Hello Dalai!

That's right, folks. The Dalai Lama is in town and yesterday we saw him. After visiting Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism, we stopped off at the Tibetan Research Institute to see if we could catch a glimpse of his holiness. Turns out for only 60 rupees and copies of our passports we could sit in on his sermon! Unfortunately, no cameras allowed so you'll just have to take our word for it. We have the I.D. badges so we can always remember...

Last night we went on a boat ride down the Ganges to participate in a flower ceremony and take in the many Ghats. We saw cremations and several puja ceremonies (daily Hindu religious rites).

What Kate really wants to talk about is her newest boyfriend: Aamir Khan. The movie was a rip off of "Memento" where a man suffers from short term memory loss and is hunting for the killer of his true love. Throw in a couple of songs and dances and you've got yourself a Bollywood Blockbuster. For some reason (jealousy?), Chris thinks Aamir is not a very good actor. Kate knows better. Rent the classic "Lagaan" and you be the judge.

We are getting ready to say goodbye to Varanasi. It has been interesting to stay in one place for so long. There have been many ups and downs. Today we will walk along the ghats, do a little more shopping and have a big dinner before getting on our overnight train. We hear tell of an oil strike causing flight cancellations. Will we have an extended stay in India? Stay tuned...