I don't want to go home.....I don't want to go home.....I don't want to go home..... Nope doesn't seem to work. well nothing to do but unpack and save up for the next trip!!!!!!! the trip to India was wonderful but oh so short for such a rich and ancient country. My tablas have arrived and I am sad to say that they are a little worse for the trip. the little tabla is totally out of tune and the big one has a ding in it. I found my beautiful box which I padlocked and then cocooned in calico with [View Full Entry]

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A city that grew from the desert sand....... [View Full Entry]

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It's no wonder that the Lioness feels right at home in this city of palaces....... splashed out on a pair of gold earings set with rubies today and feel like a Maharani. the bus for Jaiselmer leaves tonight at 9:30pm IST (Indian Stretchable Time) [View Full Entry]

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the city street slope up and down and there are palaces everywhere as well as a big lake which is now full of water after being 2 seasons dry....which is some feat as it'a a huge lake! hooray for the morning shit! city palace witht he Prince of Jaiselmer buying shoes buying books buying jewelery at massage guru dude's place flirting boys keep getting younger and younger have one more day tomorrow then off to Jaisemer. [View Full Entry]

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Last night a dreamt I woke in the middle of the nightand went to the garden. the garden was dark and I could only make out grey shapes of plants and some thingsmoving amongst them. Slowly I began to notice tigers asleep in the garden....many tigers asleep ad some with cubs. and then there were lions too. I found my mother asleep mongst them all as I stepped over their fury bodies to cross the garden. Either they were giant lions and tigers or I had shrunk to the size of a fiveyear old child. as their bodies weredifficult to traverse. [View Full Entry]

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arrived Ajmer 2:00pm and caught the bus to Pushkar. Stayed at the Krishna guest house - gorgeous morocan garden Met with Catherineand Maria watch the sunset over the lake tag along with Maria and catherine as they finalise their business sleep in the Krishna Oasis wake at 5am walk to the foot of the Brahmin temple and have a chai with Maria who is coming back from the mountain. walk up the mountain feeling lke I am walking backwards into a time BC dry hills speedy squirrels thirsty bees proportions are biblical at the top descend to catch the bus [View Full Entry]

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I am finally on the train departing Varanasi......what an unforgettable city! I have been spending my extra nights here at the Hanuman temple listening to the nightly classical Indian music concerts. This is a yearly event that bring the best artist frm all the clasical ars forms to varanasi. The great thing about this concert is the setting. It all happens inside the temple itself so there are also people doing there own puja in amongst it all. You can sit in an area in front of the performers or stand further back. there are also screen projections in the courtyard [View Full Entry]

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The music shop I have lesson in is much like many others in Varanasi. The floor is padded with a thin futon and the various instruments are are placed on the shelves around. shops in general are raised about a foot or two above the street level and shoes are always removed on entry. Varanasi is a city of learning and especially music. My lessons are quite different to the formal classical learning environments i have experienced in Australia. When i get to class I revise and warm up whilst Kailash does his puja (morning prayers and offerings) with much flower [View Full Entry]

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The presence of death in Varanasi is seen mainly from the colossal Marnikarnika Ghat which burns 24 hours a day as well as a smaller burning ghat a little further down stream. At Dasaswamadh Ghat there are people who will shave the heads of others who have lost loved ones. For a ghat that is supposed to be burning 24 hours a day I noticed there was nothing but ashes this morning. So I just stood around there for a while and watched people raking ashes. Marnikiarnika is a colosal ghat that has a few different tiers where burings may take [View Full Entry]

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The song had lasted an hour already, and drunk with its rhythms I knew I needed to get home whilst I could still walk or end up sleeping on the temple floor. I came alone tonight, arriving just as my companions were leaving. I was just past midnight and as I began to make my way out of the temple i spotted a tall dreadlocked figure loping ahead of me and scarpered along side it. I regognised this guy from the travel agent this afternoon. Are you going home? Yes Do you want to share a richkshaw home? Yeh sure. So [View Full Entry]

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