Monsoon, Bollywood and Soup

The rain has finally stopped, and there are little patches of clear
blue sky between the cloud layers. But the whole world is clean and
fresh. I have not seen this vibrant lush color of green of all shades
since I arrived here. The whole mountain off to the left is a mass of
sparkling green of every shade imaginable...and riverlets of water are
running down the gullies which have filled with rain. Atop the
highest peak, we can see snow which must have fallen last night on the
higher peaks. Off to the left we can see clear across the valley,
roads, fields, houses, and past the far off hills, the lake (don't
rmember the name of it) actually sparkling with diamonds of sunlight.
The sun is beginning to set and casting it's golden glow across to the
left lighting up the green of the mluntain with new shades and the
closer by buildings are turning all colors of yellow and gold in the
dwindling sunlight. Straight ahead we can see clear across the valley
as well to the distant moutnains, all again a flourish of greens and
sparks of sunlight. The sky is changing from second to second as the
clouds disperse and the waning sun turns those still left all shades
of pink, purple, mauve etc...as they move across the sky in an ever
changing pattern of color.
I have tried to take photographs but doubt they will capture the magic
of this moment...I am writing this a day later but can still see,
smell and sense the magic of the evening.
Dear All,
Well, today is actually MONDAY and it has been raining since
Friday!...But this morning woke up to beauitful sunshine again. This
was TRUE monsoon type rain, all day and all night from Friday
afternoon until last night (Sunday)..and so was not at the internet at
all...will try now and get caught up here since many nice things
happened over the last couple of days despite the rain...
Saturday, Oct. 2nd.
Started raining yesterday afternoon and we both got soaked on the way
back to the guesthouse. We both had massages, I can see the
difference from time to time in the amount of pain I feel during the
massage...things are getting better each time. I have another
appointment on Monday - We decided to try out the French
Restaurant...very small cozy place..no quiche left but I had a
fabulous chick pea soup! Something I would like to try out at
home...and we saw they had green salad with LETTUCE and asked where he
got it. He said right here in the market! Well, I had never seen
lettuce and went to look. Truth is it is not turly lettuce, but
tastes and looks like leaf lettuce, and so we bought some and spinach
as well which we had for a great green salad with homemade mustard
viniagrete for dinner with a surprisingly good potato kugel I made.
Haven't made one for years and always did it in the oven. Well, we
had this really small grater...I did the potatoes and Abdellah did the
onions and it took forever...But I then made it in a large frying pan
covered over low heat except at the beginning to brown and set the
outsides. It was fabulous and Abdellah really enjoyed it. With the
salad it was a great dinner.
And all this time the rain had not let up...and it is now 11 AM and
still raining! (Little did I know what we were in for at that
point)So we've decided to go later to an Indian movie in lower
Dharamsala and then do some shopping and eat out in the big town as we
did the other day. Haven't written the story yet about the Indian
family we met a couple of days ago. In the meantime, we're each doing
indoor raining day stuff we each need to take care of and hopefuly it
will clear up a little and we will leave here in about an hour...so,
to my crystals!
Took a shared jeep down to Dharamsala in the rain-bought some movie
stuff to eat and then off to the "theater"...well, this was my first
experience and it probably was as extreme as you could get. Samll
town theater, we sat in the balcony on what were probably at one time
nicely upholstered comfy chairs, but just bumpy, lumpy hard seats
which gave the clear impression of being home to small crawling
creatures as well. The movie was full of men, mostly young, and
Abdellah commented that he was surpriesed there were so many, he said
it is usually basically empty. This should have given us some hint
that something was about to happen, but we didn't put any great
imporatnce on the full house. I figured it was a raining day pursuit
for all. We had not even bothered to check what movie was playing
figuring what difference would it make. An Indian movie is an Indian
movie...it would be in Hindi with lots of singing and dancing, boy
meets girl, family objections etc....well, it didn't take long to
figure out why so many guys were there. I guess this was as close as
you could get to an Indian porn film!!!. Started out very innocently
with a group of students on a "botany Tour"up in Himachal. Just
watching and trying to put together what was happening, and at one
point one of the girls was bitten by a cobra (and this, along with
many other scenes had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with
anything that could be called a plot. Guys running after and leering
at and eventually singing and dancing with and fantasizing about a
sexy milk maid on bicycle...fake swami trying to get "too close"to a
customer, guys in a pool room singing and dancing with some blond
girl...all really quite silly and unconnected...and then of course
some mad scientist equipped with funny beard, glasses and smoking test
tubes - he actually DID have something to do with the final plot)
anyway, out of the clear blue all of a sudden 2 naked copulating
bodies appear on the screeen to a chorus of cheers from the audience.
abdellah and I are laughing by this time and it was as if someone had
spliced something from somewhere else into the movie. Completely
different actors etc. This continued in to a scene with a naked girl
and 2 guys fooling around with her quite graphically and the whole
thing lasted perhaps 5-10 mintues...not quite sure and then back to
the "regular"movie. Won't go into any more details, but in the end
the movie even included Karate, Kung fu stuff, a rape, murder,
courthouse scene etc.
