well.. missed a day yesterday of updating ;op let me try to catch up here..
the sufi concert was decent, although not overwhelming.. the singer was too intent on breaking it down for us western tourists, explaining the lyrics (which are always the same - god is great gives me joy, etc etc.. all sufi music says practically the same thing) and then midway through there was a pitch for his particular school of yoga.. trying to get people to come.. and also to learn to sing sufi music.. i think that's the one problem i have with this place - there's all these classes etc pitching to western tourists.. but westerners seem to take these classes as part of the whole ego trip, you know? i know this yoga and that yoga and i do this meditation and that exercise and what have you.. i don't know it seems a bit contrived.. but maybe i shouldn't prejudge without having myself taken any classes..
anyways after that we went to see what was going on at one of the other music scenes, and there was some guy playing nirvana.. go figure.. so instead just had some dinner at a little hole in the wall (dhaba).. then that night i couldn't sleep until probably about 3am (me and half the town it seems).. there was this massive powerful thunderstorm going with hail and thunder and the most lightning i've probably ever seen.. one lightning per second it seemed.. strange dreams that night too..
yesterday i went to get the id card for the dalai lama and there was a hefty line.. and in the middle of standing in it, they took an hour for lunch.. so i left and sat on the terrace instead where my table keeps growing.. lucie knows everyone it seems, so this time there were four of us, total.. talking politics, the future.. good stuff.. got a litle sunburnt as the sun hasn't been out in a week it seems and it was blaring all day yesterday.. then i met a friend (Tali) who was walking up the road to Bhagsu via Dharamkot (bhagsu is actually closer .. about 1-2k down the road from my hote.. and dharamkot is another k or so up the mountain at about 2000m altitude but the roads form a big loop so you can walk either way).. anyhow she showed me all the various retreat centers which are up there - the iyengar yoga, vipassana 10-day, and tushita's 10-day intro to buddhism all with their own separate centers.. the yoga place has a winter residence in arambol goa, where i'll be in mid-november, so if i bother with yoga it will be there.. and i dont know that i'll stay long enough for either of the others.. but nice to know they're there. anyhow she was off to her reiki session.. and i wandered around off the main road, and came upon this restaurant, the snow monkey, which no fewer than 3 people had recommended to me. so i figured it was providence, and i stopped in.. turns out the place is closed for the winter, but the guy who lives there (a 56-year old swiss who's been living in india since 69 - apparently he was 18.. and apparently he went to woodstock in 69, and came straight back to india..) invited me in for a glass of rum (exactly as they had said he would). so i couldn't pass up on that offer.. thought about passing it up.. but ultimately couldnt.. anyways he's an artist of a sort.. he used to make wine and cheese.. and he used to serve continental food (which apparently was the best in the area) but met and married a younger (30ish) japanese woman and now serves japanese food. and is himself bound for japan as soon as the indian govt settles his income tax issue (the indian govt is notoriously slow with regards to anything paperwork-related). so yeah i spent about 4 hours chatting with this guy who is just fearless. speaks german, swiss german, afrikaans, swahili, hindi, pali, bengali, probably tibetan who knows.. just a man who couldn't be bothered with the bullshit you know.. so yeah .. good times ..
anyhow luckily i carry my flashlight with me at all times now.. as the road is narrow and drops off pretty considerably if you fall.. made it back to town, had dinner, and this morning woke up congested.. feel like i've been fighting illness all week and it's been up and down.. the mornings particularly suck, and the afternoons are better.. i feel fine now.. but my time's up so i'd best be on my way.. good to read everyone's comments (though this computer was agonizingly slow today and took forever).. so until next time.
