The Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utah is like transporting oneself half-way across the globe to India! Instead of spending over $1000 on airfare, however, I spent a whopping $125 for three days of Indian culture in a beautiful authentic temple which felt like being in a land far, far away. My dear friend Emily and I shared this inspiring weekend together, and made some spiritual connections with new faces along the way.
Saturday morning after our yoga session, we took a hike up in the hills near the temple. What is that rope attached to which I am holding in my hand, you ask? 
It's a Llama, of course! There are dozens of them roaming around out here. Apparently, they make great pack animals and are frequently rented out to hunters. This is our yoga teacher Alan with his favorite little furry creature. 
Cute...kind of, but man, do they stink! I've never smelled anything like it...really. Riding in the van with these two, even though it was only for a few minutes, was torturous! It's kind of a smell between butt and really bad body odor, combined with rotting hay. It makes my dog smell like roses, even on a bad day. 
I really bonded with this McCaw, though. At first he wasn't so sure, but by the second day, he was begging to hold onto my fingers. He even let me scratch his head. Scratching a bird feels weird. He's just a prickly stump under all those feathers!
Emily and Alan jamming on the guitar. :)
This is Vie. She and her husband Charu run the temple. She's also an amazing painter in her spare time. She is super devoted to Krishna, which is just the Sanskrit name for God. We got to sit and talk with these devotees about their beliefs, and participate in some of their rituals and practices. It was very educational, and although the stories and traditions are different than Christianity, the principles and concepts are the same. Being open to what they had to offer was very rewarding and faith-building.
