Dharma Yatra 2012

Afternoon of Thursday July 25^th, 2012
to 12 noon on Sunday, August 4^th, 2012

We ask that Yatra participants be there for the whole 10 days. It is not possible to join on any other day of the Yatra and we will not be able to make any arrangement for people deciding to leave before the end of the Yatra. There will not be a change-over day as in previous Yatras.

In 2001, with just over 60 people, the first Dharma Yatra left Tapovan (near Carcassonne) and walked for 19 days to Plum village.

In 2012, we will start near Limoux (South of France).

Please read carefully the following details, before you contact us with any questions. They will probably be answered with the information below.

Below you will find details on:

• How to Register
• Methods of Payment
• Dana
• The starting point and end point of Yatra
• How to get to the Yatra
• By Train
• By Car
• Car Sharing
• By Plane
• Staying before and/or after the Yatra
• What to bring
• Communicating during the Yatra
• Cancellations
• Contacts
• Keeping in touch

 

HOW TO REGISTER

In order to register for the Yatra you need to do the following :

1. Read below all details concerning the Yatra.
2. Once you have read all the relevant information fill out a Dharma Yatra registration form in Word format (.doc) for everyone over 16 years of age and send either on line or by post to the address below.
3. Send €60 non-refundable registration fee, per person (excluding children)

Please send it as early as possible as we have many expenses before the start of the Yatra.

When we receive your booking form and deposit, we will send you a confirmation by email.

Be careful, our capacity is limited, we advise you to register as soon as possible to ensure that you have a place. You must be registered before the departure day.

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METHODS OF PAYMENT

You can send your registration fee, as well as your Dana either:

• by cheque in euros:
  
  • payable to :
        Yatra (important!)
    
  • and mail it to:
        Yatra
        c/o Muriel Bansard
        3 Place Saint Roch
        61110 Rémalard
        France
    
• by credit card / Paypal:

  Name(s) of person(s) registering:

  
• or by bank transfer using this information:
  • Account holder: Yatra
  • IBAN: FR76 1660 6000 6000 1336 3149 156
  • BIC/SWIFT: AGRIFRPP866

Please note : In order to minimize our bank costs, according to your possibilities, please choose Paypal if you send money from out of France and choose cheque or bank transfer if you have a French bank account.

Important: There will be no ATM or computer accessible during the duration of the Yatra, so please plan accordingly!

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DANA

The principle of "Dana" or Generosity is at the roots of the Dharma Yatra.

The registration fee only covers a small part of the expenses. There is no fixed charge for participating in the Yatra. The whole event relies on generosity. All those organizing the Yatra, which involves many hundreds of hours of work, are doing so voluntarily.

Expenses for Dharma Yatra include:

• all the meals prepared with local and organic food,
• administration costs (insurance, phone before and during the Yatra, mail…),
• buying, fixing and maintaining through the years equipments for the kitchen and for the campsite (toilets, showers, shelters…),
• hiring 3 vans and trucks for the 10 days of the Yatra plus the fuel,
• teachers' travel fares,
• travelling costs for the managers to prepare everything in the area (to find the camp sites, the tracks, the food providers…),
• etc.

All donations are made to "Yatra", a non-profit association (Association sans but lucratif loi 1901)

Dana will also be invited for the Teachers who receive no payment for coming and teaching on the Yatra, and for the main organizers.

You can offer Dana, as well as the registration fee before the Yatra.

During and after the Yatra, in any of the following ways:

• Cash of any currency
• Cheques in euros (payable to "Yatra")
• International travellers' cheques

Important: Please note we cannot accept credit cards or PayPal transactions at the end of the Yatra, as we will not be near banking or computer facilities.

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THE STARTING POINT AND END POINT OF THE YATRA

The Yatra will start in En Durou, a hamlet in the village of Festes et Saint André (11300) near Limoux. We ask you to arrive in the afternoon so that you can register, set up your tent and be ready for diner at 6pm.

The Yatra will end in the middle of the mountains on August 7th at noon. We’ll organize lifts to Limoux and Carcassonne train stations and back to the parking place. Please, give us your connections constraints when you register.

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HOW TO GET TO THE YATRA - MINDFUL TRAVELING

How we choose to travel from our home to the Yatra can have far reaching effects on the environment. As we all know, planes, trains and cars (even electric ones) rely on fossil fuels which contribute to climate change. An element of comparison is the CO2 emissions per person....

For the one way journey from London to the Yatra in the south of France is 1360 km (850 miles). A plane produces 234kg, a large car (with 3 people in) 117kg, a small car(with 3 people in) 58kg, a train 79kg, a coach 41kg but a bike or walking 0!

How to find them:

For buses:

- Within the UK
Megabus (seats starting at £1): http://uk.megabus.com
National Express: http://www.nationalexpress.com

- UK to France
Eurolines: http://www.eurolines.co.uk/coach

For trains:

- Within the UK and UK to France
Megatrain: http://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx (seats starting at £1)
The Train Line: http://www.thetrainline.com

- Within France

SNCF: http://www.voyages-sncf.com with better deals with tickets bought in-advance (fron May 27th)

By Car
Think about offering lifts and hitching

Tips on cheap travel in Europe:
http://www.seat61.com
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com

And finally…
The Yatra is a journey in mindfulness, and getting there is part of the experience. Go slower, enjoy the view. More details about the transports impacts.

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BY TRAIN

The closest train station is Limoux (15 km) via Carcassonne.

