay The hotel was much better on the inside than it looked from the outside. There was a kitchen on our floor providing coffee, tea, water, orange juice, muesli and milk, bread, butter, and jam. We had breakfast before […]
Road trip – 605 km – Snowtown I had a good sleep in a big, comfortable bed. Around 06:30, I woke up. It was time for a shower, then for some breakfast. There was not much to pack today, just our suitcases and a little other […]
Road trip – 524 km – Smoky Bay It started to rain in the night. I could hear the rain several times, sometimes a little, sometimes stronger. We would have to pack a wet tent in the morning. Andrew has set the alarm at 06:00 because […]
Road trip – 541 km – Border Village It was pretty cold at night, just 9 degrees. At one point in the night, I put on long pants and a hoodie. Around 06:00, we got up and started packing. We would have a coffee and a […]
Road trip – 468 km – Balladonia We left our bungalow in The Duke Orleans Bay this morning. Andrew already dropped the keys and the card for the gate into the key drop. So we couldn’t drive the car through the gate. He put some tape […]
Road trip – 8 km – Orlans Bay Another night in a room with a bed. Our home here has an extra room where Andrew was sleeping. The other room has the kitchen and two bunk beds. I was sleeping in one. On this day, nothing […]
Road trip – 149 km – Orleans Bay Our tent was quite close to the road, and it was a bit noisy at night. Some people are living in bungalows on this camping ground. There was early noise in the morning. I woke up at 06:00. […]
Road trip – 424 km – Esperance This morning we had a look at the ocean in Bremer Bay. The Devils Creek flows into the ocean here. Absolutely beautiful water in this bay. We are heading towards Esperance today. It will be a 400 km drive. […]
Road trip – 262 km – Bremer Bay There was a little rain in the night. I woke up at 05:30 and couldn’t sleep anymore. Before 07:00, we left the tent and moved all the stuff into the car. The forecast didn’t show more rain, but […]
Roadtrip – 197 km – Denmark Today would be a forest day. It was nice to sleep in a proper bed again. I was researching my Telstra account for mobile data. 28 days have already gone by. After having breakfast, we left the hotel at 09:00. […]
Road trip – 148 km – Pemberton It was a good spot last night, the Munday Camp Ground in Augusta. The night was quiet. Andrew woke up from the crowing of a rooster. I didn’t hear that, but I needed to get out for a pee […]
Roadtrip – 138 km – Augusta After two nights in Busselton, we prepared to head south. Packing the tent and all the stuff is already an easy procedure. Our first stop would be Canal Rocks. The south-west coast of Australia is really beautiful, with its rocks […]
Road trip – 80 km – Busselton It’s a nice camping place here in Busselton. It has fresh wind but gets pretty chilly after sunset. In daytime it has 22 degrees,11 at night. I was at 19:30 in the tent with my laptop. When there is […]
Road trip – 257 km – Busselton I will be back on the road today. I had a shower, some breakfast, and then started to bring everything back into the car. We said goodbye to Steven and Pauline and headed towards Busselton. Busselton is a town […]
Road trip – 0 km – Perth I have some relaxed days here in Perth with Andrew, Steven, and Pauline. Pauline is Steven’s girlfriend. This morning, we four had another walk through the Baigup Wetlands along the Swan River. The wetlands of the Swan River in […]
Road trip – 0 km – Perth Another day in Perth. City life feels somehow different. Andrew and I are not used to it. Perth is a nice city, everything is clean and organized, and people are friendly. Still, something is missing. We had a walk […]
Road trip – 259 km – Perth The night was a bit cold and sometimes noisy. Freight trains are running close to the camping place. We got up before 07:00 and started packing our stuff. The tent was still a bit damp, so we left it […]
Road trip – 337 km – Merredin This was the last night in this beautiful house in Kalgoorlie. We would continue in the direction of Perth today. We could either have a night in Southern Cross or in Merredin before Perth. Perth is still 655 km […]
Roadtrip – 0 km – Kalgoorlie Another quiet night has passed. It was just 05:00 when I woke up. I couldn’t sleep anymore. Maybe because I had a late nap yesterday. It got colder today, and it was still raining. Just eleven degrees this morning, and […]
Road trip – 0 km – Kalgoorlie It was refreshing to sleep in a proper bed. It was dark and quiet in the night. I woke up at 07:00 and had time to read and write. No rush today reaching somewhere. It was raining this morning. […]
