My room is not so bad after all. Even though, with three fairly thick blankets, my toes remained cold night to morning and it was sufficiently chilly for me to forego getting up and going to the loo on three separate occasions. However, it's a good size room and with the peppermint essential oil I brought to dispel the musty smell (recommended by the Chai India website I believe) and with my all purpose rubber plug (one of two sizes) and travel towel at last earning their weight in use I have been quite contented.
This morning also, on coming down to breakfast, I had two separate conversations with fellow guests which is more than I have had to date. Tomorrow we all go off on some trip to a high altitude lake so hopefully we will get to know each other better.
After breakfast (plain omelette with four pieces of toast and jam plus coffee) and chats I retired to my room for a much needed meditation before departing the hotel to walk downhill to the Institute of Tibetan Culture (I don't have my Rough Guide on me so am not 100% sure that this is what it was called). The Institute contains a number of quality Buddhist rupas (statues) and thankas (painting) and other ritual items and manuscripts which I tried to enjoy and absorb as much as I was capable. Then to the shop (of course) to see if I could begin on my long list of presents to be got, which, thanks to a very helpful sales person called, I think, Prava (translated as Dawn) I did. So some people (no names) will no doubt be disappointed in due course, ha!
From the institute it was only a short uphill walk to a nearby monastery, which boasted (well not really as it was hard to find) a small shrine room with loads of Padmasambhavas including two rather big ones. Looking closely at the exquisite murals I could see that some were already flaking off the wall - impermanence at work even on something so holy and beautiful.
Monastery duly visited I made the long uphill walk back up to the hotel via a bakery for coffee, cake, croissant (I know, pretty greedy especially as I had only given the begger on the slope up to the monastery 10 rupees and felt very holy on it) and a read of the introduction to the Bodhicaryavatara, for non Buddhists a spiritual classic and guide to the highest Buddhist ideals. I thought of my friends around the London Buddhist Centre who I've enjoyed the ritual coffee and cake with on many occasions and reflected on the similarities and not of that Buddhist community to the ones I am encountering in India. ANYWAY, I felt grateful for my friends and all those coffees, teas, cakes and conversations large and small.
So back to the hotel to drop my stuff, hand over documentation needed for tomorrow's trip and thence to 'Live and Loud' where I'm currently listtening to something loud and heavy, if not live, and sitting opposite the picture of Sir Bob Dylan, which is the signature for this blog.
Love to all and thanks to my family for calling me yesterday. It felt strangely normal to be talking to them and I hope that they and you all had a festive Monday.
Davidx
