Sept. 25-26, 2003-Wish for the New Year and My Need to be Alone
Well, spoke with Nathan (the young Australian guy) this morning and we are planning to take the local bus to Amristarto see the Golden Temple. I have got to get over my fear of the busses and I won't have my luggage and won't be alone and will take Travamine for sickness and see how it goes!. If I manage it I could than take a direct bus from Dharamsala one day to Shimla (just found out today that there is a cholera outbreak there!-so that's out for now)...and check it out. But we will wait until Monday to see. I mentioned to Nathtan that I was so pleased he was coming with me as I am very nervous about travelling and he said "So am I!!"...so it looks like we will be a classic case of the blind leading the blind. Should be interesting.
Taught Taji again today and now just got back from Japanese restaurant again with Theresa and Marilyn. Thing is, it has been raining fiercely since 11 this morning but seems to be letting up now. Heavy rain, wind and of course we go caught in it and I came back soaked from the bottom up. Umbrella keeps top dry but the rain just richochets back up to your knees from the street. Now I am waiting for hot water and nice very hot shower and nap!. My stomach was a little off this morning but hope it will settle down now. Could be result of my slight dehydration yesterday out in the hot sun. Felt quite ill all nite but drank a real lot of water, took neurophen for the headache and seem to be fine now. Will just take it easy now with what I eat today and hope it is nothng else. Had miso soup for lunch and will have rice and curd later. Will take ginger all day and hope for the best.
Everyone is really getting tired at the way this monsoon is hanging on for so long. latest prediction is 2 more days! This is the first time I'm actually missing my music...cold rainy day under the covers with a good book. Music would be just the thing...but...I'll live through this as well!.
Friday 26th...erev chag...
Now I am wriitng in real time and first of all my stomach is fine...just that one episode so guess it was from the sun the day before...woke up this morning to a brilliant sunshiny day...most of the stuff from yesterday was already dry....even the shoes...headed out to teach Taji early...and as usual, plans here always change...Just heard that the Dalai Lama is back today and is having an audience next week so Nathan and I will change our plans for Amristar until the end of next week. We will start checking today (we did and they told us to come back and ask on Monday, but I'll ask on sunday just to be sure) when they begin giving out numbers etc for an audience with HH.
Am sitting at Nick's waiting for Taji with a perfect view of the snow capped peaks rising majestically above the greener closer ranges of mountains where we do our "local" walking. They seem to be very near but I'm sure it is just an illusion. today my job is to buy apples, raisins, almonds and cake for tonight. We will have about 15 people and it should be pleasant. Not real excited about it but more at ease with this than going to Beit Chabad with soooooooo many people there.
Today after teaching I will head up to Dharamkot just to walk in the woods on this glorious day. Plenty of time for shopping later.
I've had some insights this morning as well as during my phone call yesterday with Elisheva. First of all, she wished me "all you want" for the New Year and I said "If THIS place was one hour away from THAT place, I would have everything I want!"
...But I am beginning to realize that this trip is basically, more than anything else, just meant to be a time away from everything...not so much an inner searching as the first one-although of course when you spend this much time away you do travel within as well-and the fact that I have "been with" so many poeple all the time is distracting from my being away. I am always surrounded by people. even wrote this in one of the poems I sent out. My Poetry-see first poem ALONE
I really have to make more of an effort to be AWAY-and will being tomorrow....
Looking at this majestic peak, cannot stop gazing-hawks soaring above seem to be just floating through the air around it.
Back now from my walk and it was just as wonderful as I had expected...and seeing the peaks from up the top of the mountain was an extra added attraction...it was a perfectly clear sunny sky...no haze or mist of any kind...and there are enough paths around for me to walk on that are not quite so deserted that I have to worry...loved every minute and felt exhilerated and alive the whole time I was up there....stopped on the way back by Anil for tea and cake and he was as sweet as ever...he is just a nice person...Met an Israeli family there, parents and 3 kids...from Kibbutz Samar near Eilat who are travelling for 6-10 months in India...they just arrifved 2 weeks ago but plan to travel all over the ocuntry with their kids...what a fantastic idea!
Taught Taji again today and now just got back from Japanese restaurant again with Theresa and Marilyn. Thing is, it has been raining fiercely since 11 this morning but seems to be letting up now. Heavy rain, wind and of course we go caught in it and I came back soaked from the bottom up. Umbrella keeps top dry but the rain just richochets back up to your knees from the street. Now I am waiting for hot water and nice very hot shower and nap!. My stomach was a little off this morning but hope it will settle down now. Could be result of my slight dehydration yesterday out in the hot sun. Felt quite ill all nite but drank a real lot of water, took neurophen for the headache and seem to be fine now. Will just take it easy now with what I eat today and hope it is nothng else. Had miso soup for lunch and will have rice and curd later. Will take ginger all day and hope for the best.
Everyone is really getting tired at the way this monsoon is hanging on for so long. latest prediction is 2 more days! This is the first time I'm actually missing my music...cold rainy day under the covers with a good book. Music would be just the thing...but...I'll live through this as well!.
Friday 26th...erev chag...
Now I am wriitng in real time and first of all my stomach is fine...just that one episode so guess it was from the sun the day before...woke up this morning to a brilliant sunshiny day...most of the stuff from yesterday was already dry....even the shoes...headed out to teach Taji early...and as usual, plans here always change...Just heard that the Dalai Lama is back today and is having an audience next week so Nathan and I will change our plans for Amristar until the end of next week. We will start checking today (we did and they told us to come back and ask on Monday, but I'll ask on sunday just to be sure) when they begin giving out numbers etc for an audience with HH.
Am sitting at Nick's waiting for Taji with a perfect view of the snow capped peaks rising majestically above the greener closer ranges of mountains where we do our "local" walking. They seem to be very near but I'm sure it is just an illusion. today my job is to buy apples, raisins, almonds and cake for tonight. We will have about 15 people and it should be pleasant. Not real excited about it but more at ease with this than going to Beit Chabad with soooooooo many people there.
Today after teaching I will head up to Dharamkot just to walk in the woods on this glorious day. Plenty of time for shopping later.
I've had some insights this morning as well as during my phone call yesterday with Elisheva. First of all, she wished me "all you want" for the New Year and I said "If THIS place was one hour away from THAT place, I would have everything I want!"
...But I am beginning to realize that this trip is basically, more than anything else, just meant to be a time away from everything...not so much an inner searching as the first one-although of course when you spend this much time away you do travel within as well-and the fact that I have "been with" so many poeple all the time is distracting from my being away. I am always surrounded by people. even wrote this in one of the poems I sent out. My Poetry-see first poem ALONE
I really have to make more of an effort to be AWAY-and will being tomorrow....
Looking at this majestic peak, cannot stop gazing-hawks soaring above seem to be just floating through the air around it.
Back now from my walk and it was just as wonderful as I had expected...and seeing the peaks from up the top of the mountain was an extra added attraction...it was a perfectly clear sunny sky...no haze or mist of any kind...and there are enough paths around for me to walk on that are not quite so deserted that I have to worry...loved every minute and felt exhilerated and alive the whole time I was up there....stopped on the way back by Anil for tea and cake and he was as sweet as ever...he is just a nice person...Met an Israeli family there, parents and 3 kids...from Kibbutz Samar near Eilat who are travelling for 6-10 months in India...they just arrifved 2 weeks ago but plan to travel all over the ocuntry with their kids...what a fantastic idea!
posted by Jane @ 4:32 PM
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