Road trip – 261 km – Kalgoorlie-Boulder The night was peaceful. I woke up around 07:00, packed some stuff, and had a shower. After having breakfast and coffee, talking to a Switzerland couple, we started towards Kalgoorie. Andrew has some friends in Kalgoorlie, a couple he […]
Road trip – 677 km – Leonora It was 02:45 when I woke and had to leave the tent for a pee. The car was just in front of the tent. I saw my backpack beside the car and another bag. Stuff was lying around the […]
Road trip – 557 km – Warburton We left Ayers Rock Campground early, just past 07:00. eating a banana and some dried fruits. The Service Station was nearby, so we stopped and got a coffee there. The direction was the same as to the Olgas the […]
Road trip – 62 km – Ayers Rock Again, Ayers Rock today. This time we will walk around it. It must be around 11 km to walk. As we arrived at Ayers Rock, we started walking. From a distance, it doesn’t look so huge, but the […]
Road trip – 399 km – Kata TjuáčŻa (Olgas) We left Kings Creek Station after packing and breakfast. It would be around 280 km to Ayers Rock Campground. Before reaching there, we stopped at a mechanic’s place. The car needed some oil. Andrew was checking which […]
Road trip – 86 km – Kings Canyon I slept well last night; it was silent, and the outback is not cold on September nights. At 07:00, we got up, had breakfast, and started towards Kings Canyon. We will stay for two nights in Kings Creek […]
Road trip – 718 km – Kings Creek Station I remember when Andrew was joking about the wasp sting on my lips. “Fortunately, we don’t have dangerous animals in Australia.” Here in the outback, you could meet snakes, dingoes, or scorpions. I didn’t meet any, not […]
Road trip – 17 km – Coober Pedy I could sleep well in this cave. I woke up the first time after 01:00. I don’t know if it was because I needed to pee or the snoring of one of our neighbours’ caves. It was insane […]
Road trip – 377 km – Coober Pedy Last night wasn’t as cold as the first one, unexpectedly. I slept much better. We both woke up around 07:00, packed our stuff back in the car, then we had a shower, here was only one shower in […]
Road trip – 393- km – Pimba The first night was pretty hard for both of us. It was cold, and we needed a better mat to sleep on. We will change something for the second night. Around 01:00, I woke up and needed to pee; […]
Road trip – 0-236 km – Burra We got up around 07:00 and prepared the last stuff, had a shower, and breakfast. We closed the house, and our road trip started. The first stop we had was in a town called Hahndorf. It is the first […]
This will be the last day in Andrew’s home in Clayton Bay. Tomorrow morning, around 09:00, we will start towards Burra, which is 234 km from here. It’s straight North from here. We finished packing with all the food we bought, and it seems we are […]
A new day in Clayton Bay. I slept again long and feel fresh. Andrew and I had some coffee and breakfast before leaving for town, Victor Harbor. At first, we entered a hardware store. Andrew needed some light switches and other small items for his new […]
I had a long sleep, more than 8 hours, which is more than I usually sleep. We had a coffee and some muesli for breakfast. My first shower since I left Portugal was really refreshing. We started packing up the car. Andrew is really super organised. […]
Again in the airplane. After 10 hours waiting in Hangzhou, a 10-hour flight to Melbourne. The flight was scheduled to depart at 07:00, but we actually took off at 08:20. I thought I would miss my connection from Melbourne to Adelaide at 07:00. Another issue could […]
I woke up early at 05:00, not unusual for me, wether I am travelling or not. Time to read and learning Portuguese. Later I had a shower and prepared to leave. My host was already gone, he said he is working in a bank. At 07:30 […]
Another adventure starts today, this time it will be Australia. I am going to meet my friend Andrew. We spent quite some time together on the Camino Frances in 2023. Now it’s time to meet again on the other side of the world. Davina was so […]
Our whole life is like a puzzle đ§©, with each part it is getting more complete. We cannot dismiss any part of it. We will only see the whole picture when it is complete. Now my plane has departed already, and I have to find another solution. I was […]
Can you handle the truth? We measure reality according to our conditioning. The last morning in the Green Mandala Inn arises. I was ready to get back to Portugal. I had breakfast with Max, some curd with nuts and fruits. After breakfast, I was walking the […]
Another beautiful day in the Green Mandala Inn. The last full day here before I fly back to Portugal. After breakfast I walked up to the Kopan Monastery. I asked the guard if I could visit the monastery, I was welcome. It is a beautiful place, […]