Advertisement
Published: February 27th 2008
The Paradox of Our Age
by
The Dalai Lama
We have bigger houses but smaller families;
More conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense;
More knowledge, but less judgment;
More experts, but more problems;
More medicines, but less healthiness;
We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We build more computers to hold more information to
produce more copies than ever but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity,
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods but slow digestion;
Tall man but short character;
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It's a time when there is much in the window,
but nothing in the room.
I was up before sunrise by the sounds of hawks, or of that sort flapping and calling in the air.. Its the best awakening.. Im going to buy an alarm clock with that type of sound.. I laid in bed listening to my ipod which I have not been able to use since I got there because it ran out of batteries. And now, once again, it is frozen.. after i stuck it in the computer to recharge, its at a blank white screen.. as long as its not broken, i'll be fine.. perhaps its a sign not to listen to music, but instead focus the nature of india instead... But i need my music!! I listened to classic oldies.. Righteous brothers "unchained melody".. elton john "benny & the jets" "dont go breaking my heart.." Cardigans "Love fool"... and after the sun came out, i washed my face and went outside for a run.. which turned into a jog.. which turned into mostly walking.. i need to regain that stamina once im back to be able to easily run 2-3 miles like back in college!!!! There were not many people on the dirt roads, surrounding areas.. this place is soooooooo peaceful.. by 8, i was searching for the yoga class at my hotel (Kerala bamboo house).. no where to be found.. so i scrolled down the main strip off the cliff, and finally found another hotel (Namasthe Ayurvedic Mission hotel) offering yoga classes.. it was upstairs, on the 4th floor roof top over looking the beach.. along w/2 other females, one from Switzerland (theres a lot of middle age women from there traveling!) and a Canadian girl (a lot of them as well) who is here for 9 months, working at northeast india, east of bangladesh for Doctors w/out Borders.. The Yoga Instructors name is Dr. Kamaraj.. This yoga he says is his own mixture.. which concentrated more on breathing than I did in LA.. but most movements were same.. it went for about 75 minutes.. with the cost of 150 rupees - 4$.
I inquired about Rekhie. which i've been seeing advertised.. he said it had to do with some cosmic eternal universe energy, which obviously appeals to any westerners at this day in age.. I went outside to the Juice bar, recommended by Lonely planet, for a pineapple-orange-banana smoothie.. AND I AM INSPIRED, FOR SURE.. to make my own smoothies everyday.. Its so easy, but why have i been so lazy to? Then I went back, and this self proclaimed doctor performed a 60 minute thai massage-reflexology-shiatsu-rehkie thingamajiggy on me on the same top floor we did yoga.. it felt damn good and im quite relaxed..
That cost me 800 rupees - 20$. Whether or not I was ripped off, I dont know. I went for a shopping stroll around.. and I've been seeing a lot of Asian people working here.. and finally asked one of the store workers.. She said she was from Tibet. Ahhh it all made sense now. In the next store (all selling the same things.. shawls, scarfs, necklaces, loose pants, side cotton bags, incense, ayurvedic oil.. all the ordinary stuff you buy at any other place.. but put in your request if you'd like anything!!!!!!!!!), I asked the young asian guy if he was born here.. he said he was from Tibet, and that they were all refugees that escaped 10 years ago since Tibet is not free, hence the "Free Tibet" t-shirts they sold.. Him and his family would be going back to their village in Dharmasala in 1 month.. THAT IS ONE PLACE I WISH TO SEE!! I really wish I had picked the North to visit, but I have no complaints, since this trip has been a series of beach hopping, island hopping and lots of tanning.. Next time I come.. I want to see all of North.. it will take at minimum 2 months..
I bought a faded orange side bag with the Hindu Sanskrit on there for 125 rupees.. org. he claimed 250 rupees.. Im sure I could have brought it down more.. and at times it really feels shitty to be ripped off.. but then I get lazy, and sometimes I do think that they could use that extra dollar than me..
