"INTRO"
The very First Songline - path of the Lord, revealing in Rudraksha trees! Join it to celebrate: wear Rudrakshas, plant the rudraksha,come to stay in Rudraksha Land. But how to write about our own experience? First, because there were at least 2 of us acting in all the scenes of that amazing story, while I'm writing alone. Also - the influence and everyday care of the Divine becoming more and more notable, visible, feel-able - and all the "logic reasons" stepping-out behind in shadow. Viva Shiva, Rudra Live - salutations to the One who falls His Tears to bless this Earth. We beg him - "Please, o Lord, help us, forward us to the right direction to provide protection to the auspicious trees of Rudraksha, may the sincere, good, and many others people too around the world receive and wear with respect one of Your favorite forms - Rudrakshas!
Story of Rudraksha trees discovery
First it was a short travel to the Big Land to visit the Grand Waterfall, largest among the waterfalls, so grand and majestic, that it was shown on the highest of banknotes of a previous issue - our friends were looking in a pockets to show it to us, but at that time pictures on money already was changed, now it was was great dam. We crossed the sea and were driving our MotoPsy, trying to reach the place at the same day, using non-popular map, installed on Nokia, and probably incorrect - as the waterfall was much more remote that we saw there. It was a night, 10 pm or so, when we drove at the dark in the middle of nowhere, when we noticed something looking like a local road resort - no any sign on English, but our intuition works to stopped us - yes, it was a rooms, in 5 km from waterfall! We could not wait a morning and took a night ride to hear the sound of roaring water - National Park guard kindly allowed us to do it. And this picture below was taken much later - when we created the profile at Visit.org to invite chocolate-lovers to help us save trees of Cacao - on picture our first guests shooting the waterfall, while I'm shooting him.
Ben shooting the waterfall, I'm shooting Ben
The panorama of the river which we observed next morning was so amazing, and the waterfall so big and beautiful, that we decided not to look further for other place, and prolonged our stay to a week. After that week, however, we fall in love to lands around, and asked super-owner of resort for monthly rate. She was glad to make the offer, which we can only accept - this was a beginning of our long nature-exploration.
panorama of the river Clay
Our reasons to look for such a nice and quiet place to stay
We had a reasons to search for such a quiet paradise surroundings - together with our it-partner we were working upon complicated web-project, creating world-best and simplest hotel-booking engine, aiming to provide all the small family hoteliers with it after - to reduce their commission expenses. At that time it was my long-time activity - I was helping to small and medium hotels and resorts, hostels and guesthouses, houses and villas - to run the marketing using various booking systems, and quickly became an expert in that easy job (yes, its still nothing hard there). So, together with our highest-among-programmers we moved to the river-stay, arranged fast Wi-Fi, which was unavailable on the island, and began to work, building our booking - booking now expired, but Dozen Hotels & Villas and NakhonSi Travel Photo Guide remained as a fruits of that efforts.
Our high-end skilled Programmer looking at the waterfall
Rise and Venus and appearance of Cacao
Months passed and travelling every day around the province we start to feel there like a area-experts, when we knew two things: this waterfall nearby (on pictures above) isn't that biggest waterfall, which we were looking initially, and second - there are the trees of Cacao - whole small Cacao farm - opposite our bungalows. Before our Cacao-discovery we started to wake-up early to meet the Venus rise - it was so beautiful to see it on the East sky above the river, that we tried not to miss even a single morning. When we saw the beans, drying at the riverside, smelled it and heard "Coco" - the local name for Cacao is similar to coconut - we accepted this divinity as a gift from Venus, remembering Indean tales. That very day web-partner left us, internet wasn't work, so our first Cacao and chocolate we brewed without any advice - it was easy to make and super-delicious. Since that day we enjoyed the Cacao almost every day.
Cacao in danger and creation of Tree Owners Club
Same as the shadow accompanying the Sun, the little troubles coming with a life pleasures - our new big lovely friends - Cacao trees were in danger of cut down. Due to the development in farming its became more profitable to plant other cultures, and most of the Cacao trees already disappears. We saw the call for the action, but what we could do, being just a guests, who not even speak the local language? Being fully-loaded with Cacao, we started to thing on it. Combining freshly-collected knowledge with a previous experience, we were rewarded by proper tree-saving solution - it was innovative and sounds a bit strange, but solid by its structure - it was a Cacao "Tree Owners Club" and the whole idea of Tree Ownership. This story was highlighted at our NakhonSI news feed and its the most popular article ever posted there. We created profiles on various Eco-websites to invite the guests to the Cacao farm, wrote many letters to Eco-saving organisations and people, visited regional tourism office, and did all we could to "attract the public attention", thinking that the real chocolate obviously have a highest value for the chocolate-lovers, who are many all around the globe. Regarding real results most of that efforts were time-waste, but we started to understand how the things actually works today - not as we thought before, calling for action. It was a time of our deeper learning of trees and nature around.