It wasn't until we left that we saw the name of the film was "the
rapist"...Ah, also, the dialogue and singing, were dubbed it seemed or
just not synchronized. It was really weird but we both had a good
laugh and will go next time to see a "real"Bollywood film. BTW...it
also only lasted about 1 hour!
We came home in the rain, had GREAT pasta and then watched the movie
"monster"which was very heavy but fabulously acted.
Sunday morning
Don't believe it but I slept until 10:20 this morning. It poured ALL
night, it is now 1 PM and still pouring...unbelievable weather...we
ate breakfast around 11...I made myself french toast and even had
maple syrup on it. Then we just talked for awhile. I am now cooking
up a lentil and veggie soup for later. No way we can go out today.
It is also VERY cold and the cooking helps heat the room. We will
read, paly cards, listen to music , do healing and just pass a nice
raining day. HOp[efully tomorrow will clear up. I'm quite depressed
by the weather. Avik will be here on Wed. and hope it is nicer by
then.
Oh, forgot, yesterday, wehn we got back from the movies, I did yoga
and then tried to read but it was sooooo cold I danced in my room for
an hour to warm up and worked up a great sweat and had good fun at the
same time!
I am now backed up again for interent and guess I will get this done
tomorrow as well as my stories about choon-moon the shanti dog and the
Indian family we met alst week and the Datz and Datza song from the
Hindi movie Murder
Abdellah was saying if he had known it was going to rain for 3 days we
dould have gone up to Asis Health Spa and taken a room there just for
fun. 1500 rupees a day but heated, TV pool, gym, massages, real
dining room etc..
Well, I will be including here the recipe (which I actually remember
exactly how I made ) for the lentil soup which was astonishingly
delicious....
But first, just a quick description which will surely not do justice
to what we are seeing now outside.
The rain has finally stopped, and there are little patches of clear
blue sky between the cloud layers. But the whole world is clean and
fresh. I have not seen this vibrant lush color of green of all shades
since I arrived here. The whole mountain off to the left is a mass of
sparkling green of every shade imaginable...and riverlets of water are
running down the gullies which have filled with rain. Atop the
highest peak, we can see snow which must have fallen last night on the
higher peaks. Off to the left we can see clear across the valley,
roads, fields, houses, and past the far off hills, the lake (don't
rmember the name of it) actually sparkling with diamonds of sunlight.
The sun is beginning to set and casting it's golden glow across to the
left lighting up the green of the mluntain with new shades and the
closer by buildings are turning all colors of yellow and gold in the
dwindling sunlight. Straight ahead we can see clear across the valley
as well to the distant moutnains, all again a flourish of greens and
sparks of sunlight. The sky is changing from second to second as the
clouds disperse and the waning sun turns those still left all shades
of pink, purple, mauve etc...as they move across the sky in an ever
changing pattern of color.
I have tried to take photographs but doubt they will capture the magic
of this moment...I am writing this a day later but can still see,
smell and sense the magic of the evening.
And now to the recipe:
KAILWOOD HEARTY SOUP
4 MEDIUM ONIONS
4 LARGE CLOVES OF GARLIC
(SAUTEE UNTIL CLEAR AND GOLDNE - DO NOT BURN.
add:
100 GRAMS MASH (GEEN ROUND LENTILS-MUNG BEANS i THINK IN ENGLISH)
COVER WITH WATER AND BOIL FOR 10 MINUTES
add:
2 MEDIUM POTATOES CUT UP
1 MEDIUM SWEET POTATO CUT UP
add:
wATER TO DOUBLE COVER THE INGREDIENTS
sEASON WITH:
LARGE PINCH OF DRY GINGER
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
3 BY LEAVES (REMOVE AFTER THE FIRST HOUR OF COOKING)
cOOK OVER LOW HEAT UNTIL POTATOES ARE SOFT.
bREAK UP POTATOES AND SWEET POTATOES WITH FORK...COOK UNTIL SOUP
BEGINS TO THICKEN, ADDING A LITTLE MORE WATER IF NECESSARY TO KEEP
FROM STICKING. sTIR OFTEN.
ADD:
oNE SMALL CAN WHOLE PEELED TOMATOES (ABOUT 6 TOMATOES) AND MOST OF THE
JUICE...CUT UP TOMATOES BEFORE ADDING
COOOK 10 MORE MINUTES
ADD:
5 FRANKS OR TIVOL ONES CUT UP (OPTIONAL BUT REALLY ADDED GREAT FALVOR)
tHE SOUP SHOULD COOK OVER LOW HEAT FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS ALL TOGETHER,.
i HAD IT ON THE LIGHT EVEN LONGER.
Good luck...b'teavon....worth a try in the winter...
I will end here for today...
My love to all