The first half of the team left for Australia today. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, Paramacharya Palaniswami and Sadhaka Dandapani… as we write, they are in transit and calling back home for all the little extras they are thinking of for the second team to take with them.

Meanwhile we have a long photo documentary series taken from our last tour day. By a visitor, Trasy Young Zimmerman. When we saw her carefully capturing the beauty of the monastery, with a camera from Star Wars, we asked her to send a few when she returned home.

Here she begins a series in the Rudraksha Forest, starting with the stone Ganesha who presides there.

The special roots of the trees spread out to support the trunk.

We also asked for a few words about her to share on TAKA.

Here he son holds a few beads from the forest floor. He is about 9.

Through the trees she captures the morning light.

Here is her husband Mr. Zimmerman who came to the Aadheenam nearly 20 years ago and gifted a lovely statue of Lord Ganesha to the monastery he had made and painted.

Her son among the sacred trees.

She has now moved to the entrance of the monastery, where she will join the official tour group for a visit to Iraivan Temple. This is a copper Aum just below Nepali Ganesha.

Up the Tiruneri path and through the tropical forest to Siva’s Feet.

Sadhaka Dandapani guides the group. There are nearly 150 people behind him!

That’s her son again. Here is more about our photographer: “I live in Blaine, Washington now, but was born and raised in Canada.”

The group has its first darshan of the temple.

Exploring the many vistas.

So the silpis demonstrate. With the same tools something quite magical happens.

A visitor tries his hand at carving. Everyone soon realizes how impossible it is!

There really is a ball inside the lion’s mouth.

Into the gardens on the return to the monastery.

Her son encounters the Oh-My-God philodendron with leaves as big as he is.

They see the swamis on the path.

A final word of thanks to you, Trasy, for being our photographer of the day.