Gentle ruler - various energies of Shiva
Since we decided to leave the island, Shiva in his countless forms and divine companions was accompanied us, some of that forms we noticed only much later. The main one was Ganesha - this elephant-headed god was recently found as the ancient statue from black iron in same area we come to stay - this statue now in a temple near our Cacao farm and resort. This temple was restored on a discovered ruins of ancient temple, and now its one of the landmarks of the area.
One more of many remarkable places there was an archaeological site with a replica of Meru mount - we found that there are the map of that ancient Meru mount replicas, where different avatars of Shiva were worshiped throughout the long periods of time. We started to visit the sacred mount and "copying" the ancestors, performs rites at same time, instructed by translated scriptures. We discovered that most of humans, including our own ancestors did same, worshiping for Shiva in His various avatars at similar holy mounts. Browsing the web and reading, I collected that places, containing replica of Meru around the country and posted it more than once, but every time its disappears.
Lingam - walking at the riverbanks under our wooden bungalow we found few stone lingams of the perfect form. Name of the district contains "Linga" as well, and however locals relating it with other word, meaning "road turn", for us it was a blessing sign. Setting-up that lingas in our area, we started to put candles and some decorations near the each of them. This was also beginning of exploration of light and fire as alive divine spirits via various technics of light painting with natural light.
One more of many remarkable places there was an archaeological site with a replica of Meru mount - we found that there are the map of that ancient Meru mount replicas, where different avatars of Shiva were worshiped throughout the long periods of time. We started to visit the sacred mount and "copying" the ancestors, performs rites at same time, instructed by translated scriptures. We discovered that most of humans, including our own ancestors did same, worshiping for Shiva in His various avatars at similar holy mounts. Browsing the web and reading, I collected that places, containing replica of Meru around the country and posted it more than once, but every time its disappears.
Lingam - walking at the riverbanks under our wooden bungalow we found few stone lingams of the perfect form. Name of the district contains "Linga" as well, and however locals relating it with other word, meaning "road turn", for us it was a blessing sign. Setting-up that lingas in our area, we started to put candles and some decorations near the each of them. This was also beginning of exploration of light and fire as alive divine spirits via various technics of light painting with natural light.
Important company addition
Need to add that at that time we've became three, as Maya appears in our life next day after we and local Shivaists celebrated New Year at 15 of April. She immediately boosting our life with new energy, which gave us the ability to move to any distance without big efforts. All our previous Eco-oriented activity already was empowered by her sooner appearance. TAlso I've got a new reasons to calmly observe the "Black hole", as it was looks before - that "future of whole humanity" and following options to re-establish harmonic relations with base elements, such as water, air, earth and fire and other forms of life - however before even random sight to that direction fulfill myself with despair and hopeless, where motive to get drunk was the only visible way-out. Maya immediately found other paradise-looking place for her - the only single house in a vast deserted beach holiday complex.
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Then we had a divine visitors, which approved the direction of our efforts - each time they appears right in time, when our energy was on a bottom - "we started it too early, or too old" - I complained, "there are nobody - maybe born yet, who's care about that auspicious trees, other beings and world in general, I can easily pass away to prepare to return in proper time" - I oftenly reached that mood. Those divine visitors, coming as a random guests, turned that somehow to the right way - to the light, even when they came at night.
Success with Cacao rescue and pre-discovery of Rudraksha trees
To make our Tree Ownership concept live and to save the remaining Cacao trees we went to the long journey throughout the country, including the capital - meeting with people, visiting different choco-places and working in web all the way. However we had a poor results contacting the people, we gained new valuable "real" experience regarding the trees planting and related things - we planted hundred (or-s) of young Cacao's right from the seeds, visited unique botanic gardens, archaeological spots and powerful places of Shiva including those which are not shown anywhere. It wasn't super-easy and happy all the way - remember us with 36 young Cacao sprouts, almost without funds to live, asking ourselves "we're ready to move, but what to do with Cacao?!", then that 36 plants found super home at the private botanical garden with whole team of gardeners, together with deers, horses and peacocks. Finally we decided to return to the island, exploring nature all the way, collecting seeds, visiting national parks, looking for the footprints of Shiva. We've got a news from our Cacao farmers - they will not cut down any more trees, as price for Cacao increased, they found new source to sell the ripe fruits, instead of drying the beans, and they start to love Cacao enough to save them! What's a great day we had! Mission completed, even without clear connection with our actions - Shiva helps us as Shukra - spirit of Venus, who gave Cacao to his friends among the people!
releaved Maha Lingam in center of country, with white crystal stones ex-mining
on-site
Meeting with Rudraksha
This life-changing meeting started much earlier its actual meeting, when we picked-up Rudrakshas at the waterfall area, under the other non-rudraksha tree. TO be continued...