Greetings Blogamsalers,
I made it to Dharamsala early yesterday morning on a very "semi-deluxe" bus that was full of monks and nuns. It was surprisingly difficult to find a room, as the Dalai Lama just finished his annual ten days of teachings and the town is still full. I thought by arriving a few days later I would be safe, but it took two hours of asking around. Good thing I wasn't lugging my bag.
It is a little strange to be here again. John Diller, John’s brother Dave, and I were here briefly in August 2003. The main things I remember from that time are Dave roomed in a monastery for a few days and went on some kind of thin soup diet, and we all got super sick. We spent at least two days lying in bed, retching and diarhheal. (Is that a word?) I remember having a digestive emergency on the street and diving into somebody’s home to use the toilet. There is a little bit of déjà vu this time: I ended up in a hotel right next door to that one, and I am a little sick again. But nothing like before. A word to the traveling wise is, bring acidophilus tablets. It’s the main thing that I forgot this time. Every trip to a developing country that I’ve had acidophilus, I’ve been fine. Every trip that I haven’t, I’ve been sick. (Business idea: there would be a huge market for acidophilus tabs in developing countries.)
I got a knock on my door at about 6:30 this morning. It was my Aeroflot luggage courier. He must have driven all night. Everything looks intact…hooray! I gave him a walloping 200 rupee tip (about $4.50) for the night drive, which he wasn’t expecting and so he was very happy – but I still felt a little cheap afterward. Thank goodness especially for the toothbrush and some fresh socks and undies. Indian undergarments just aren’t the same.
Knowing that I’m going to be here (probably) for two months, it is a very different feeling than just passing through. Choosing a place to stay for that long almost seems like investing in local real estate. I’m still not sure how I’m going to spend the time, but there is no shortage of options. Two meditation centers do pretty much continuous ten day retreats, there are Tibetan philosophy and language classes at the Tibetan Gov’t-in-Exile’s library, there are week-or-longer full time yoga classes (and more exotic stuff like Reiki), and – an option I hadn’t considered before – a 14-day “adventure course” with the local mountaineering center where you learn to climb the neighborhood 15,000-footers. Plus there is the volunteering that I want to do, although I haven’t looked into that yet. So many choices!
Well, that’s all for now. Time to go shopping for some Buddha statues.
Love to all -
Marcus
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2 comments:
Hi Marcus!
I just figured out how to make comments on your blog...I guess you have to have a gmail account? Anyway, I'm glad you and your baggage made it safely to Dharamsala. Nice shave, too!
-stacey
So much fun to hear about the start of this adventure! Glad you got your bags and American underwear. It is good to think back to those days in our room all so sick together. I remember it being horrible and then so bad it was hilarious, all of us sick together, racing into and out of the bathroom one after another, laughing hysterically. And all I ate for a bit was white toast with salt on it. Sheesh. Of course, I remember the view and the feel of the place too. Enjoy!
-John
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