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.
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.