Manu, Jaya Radhe and the volunteers at ISKCON Youth Ministry are preparing for the fifth annual Kirtan Yoga Festival Tour of Mexico - this time including Belize and Guatemala. If you're between the ages of 16 and 25, or young at heart, consider joining the festival tour for three weeks from December 11, 2009 through January 4, 2010 to bring Sri Krishna's Holy Name, kirtan, books and prasadam to fortunate souls at exotic beaches, Mayan pyramids, volcanoes, waterfalls, jungles, remote mountain villages and yoga studios along the way, all in the good company of other devotee youth traveling together on the
Garuda festival tour bus. Make friends for life.

Tentative Schedule (subject to change)

December

11 FRI Leave Alachua, Florida.
12 SAT Houston, Texas (with brief stop in New Talavan, MS)

Mexico:

13 SUN Monterrey. Sunday matinee kirtan program and feast.
14 MON Tampico. Beach. Evening kirtan program at the university.
15 TUE Veracruz. Beach. Evening kirtan program at Radha's restaurant.
16 WED Agua Azul cascades (in the jungle). Swimming.
17 THU Palenque. Ancient mayan city, pyramids, and ruins.
18 FRI Izamal. Evening kirtan festival in the town square.
19 SAT Cancun. Beach. Airport pickups for 2-week trip.
20 SUN Tulum. Beach. Caribbean. Evening kirtan program.

Belize:

21 MON Caye Caulker island.
Evening kirtan program in Belize City.
22 TUE Placencia Village. Glover's Reef Atoll snorkeling. Swimming. Caribbean beach. Evening kirtan program.

Guatemala:

23 WED Tikal. Ancient Mayan city in the jungle.
24 THU El Paraiso. Hot springs waterfall.
25 FRI Antigua. Afternoon kirtan program.
Sunset hike up Pacaya volcano.
26 SAT Lake Atitlan, Panajachel. Market. Swimming.
Evening kirtan program at yoga reatreat.
27 SUN Xela. Colonial city. Day exploring the city,
Evening kirtan program at Yoga House.

Mexico:

28 MON Tuxtla Gutierrez. Evening kirtan program.
29 TUE Pacific Ocean beach near Mirador. Swimming.
30 WED Zipolite beach. Pacific Ocean. Swimming.
Evening kirtan program at Shambhala yoga center.
31 THU Drive through mountain villages.
Evening in Mexico City. Visit Sri Sri Radha Madan-Gopal at
ISKCON Mexico City temple. New Year's Eve Harinama downtown.

January 2010

1 FRI Leon. Colonial city.
Evening kirtan program at Radharani's restaurant.
2 SAT Driving. Cross border to USA.
3 SUN Houston. Sunday Feast.
4 MON New Talavan, MS (morning), Alachua, FL (evening)

US $690 per person, 3 weeks, Dec. 11 - Jan. 4.
US $490 per person, 2 weeks, Dec. 19 - Jan. 4.
Optional adventure activities (snorkeling, volcano hike) cost extra.

This festival tour is organized by volunteers at ISKCON Youth Ministry to train, engage, inspire and empower youth in Krishna consciousness to their full potential. Be all you can be. Be on the bus tour :-) We have limited space on the bus and use an application process to select participants. If you're full of enthusiasm to come, please apply. We
want to hear from you. Let us know.

Email: bustour2009@krishna.com

If you can't come, but are like "Whoa! This is awesome! I'd love to help!" then ask about volunteering for the festival tour. There's so much you can do from home with a computer and Internet connection. Plus, consider sponsoring a kirtan leader, musician, dancer, book distributor or cook to come on the festival tour. Sponsor Bhagavad-gitas for distribution. Sponsor groceries towards the prasadam feasts we serve at each festival. Contribute a donation towards our new festival tour bus. (We're getting there. Almost two thirds of the funds have been pledged.) See our website for details:

http://www.krishna.com/bustour

Others who applied and attended a festival bus tour say things like...

"I went on six bus tours, and they were the best summers ever." -Chintamoni, California

"[The tour] was AMAZING...what more could you ask for then doing kirtan on beautiful beaches with other sweet devotee youth, eating incredibly delicious prasadam, going site seeing, and the best part spreading Krsna's Holy name and having SO much fun simultaneously :-)" -Kalindi, Chicago

"It was the most amazing experience of my life. It was not easy, but the best things never are." :-) -Cristie, Chicago

"I was fortunate to be able to go on the tour. I truly feel this project is one of the most important projects ISKCON has to offer. It's totally ecstatic and significant in it's preaching value, and gives our youth (and those not so young) opportunities not to found elsewhere." -Purusartha, Florida

"I loved it so much! I hope to be able to go again sometime." -Krsna Chandra, Toronto

"You bring people together. We are one big family and we get the opportunity to associate this way. So thank you! Having not been raised around devotees it was really nice to connect with others my age who had grown up in similar situations. There was no explaining, watering down by beliefs, asking if the food was vegetarian. It was a simply refreshing experience on that level and I swear the people I
met I already knew from another lifetime and we got to finally see each other again." -Radha-Prema, Montreal

"I was on the bus tour 2008 for the first half of the summer and I have to say that my only concern was...why hadn't I gone before?! It was such an amazing and special experience getting to bond with other devotees that I thought I already knew. I made so many close friends and we all got a chance to inspire each other. Being a part of the stage performance was one thing that I absolutely loved. Getting to spread Krsna to so many people who otherwise would have had no clue is such a wonderful privilege that [the organizers] gave me that summer.
I was overwhelmed by the response that we got everywhere that we went. We brought a constant party with us and I loved getting to do kirtan any time of the day or night with all the people that I love." -Acyuta Gopi, New York

"Best time of my life :) summer of 2008!!!" -Braja, North Carolina