woke at the blissful hour of 7am full of life. we had big plans for today. went for breaky then packed and checked out. asked the lady if she would mind out bags until we were leaving in the afternoon and thankfully she did. so we hired a couple of bikes with dodgy breaks - they all had dodgy breaks because they were used so much, the breaks that is!!! took a nice gentle cycle round the bazaar and temples then rode far out to the edges. got off the bikes and rested them by the river and walked round massive boulders towards the bigger temples. our destination was the majestic and mystical Vitalla Temple - i so wanted to see this!
on discovering it was 5ks away Cathy decided on a boat ride over and a walk back. we wobbled into what looked like half a coconut turned on it's back and set off, a little anxious, but it turned out to be very sea worthy and a magnificant choice as we were brought close to hidden temples and caves that housed underground temples. you should have seen the steps that were etched into the rocks and the spectacular carvings of images in the rocks that told stories of worlds past. when our sailor stopped to rest and wipe the sweat from his brow the silence was musical and the feeling of peace and calm spiritual. when he lifted the paddle again there was an explorers feeling of wonder and excitement at what lay ahead.
we arrived on land again and paid him the 100Rs agreed and he pleaded with us for 10Rs since the boss man got the 100 and he was hungry. we were so delighted with our boat trip we happily gave the extra 10Rs he asked and we all parted company, him to his 'coconut boat' and us to venture along the beach and scale the rocks to Vitalla Temple. when we arrived the temple didn't quite fit the description i had in mind and we were met by a mad dog at the top barking its venom in our direction.
did i tell you about the dogs? they are many and they are wild and... they have rabies!!! now, the dogs of India have been quite a challenge to me. i grew up with my Mum terrified of dogs, something that has restricted her movement all her life and sometimes held her captive in her home. unfortunately she had a nasty experience as a child and developed a phobia. anyway, as a child i was determined not to be the same and came to love dogs, unfortunately my twin was not so fortunate.
a couple of times i found myself irrationally afraid when passing, particularly packs of, these dogs. although, with the knowledge of the rabies maybe it wasn't so irrational to be anxious. when i could avoid them i did but on occasions like this (and this wasn't the first!) i had to face it down and walk bravely by.
so, i was brave (or foolish) and we did walk past the viscious barking (honestly, i'm not exaggerating) dog (all you could see was teeth) but he drew a lot of attention to us and we became surrounded by about 30-40 men and women all speaking a language we didn't understand and they clearly did not understand our English. at this point i became alert to the fact that there were no other white people around - strange since Vitalla was an extremely popular destination for tourists and pilgrims. i wasn't so lost or distracted/distressed to not notice the fantastically vibrant colours they wore in their clothes. they were a stunning collection of colour as rich as those dramatic and dazzling rainbows that follow a summer rainstorm and bridges this world to a mystical other.
when we no longer held their interest they walked off single file towards the horizon with an apparent destination. we found ouselves alone with the mad dog now quietly watching us and a rikedy temple before us. we took our shoes off (i really don't know why) and stepped into the temple. with every step of our bare feet we heard crunch, crunch and when it became apparent that this was completely abandoned and definately did not hold the grandure of Vitalla but was most probably home to a gizillion bats we hopped out of there abandoning any adherance to the rules of respect demanded in temples.
well! i was livid! the anger rose from the bat shit on the soles of my feet right up to sweat on my brow and, i'm sure, came out as steam from my ears. i looked at Cathy and the abandoned village around us. i glared at the mad dog who was probably laughing a fantastic doggy laugh at us from his lounging position under the shade of a tree as i thought of the 'sailor' who'd dumped us there.
we agreed we'd best get back to the beach double quick and started our descent. not so easy for Cathy but panic was starting to set in for our safety in case we couldn't get off this island and...i wanted to see the boatman while i was still angry.
to our dismay he was gone. we were all alone. then i spotted a man sleeping in the crack of a massive boulder. foolishly and selfishly i started to shout at him the tale of our abandonment. curiously he didn't react to my bombardment of angry words directed at him. honestly, not a blade of stubble on his chin twitched. it seemed apparent he didn't understand english, that is...until i asked how much to take us to Vitalla !!! he looked me in the eye and said: 100 Rs.
well! there was no holding me now! i was convinced we'd been set up. i was adamant this was a scam and felt myself turn every rich tint of cloth we'd seen on the people at the top of the hill. what could we do? i hatched a terrible plan. i wanted revenge. i wanted to get even. they weren't going to get away with doing this to us. i decided we'd agree to the price - we were in no position to haggle - but once on the other side, would pay only 80 Rs.
he pointed to his boat. Aaaahhhhh! it was another coconut on it's back but this one looked like a family heir loom handed down from generation to generation. it was not as stable or solid as the previous coconut boat and it looked and smelled like it was used to transported everything that moved on four legs! then! then! another man came along and got in with us!
now, as i look back i'm not sure which thought reigned supreme. was it the thought of us all sinking together because the 'boat' was so flimsy and the 'floor' soft as jelly (it was moving underneath us and it shouldn't have); or the knowledge that myself and Cathy were extremely vulnerable and possibly in great danger.
whatever about the pecking order of my thoughts the feeling was irrefutable: fear! whatever way i looked at it this was a bad situation. but...we had to trust! trust our belief in the basic nature of man as good! if not that: the power of money! and...if not that the process of samsara and their belief in karma!
we were only a few minutes into the 'journey' when the 'boat' started to leak and there was no point in moving to avoid it because...there was no where to move to!!! myself and Cathy were extremely relieved when we docked accross the water and the extra man got out. we reinforced the word Vitalla and the boatman pointed in the distance and set about paddling against what was an extremely strong current. it was so strong he had to bring the 'boat' out wide to avoid it.
with Vitalla in sight now and the relief of the other man getting out of the boat i became aware of just how hard this man had to paddle to keep us moving and though the boat was leaking - unfortunately mostly where me Darling was sitting - it wasn't pouring in and i reckoned if he carried goats and whatever else in this thing we'd be okay.
when we finally arrived at the banks of the island that held Vitalla i was so grateful for our safety and so appreciative of how hard he had to work to get us there i was happy to give him the 100Rs and step safely with Cathy on dry land again. we laughed until we almost but not quite cried and rested in the shade (because it was now close to the mid-day sun) of the King's Balance to let the whole experience move through us.
what a morning eh??? i'll continue this tomorrow.
Nameste xxCathy&Dee
