Esther's Narrative

Tuesday 25th May 2010

10.45am

Shaded area under a tree on the hillside, 100m or so past St. John's

McLeod Ganj

India

I met a girl from France called Syv today who is here doing a course in Butoh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butoh) which is a form of traditional Japanese dance. She has dark hair cut very short like a man's, is slim and doesn't sound French at all. 

As it turned out she has lived in SE Asia for 8 years. I met her yesterday morning in a small tea shop/roadside cafe which I have been visiting every time I go to the Tibetan library. It's half way there and the guy running it, an Indian man is so well mannered. I had seen Syv - pronounced 'sieve' - a couple of times before as she seems to go to the cafe in the mornings for breakfast before she goes to her classes. 

Spent the day in the library. By taking a short cut through the governmemt compound past residential buildings to a more convenient entrance/exit I now get harangued by a pack of dogs if they see me. I go past a building site, up some steps and past one final block of flats where they reside. Each dog is a different breed and there are 5 or 6 who yap away. One dog just watches impassively not really caring, but his smaller friends, who come up no higher than me knee take great offence to my passing through their territory. 

Most dogs here are so quiet though, especially in the day times when they are hit by the heat and so just lie in the shade. 

Last night, curd, raisins, banana, biscuits, Pepsi, bread.

Completed the Sudoku and made a good stab at the crossword. 

Usually between 6pm and 7pm I sit on the communal balcony at the monastery and read.  At around 7pm I hear a bugle sound in the distance, it rings out from a not too distant army base. It sounds as the sunsets behind the hills on my right. 

Also regularly every evening, around 7.30pm I think, all the monks at the monastery do their regular purja, when this begins they all in unison, begin reciting aloud verses from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Some of them sit, some move around. They all own a copy of the book.

They seem to read for an hour or so and I can hear them as I sit in my room eating my curd. It's nice to listen to. Funnily enough though with all the monks being so young it sometimes sounds like they are racing each other as they do read very quickly. When it's time to stop a bell rings.

Occasionally, every other night or so they have music practice, where they all blast away on a musical instrument including a loud horn that when blown sounds like a large deep battle cry.

If I'd bothered to ask anyone for the details of what, why, and how all this happens etc I could give you much more information. However I pretty much don't speak to anyone at the monastery.

All the hill walking here is definitely doing my legs a lot of good. While my arms and legs have certainly gone a darker shade of white due to constant exposure to the sun.

Well done South Korea! who beat Japan 2-0 in Japan!

I read it in the Tribune this morning. There was no copy of the TOI available. The Hindustani Times has no puzzles cartoons or games, but I checked the Tribune and that does.

Had a nice cup of Darjeeling Tea today in a nicer coffee shop with a pastry, as not heading to the library.

Will use the internet later, it's been nice to get up to date more regularly recently. May well, finally, check out the monastery library at long last when I get a chance this afternoon.

Tuesday 25th May 2010
9.55pm
My bed at the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery, McLeod Ganj
India

Some general internet problem is affecting the whole area so I was unable to get online for more than 30 minutes today.

It is Buddha's birthday on Thursday so hoping to see a few nice things around town. Perhaps the Dalai Lama will be around.

Due to bad internet connections I drank a pot of tea at my favourite roof top cafe.

Bought a loaf of brown bread, Pepsi, biscuits.

Completely stumped by the Tribune Sudoku, did okay on the crossword.

Started to delve into Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Very interesting.

Thoughts about the jewel thing have crossed my mind again. I may tomorrow seek further information from Dev and go up to Bhagsu after lunch.

Managed to rescue the curd that came open in my bag and used it for dinner.
Overate on biscuits out of annoyance over the unfathomable Sudoku. 

Mr Bucket

Sunday 22nd May 2010

10.15pm

My bed at the Dip Tse Chokling Monastery, McLeod Ganj

India 

So after the rain died down disappointingly soon for my liking I had another rooftop tea,  a small pot of Assam. I read some of Vanity Fair. I used the internet too and did some productive bit and pieces, set-up job e-mail alerts with prospects.co.uk (do I have any???) the guardian and thisisbristol.co.uk. Blackpool have made it to the Premier League, well done Ollie!

Bought raisins, curd, biscuits, washing powder on the way home.  Found a good new store. Looked in an up until now unexplored bookshop and found an expensive internet cafe that I walked out of upon hearing the price (30rps an hour, whereas my regular place is 20rps and even close to the monastery 25. 