Here is the timetable of the train from Carcassonne to Limoux “Gare SNCF” (do not get out in “Flassian”)

Carcassonne	Limoux Gare SNCF
06:10	06:43
07:17	07:47
10:41	11:11
12:33	13:03
13:02	13:35
16:10	16:40
17:40	18:10
18:55	19:25

If you tell us in advance (with arriving time), we can organise lifts between the train station and the campsite in Festes et Saint André. Cost sharing is expected otherwise, you can try hitching!

If you come from Perpignan, there is a direct bus to Quillan for 1€ (see the timetable). We can pick you up if you tell us in advance.

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BY CAR

Arriving from Carcassonne on D118, drive through Limoux (total 3 traffic roundabouts, each time go straight) keep the direction to Quillan.

500 meters after the 3rd traffic roundabout take the D121 road to right ( indicated Magrie and Roquetaillade).

Stay up on the D121 until Bouriège, turn right towards Festes et Saint André crossing the bridge (staying on the D121).

Cross the village Festes et Saint André and then look for a sign on the left indicating "En Durou" and et "Aire de pique nique" (picnic area).

After 50m, this road crosses a stream.

The "Yatra" Parking is immediately to the right. Cars must remain there. Drivers can get lifts back at the end of the Yatra

A shuttle will be available to carry the luggage to the camp site. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE UP IN CAR to the campsite. The road is narrow, chaotic and it is very difficult to cross (so there’s a risk of long marches back ...). And we’d like to keep good relations with the neighbours.

Note: If you have room in your car, do not forget to propose carpool and / or pass through the station to transport people to our starting point.

You can also hitch-hike (see arriving by car to get the directions), once on the small road it’s usually working well !

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CAR SHARING

You can offer or ask about car-sharing on this page:

www.dharmayatra.org/covoiturage - disabled until May 2012

You can also try general websites for car sharing:

For the entire Europe (French website)
http://www.covoiturage.fr
http://www.covoiturage.fr/lang/en (in English)
http://www.covoiturage.com (in French)

UK
http://www.freewheelers.co.uk
http://www.liftshare.com

France
Type ‘covoiturage’ in Google, there are lots of different websites

Belgium
http://www.karzoo.be
http://www.carpoolplaza.be

Germany
http://www.mitfahren.com
http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de
http://www.nrw.pendlernetz.de

You can also try hitching.

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PLANE

The closest airport is Carcassonne then Toulouse, they are connected to Limoux by shuttle plus train. Ther is also Perpignan and Barcelona (Girona) which are connected by bus to Quillan.

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STAYING AFTER

There are campsites and hostels nearby. Participants have to organize themselves.

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WHAT TO BRING

You need to bring with you the following:

• Tent (we recommend a pop-up tent such as the "2-seconds Quechua tent" from Decathlon. They cost less than 40€, they really do only take 2 seconds to put up, and they fare very well in heavy rain and storms, as we have found out on several occasions! And finally, DO NOT BRING a single skin tent. Whatever they may tell you in the shop, they are NOT waterproof.)
• Mat, warm sleeping bag. (It can be cold in the evening/night times even in the south of France!)
• Sun hat and protective clothing for hot and sunny weather
• Water proofs for wet weather
• Warm jumper/jacket for cool weather and for fresh evenings and mornings
• Good walking sandals or shoes or boots
• Water bottle(s) for 1 liters or more
• A small bag for the walk
• Sun screen, insect repellent, blister plasters.
• A torch and spare batteries
• Cup, plate, bowl and cutlery
• Toiletries, towel, swim wear, etc
• Eco-friendly soap, tooth paste, shampoo etc (they will stay in the Nature)
• Driver's license if you are willing to drive one of the hired vehicles or if you are a parent who will share in driving the crèche vehicle (please send us a photocopy before July)

Please pack lightly, all the luggage has to be transported to each new site!

Be aware opportunities for shopping on the Yatra will be very limited.

Please travel lightly. Take a small bag because all the luggage has to be carried every day to the new camp site!

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COMMUNICATING DURING THE YATRA

The Yatra is happening in a mountainous area were mobile phones are not always connected. Some days you’ll be able to phone, others no...

That’s a good opportunity to question your habits.

In case of emergency, you can give the Yatra phone number (+33)685 16 95 15, we’ll be the link.

Of course, there are no cybercafés ;-)

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CANCELLATIONS

If you cancel please inform us straight away. There is normally a waiting list and your place will allow someone else to attend.

Please note that your €60 registration fee is non-refundable.

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CONTACTS

For further information and details about the Dharma Yatra, look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.

For any amendments to your Booking form or questions about the Yatra, email us or contact us on the address below.

Important: Before contacting us, please take the time to read all the information on the pages Dharma Yatra 2012 and FAQ. The answers to most of your questions can be found in this website.
Please ONLY contact Muriel if you have an important question that is not addressed in the website.
Please make your questions clear and precise.
Your help with this request will be much appreciated.

Muriel's e-mail address is:

We look forward to welcoming you on the Yatra
With metta,

the Dharma Yatra Team

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KEEPING IN TOUCH

In order for the Yatra participants to keep in touch, we have a facebook group.

There's also a Yahoo Group that was created to allow participants to communicate, do not hesitate to register by sending an email to dharmayatra-abonnement@yahoogroupes.fr

To send a message (in english, french or ???) to every members of the group, simply send your message to the address : dharmayatra@yahoogroupes.fr

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