Namaste,
Well I am just firming up details on our (my son Marley Sage,17 )is going with me for his birthday present. We are flying into Dehlia and then off to: Kumbh Mela (the Urn Festival) is a Hindu pilgrimage that occurs four times every twelve years and rotates between four locations: Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Each twelve-year cycle includes one Maha Kumbh Mela (Great Kumbh Mela) at Prayag, which is attended by millions of people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world. This is the descripition from Wikipedia read more

We will be flying into Dehlia a couple of days before the rest of the group then off to Allahabad, Uttar Pardesh fron Jan 8th -21st, 2007 for Kumbh Mela

The Maha Kumbh Mela ("great festival of the pot of nectar of immortality") is held every three years in each of four different locations, returning to each of four places every twelve years. An Ardh (half) Mela (festival) takes place six years after the Maha Kumbh in each location.

Kumbh Mela is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage and bathing festival that takes place at the following 4 locations of India:

• Prayag (near the city of Allahabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh) at the confluence of three rivers Ganga (Ganges), Yamuna and Saraswati
• Haridwar (in the state of Uttaranchal Pradesh) where the river Ganga enters the
• enters the plains from Himalayas.
• Ujjain (in Madhya Pradesh), on the banks of Ksipra river.
• Nasik (in Maharashtra) on the banks of Godavari river.

We decided to go with a tour group so I don't have to make all arragements as multi-million Hindi folks will be there. The tour group is divine travels (their website and more background can be found at: https://divine.aosoft.com/KumbhMela.html#anchor517123. There were between 70 and 100 million folks last time in 2001. There are plenty of web info here is just a small sampling: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/description_of_the_kumbha_mela.htm and the weather can be found here: here

His mother is behind this 100% and I will be taking cameras and audio devices to put together sights and sounds from on the road,There are special days when the holy folks, saints and other high ranking Hindi's will enter the waters first after a parade after visting the grounds where people that have passed on and just left ashes, these ashes will cover the holy folks before they enter the waters, to wash away any sins and clean the body in the holy necture. The main bathing dates are as follows: Main Bathing Dates:

• 3 January 2007 - Paush Purnima
  The full moon in the Hindu month of Paush. This is the last full moon of winter. The sadhus will be at the Kumbh Mela and first pilgrims will already arrive. More would come in buses, trains and on foot.
  
• 14 January 2007 - Makar Sankranti
  According to Hindu Astrology, on this day the Sun enters the constellation Capricorn. This day is celebrated all over India through various festivals and pilgrimages. This is the first of the big bathing days.
  
• 19 January 2007 - Mauni Amavasya
  This is "New Moon of the Saints." For the holy men and women this was their main bathing day where they participated in gilded and naked processions. It is also a day when new members to various holy monastic orders received their first initiation.
  
• 23 January 2007 - Vasant Panchami
  This is the fifth day of the bright half of the lunar month and is the beginning of spring in North India. Traditionally people wore yellow on this day. It is day when people prayed to the Gods for a good bumper harvest.
  
• 2 February 2007 - Magh Purnima
  This is the full moon in the month of Magha (January - February). Winter is a memory and the moon shines over the two holy rivers.
  
• 15 to 16 February 2007 - Mahashivratri
  This is the Great Night of Shiva, the Naked One, from whose dreadlocks the Ganges flows. He married Parvati, daughter of the Himalayas on this day. Shiva has many followers, none more so than the naked Naga sadhus who live life in imitation of him

Finally months of plaining are starting to gel. Tommorrow we start to get Marley Sages's passport on a five day expidiated service. Then we can buy our tickets and get our visa's stamped. It sems like I was stuck in honey as everything, was taking so long and now I have broke free and will be seeing my VA doctor shortly and getting my meds situation cleared up. Marley will need to finish getting some of his shots and also anti-malaria meds.

There is so much to tell all you readers and I am going to stop my blog for the day, so I can continue getting a list of things I need to do when I go to Palo Alto / Menlo Park to get my MIR of my back, so that they Doctors can see how my surgery is healing. I'm still in pain but that is a minor discomfortas the excitment ripples the very air surrounding me with a felling of finally getting ready to get on the road. What a bonus that my son, Marley Sage gets to spend his birthday in India and he tought a few years back Disneyland was the place to be, this is reality not fantasy. I'm so happy for him, but I have to pry my hands off the keyboard.

Till I type again, gregor who is India bound. Peace brothers and sisters.