Tomorrow back to the library. 

There are some things I haven't seen or done yet but they are not in the local vicinity nor are they within my slowly declining price range. I say declining because the nearer and more real the prospect of home (where ever and what ever that may be!?) becomes the more I start to be a little more cautious with my funds. 

Did good with the crossword. 

One more thing. Yesterday when I was up in the mountain, sat on a ground of dirt and dry grass with my back against a large rock, a large butterfly came and landed on my foot at the end of my outstretched and perfectly still leg. 

It stayed perched there for over 30 seconds. I could see its feeleres work over my trainers. It was brown. Brown wings, browns of various tints, tinges, colours and shades.  A dark spot or swirl surrounded my a light tone like a black hole with debris orbiting around it. Its wings, which were initially partially closed slowly opened a full 180 degrees and fluttered crisply in the breeze. Then suddenly it flew off to intercept, so it seemed, a passing bug that flew too close. There are many beautiful butterflies in India, in our big built up cities we seldom notice them these days. 

Mr Chadbond 'improving' a tough subject

Sunday 23rd May 2010

11.20am

On a hillside behind the Dalai Lama's residence, sat on a piece of cardboard, McLeod Ganj

India

I wonder how long I can sit here before the heavens open.

It's sunny but spots of rain are in the air.

I didn't see the Champions League Final,  least of all even know the score.

Yesterday I got back from the mountain around 3.30pm and went into...got dragged into...a conversation with a shoe fixer from Rajasthan.

They are all from Rajasthan.

Inevitably after becoming your friend after 5 minutes they ask you to buy some food for them, or some milk or flour.

They do actually fix shoes sometimes though, and pretty well.

Then I used the internet in two different places as the connection was hopeless at my usual haunt.

In between I picked up my daily food.

I hope Blackpool won the Championship Playoff Final, I still like to see Ian Holloway do well.

During my web research I looked up various courses and MAs beginning after I get back.

I saw a job at the Sherlock Holmes Museum as Sherlock Holmes.

If I do any course I want to do it because it is what I want to do or is something that'll improve me and contribute towards helping others and me. Otherwise it'll be better to just enjoy being rather than doing.

Although I wasn't consumed by the jewelry thing I naturally out of curiosity researched it and to be honest over the past 24 hours it hasn't entered my mind at all.

There are warnings on the internet about several scams involving jewels.

...thunder

So my inclination is to walk away. I have £26000. If I had £16000 I'd only think about getting up to £26,000. The fact is life goes on and I am lucky enough to have what I have.

I ate my usual food last night but had extra biscuits. As a bonus I nabbed the last copy of the TOI when I got back from the hills.

Finished Siddhartha, it's a very good book and makes some great points. My translated copy wasn't so good though. There were only minor errors but it seemed like a copy and past job using a word spellchecker...

...more thunder...

...I can see rain falling in the distance as I look across the valley here, cascading down. The sun has gone to now.

Lightening...

...luckily I have my rain jacket in my bag.

There was no bad spelling in the book, just some dodgy grammar and misplaced words.

If instead of it or is, the kind of thing that wouldn't be picked up by a spellchecker.

Now I've started a book that Tensing gave me on meditation. Meditation becomes more intriguing to me as the day goes by. Learning about the simplicity of it and how to let yourself go and do it.

There is such a strong belief that you need a teacher and that special techniques must be followed to enter higher states of being, but they are all fallacies it seems.

Meditation can be done anytime anywhere and in many positions.

Last night I did 80-90% of the crossword and completed the HTW Sudoku. But made a silly error with the TOI one.

Last night I felt pretty tired . More so than in previous days.

Rain today but the land is so dry here that there are small forest fires.

There was one I could see last night burning on a hill in the blackness of the night, it was gone this morning but it was just one of several isolated woodland fires I've seen.

The land is very dry.

Windy...time to go...

(15 minutes later)

...so it's raining now.

Thunder is rippling, there is total cloud cover. As I walked up the main road from the Dalai Lama's house to the main square all the street stall owners began covering their goods with plastic sheets. Umbrellas began to open up along the street like quick blossoming flowers while the beggars, also anticipating an on coming storm, outstretched their hands for one last rupee before they them themselves ran for cover.

I've stopped under a circular bench lined shelter halfway up to the main square.

It's not pissing down but it's coming I think.

