Freedom tour!

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Dan Bartlett, modified 13 Years ago at 12/11/10 4:45 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 12/8/10 2:33 PM

Freedom tour!

Posts: 46 Join Date: 7/20/09 Recent Posts
I am travelling for around 6 months in the new year, and I wanted to post a few details here because it would be great to:
  • Hang out with any of you who might live in/be visiting India, Nepal and SE Asia.
  • Hear any recommendations about places to visit/avoid. Horrifying/hilarious stories welcome.
  • Be given any contacts you might be kind enough to share.

I've had a busy year with a few things now coming to a neat end, and this is one reason for the extended getaway. Another reason is that I want to see what daily life is like in the other half of the globe. Finally (and primarily), I am also travelling with the aim of attaining an actual freedom... returning a free man! It's a short period for sure, but I don't see any reason not to be ambitious.

I land in Thiruvananthapuram (South India) at the start of January, and will be working through Kerala for 6 - 7 weeks, probably ending up in Goa. From there I'll fly to Delhi and then into Nepal. I have a few free days in Kathmandu before heading off trekking the Everest region with a group from 24th Feb to 15th Mar. On 21st Mar I land in Bangkok and have no plans from then on, except the intention to see Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, spending 3 - 4 weeks in each. If it gets to too wet I might skip one of the four and head further East to Indonesia or the Philippines.

It's a very rough and open itinerary at the moment, which I like.

I'm mostly interested in lazily trekking through natural landscapes: rainforests, hills, mountains, beaches. I might do some diving and rock climbing as there seem to be too many great locations to miss out on these activities. I'm not particularly interested in cultural landmarks, but will probably still see a few big ones. Although these kinds of areas are my preference I will also be in and out of big cities, and will be in all kinds of areas so I'm not particularly fussed about that. What I am more fussed about is travelling lightweight (I'm taking one 28l pack for the trip) and living cheap, so I'll mostly be in guest houses.

If you are looking for something in return for tips, contacts and accommodation, I am a trained massage therapist, a black belt in ninjutsu, and an arhat (meaning 4th path - an arhat in the way that MCTB and the DhO uses the term) so I'd be happy to ease your aches and pains, show you how to cause aches and pains very quickly, and help you get enlightened! I would of course be particularly interested in meeting anyone working towards/living in an actual freedom.

There is a vague idea in my head about continuing on to Australia and possibly even North America, which I'm sure would open up a lot more opportunities, but I'll post about that nearer the time if it looks likely.

Any advice, offers or ideas would be very welcome!
Pavel _, modified 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 9:14 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 9:14 AM

RE: Freedom tour!

Posts: 88 Join Date: 1/20/10 Recent Posts
Have a great trip Dan and good luck getting actually free. All the best on your travels.

Pavel
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Daniel Johnson, modified 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 6:31 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 6:22 PM

RE: Freedom tour!

Posts: 401 Join Date: 12/16/09 Recent Posts
Hey Man,
I remember the first time I came to the DhO, the first thread I clicked on was a report you wrote of going on a retreat and trying to get stream entry. What a trip that you are now an arahat. I guess things worked out for you. I'd be curious to know more about that.

I spent four months in India, a month each (by bicycle) in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos , and about 7 months in Thailand. I'm happy to share some tips, though I'm not sure I have anything in particular off the top of my head.

For lazy trekking, I highly recommend Laos. Tad Fane waterfall is stunning. Awesome jungles, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, etc.
If you're into diving, you may want to do the 160m bungee jump in Nepal, near Kathmandu. I never made it to Nepal, but that was on my list.
India was dirty, and was my least favorite of all those places I mentioned.
Vietnam was best by bicycle because I ended up meeting some of the most amazing people that I never would've met otherwise. Cambodia had some wonderful people too.
Thailand has some amazing beaches, I especially like the beaches around the Krabi/Phuket area.

Anyway, message me if you want any other tips, etc.

- Daniel

by the way, best luck with the AF thing, that'd be wonderful for you to bring that home as a souvenir.

Edit: If you go to Tad Fane waterfall in Laos, you can hike a little trail to the top of it. You can stick your head out over the 100m drop and watch the water pour right past you. You can swim in the little swimming hole above it, or even jump off a little 15 ft. rock over a waterfall that's just upstream from it. I spent my 24th birthday skinny dipping there. It was awesome.
John White, modified 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 7:12 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 7:12 PM

RE: Freedom tour!

Posts: 61 Join Date: 8/16/10 Recent Posts
Sounds like wonderful trip Dan. If you make it to Goa you might want to check out an enlightened Indian named Samdarshi - he'll be there into March. http://samdarshi.com/calendar/ He says he is a buddha - I can't say where he would be in Theravdan model, but I I've spent a fair amount of time at his ashrams over the years, and every time without fail has been amazingly fun and great in many ways. I will probably be in Thailand jan and feb, if your plans change. Best wishes mate!
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Beoman Claudiu Dragon Emu Fire Golem, modified 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 8:30 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 12/10/10 8:30 PM

RE: Freedom tour!

Posts: 2227 Join Date: 10/27/10 Recent Posts
Daniel Johnson:
Hey Man,
I remember the first time I came to the DhO, the first thread I clicked on was a report you wrote of going on a retreat and trying to get stream entry. What a trip that you are now an arahat. I guess things worked out for you. I'd be curious to know more about that.


Ah me too... I notice your stream entry report from 1.5 years ago (which is offline actually - can you re-upload that potentially?) but is hard to find the stuff filling in the gaps =P. Good luck on your journey!
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Dan Bartlett, modified 13 Years ago at 12/12/10 1:03 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 12/12/10 1:01 PM

RE: Freedom tour!

Posts: 46 Join Date: 7/20/09 Recent Posts
Thanks guys. I'd forgotten to mention that I also wanted to do some cycling while away, as I cycle a lot here (in the UK). I did look at some of the Lhasa to Kathmandu bike tours, which look incredible, but it was a bit too much to sort out and didn't quite fit with what I had already planned.

@Daniel - Sounds brilliant, a few people have given Laos a special mention so I'll definitely be exploring there. Might spend my 25th under that waterfall! Did you rent a bike or take one over? The idea of cycling from place to place really appeals to me.

@John - Thanks for the tip, I'd be interested to see him.

Beoman Beo Beoman:
...but is hard to find the stuff filling in the gaps =P


The stuff filling the gaps was just more sensations ;-)

As a few people have asked for more details about how I got to 4th path (not just in this thread) I will try and put together a summary of events and top tips in the next week or so. A few things off the top of my head: The time it took from my first sit to stream entry was about the same amount of time it took to go from stream entry to 4th path. I got seriously fed up with cycles right after I got stream entry, and so practised as if I was third path (seeing it right here, now) the rest of the way. I still experienced cycles and they were welcome markers at some points, but as Tarin says in his different-way-of-doing-2nd-path guide, if it makes sense to you to do that, go for it as early as possible. I didn't use noting at all (apart from once on retreat to stay awake), just a loose open choiceless awareness with the inclination/resolution to see things as they are (to see the three characteristics, to see how things are actually non-dual). It felt like just allowing things to untie themselves; allowing subject/object to cancel eachother out through sustained attention to the fact that they were both part of the same field of sensations.

More soon!
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Daniel Johnson, modified 13 Years ago at 12/16/10 7:18 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 12/16/10 7:18 PM

RE: Freedom tour!

Posts: 401 Join Date: 12/16/09 Recent Posts
Dan Bartlett:


@Daniel - Sounds brilliant, a few people have given Laos a special mention so I'll definitely be exploring there. Might spend my 25th under that waterfall! Did you rent a bike or take one over? The idea of cycling from place to place really appeals to me.


I bought a mountain bike in Thailand, took a train to the border of Cambodia and then started biking across Cambodia. With the addition of a few train and bus rides, I biked to the southern border with Vietnam and crossed over into the Mekong delta. Then, I headed up to Dalat in Vietnam and biked down the mountain and over toward Laos. I spent another month biking through Laos, then spent a few months hanging out in Thailand. Eventually, I just gave my bike away when I finally left and went to Korea. I gave it to a friend I had met in Chiang Mai, who was really stoked. I paid probably about US$200 for the bike in Bangkok, and made my own saddle packs with cheap bangkok luggage, some rope and some duct tape. All in all, it was an amazing way to see the area and get off the beaten path. I highly recommend it, and there is a good lonely planet book on the topic too.

- Daniel