I've completed my circumambulation of the Dalai Lama's home though. Along with dozens of other Tibetans and monks who walk along each with their rosary in hand.

I decided today I wont roam so far, it's Sunday and I want to relax, drink a lot of tea in different cafes. This morning I had a nice cup of Darjeeling with milk.

I ate a small pastry in the cafe as I read and ate a few sweets as I looked over this diary.

Study rain now.

This shelter is standing room only now, almost.

I'll find another cafe later, and use the internet again.

The pastry was sweetish and had a nice feeling and not too dry.

I'm satisfied more when I overly concern myself with the future less. The future I want to face in a more matter of fact way, than with mere speculation. Too much speculation, doesn't seem good. Considering things, thinking real things through, that's different from speculating.

I'm not sure if that'll make sense to anyone else, but it makes sense in my mind.

A model of parental deportment

Saturday 22nd May 2010

11.20am 

Halfway up a mountain sat on a rock in the shade

I didn't let the jewel thing distract me yesterday. I concentrated well on reading in the library, on reading the paper, on reading Siddhartha, and on reading Vanity Fair which I dived back into. I've finished my Buddhist Ethics book. 

Of course I did think about the jewel situation a little, I've decided I'll research it all on the internet and come to a firm decision on Monday. I undecided about whether to tell anyone, such as my dad. I was pleased that when the desirous thoughts of obtaining £10,000 crossed my mind I was able to see both the good and bad sides of the situation, and how destructive a desire for money can be. 

Freeze them. See the feelings growing like an approaching train, and in a sense put them out of your mind, waving to the train as it disappears from sound and view. 

Rather than let the issue take over me today I have slotted it in for practical rational deliberation when I am not busy educating myself. The feelings to indulge in the grimiest elements of it rose and fell. 

I went to the library yesterday and helped 3 people newly arrived find the way there. I met Tensing in the street at lunch as I was on my way to meet him at a coffee shop. He had mistakenly thought we'd see each other on Thursday so had to make other plans, so I didn't teach him and instead marched back down the hill to the library for another hour and a half until 3.30pm. Then I marched back up the hill again to McLeod. Isn't this up and down hills lark just like an old nursery rhyme?

Spent some time at a rooftop cafe, where I found a book on sociolinguistics which was interesting. 

Concerning the jewel thing there is no way I'll go near it if drugs are concerned.And even then I'll want the guys involved to give me all their details; copies of their passports. Which is something they said they'd want from me. 

I finished, at the library, a book called The Way It Is by an American guy who became a monk, then I started on a Dalai Lama book, a commentary on the 37 practices of the a Bodhisattva. 

No eclairs last night but I bought some this morning, it's the weekend. 

The Champions League Final is tonight, the last real game of football before the world cup. 

It'll cost 70rps to watch it, so I doubt I'll bother. 

I met a woman from Brisbane, Liz, who is staying in the room next to me for a while. We shared some brief conversation as I shaved and she brushed her teeth by the communal sink. 

The rules for Indian tourist visas are often being changed to restrict abuse of them, but I've never known what that abuse was. Maybe it's related to the jewel thing. Getting a little ahead of myself, or just putting 2 and 2 together, I remember a Dutch guy I met in Calcutta dropping hints about things you could find up in Darjeeling if you hung around there for a while. So I wonder what he may have been alluding to. 

It's funny, this morning the only English newspaper around was the Himachal This Week as the others hadn't arrived. Inside two of the first articles I came across was a 'Greed is sometimes good' piece about the sequel to the film Wall Street, and how doing business in India is tightly regulated. While there was also a double page spread on how to enter the jewelry business in India...

Last night I ate curd, banana, a small amount of biscuits, Diet-Pepsi, and a piece of Tibetan bread. 

Washed my clothes by hand this morning.

Right now I am just going to sit here on this hillside and read for a few hours. Finnish Siddhartha.

In the distance I can hear the children at the Tibetan Children's Village. 

Where I am sat it is deadly silent. Prayer flags are tied to the trees, red, white, yellow, blue and green. 

The town of McLeod is to my right while I can see some snow capped rocky mountains behind the town; their peaks perching up high above the tree covered hills. There is a gentle breeze. 

2 weeks, 3 days until I go home. 

There is a temptation to go and see some other places in India, but I'm enjoying the simplicity of life here. Plus anywhere south of here is too hot. 30 degree here everyday is good enough for me.