Its about 12:46 pm now.. Im going to get some lunch and check out... although this is the first place i wouldn't mind staying a 3rd night.. I want to make the most out of this trip and see all the places I can .. take a rickshaw to the train station.. take it to Trivandrum.. 20 minute rickshaw from there to Kovalam.. another beach town, more touristy than Varkala, maybe stay 2 nights, or back to Trivandrum.. friday morning 8 am plane to Varanassi.. sunday flight from Varanassi to Mumbai arriving at 8:30 pm.. (tried to get a direct flight to Goa but didn't have).. So I will stay a night or 2 in Bombay.. hopefully get to see some Bollywood stuff.. maybe meet a Bollywood Indian man I will fall head over heels for.. Then take a train down to GOA where I will spend the week.. At first i didn't think I wanted to go to Goa since my initial intention of going to India was for 'spiritual reasons'. Well I hate to admit it.. but the 15 minute meditation I attempted didn't go so well, and Im really not interested in trying again.. and the few temples Ive been into have been great, and as much as I love learning about religion.. religion is religion.. and its just not for me, at least not right now until I find the right one for me.
I have truly enjoyed trying all the different kinds of food. Oh and I took a cooking lesson last night!!! Be prepared to be invited over to my apt w/in a month for some Jacki Indian Cooking night!!! We will blast Indian music, do bollywood dancing and have Vegetable Pakora, Chicken Curry, Plain Chapparthy, Vegetable Rice Biryani (not into it.. but many of you may.. it is rice mixed with pineapples, raisins, cashew nuts)... yay!!!!!!!
I have been itching to party. I've had my occasional beer, and a mojito at dinner last night but its not the same... I will definately come back changed as I do through every trip i've taken, with new insight, new appreciation for life and happiness... but not so spiritual as I thought would be possible.. GOA will do the partying justice.. and if Skeet boy & Xtina were here.. we'd do the "D-A-N-C-E.. PARTY ALL THE TIME" song.. Goa is infamous for the partying, the raves, drugs, hippie life.. Goa will make me feel like the biggest prude from what I hear.. Yay I'm excited!!!!
Oh.. and also, yesterday late afternoon.. I let this lady who persistently approached me every time I walked by.. to do a pedicure.. I really did need one, and still do.. Let me just say it was thee worst, dirtiest
pedicure ever. But I didn't say anything.. because it seemed as though she had been doing this for years, in her little shack in the back by all the hotels.. and I wouldn't dare insult her.. plus she does not have the resources the Professional Vietnamese ladies elsewhere have.. The equipment were pretty dam dirty and she was very very rough.. But I smiled it off and just let her do her job.. Afterwards, she offered a facial.. and Oh my... How hard I tried to hide that 'NO FOCKING WAY" face.. ha ha.
Everything here is overall way dirtier than our standards, but its not as bad as people think.. One needs to just prepare themselves and go along with the flow.. Its not imbareable.. Showering with what I call "momma bucket, and baby bucket".. having the toilet within inches from you when showering.. no toilet paper anywhere, and carrying your own.. ants that roam free on your bed sheets (they are very peaceful here and I have not seen anyone kill them.. and good for them, we shouldn't kill living things!! except when they are on us 😉).. I havent seen any dishwasher soaps.. they just rinse the plates and cups here.. the plates is okay.. people eat w/hands anyways so there is no utensils to use.. but the cups are kinda gross..
Well I am glad that I am at a blissful state now.. Its 1 pm and I havent had my daily chai. much catch up!! Please write e-mails and comments and update me on your life in US and if theres anything news worthy!!
PS I have gotten a lot of "where are you from?" me: "California".. and very innocently.. "oh.. then why do you look like that?"... ha ha "My parents were born in Taiwan.. but i was raised in US." .. "ohhhhhhhh"
I have also gotten a lot of "KO nee chee wa".. which is the only time i ignore them and could be quite rude..
Advertisement
Tot: 0.083s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0492s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
kevin
non-member comment
Everyday fruit smoothies- 2 words - magic bullet.
Pedicure to a facial!? Haha, I could only imagine..... her using the same pick for your toe jams to pop your face pimples! So you are not planning on going to north India? I was under the impression you would travel the entire country, which i figured should leave you quite busy since the India is not exactly a small country. But I interpreted from a bit of this post that you would not be traveling throughout. I had imaged you would be running through the busy towns of India, shop through the street markets, ride on cattle, travel by man-pulled-cart, dance with snake charmers, and wander through wilderness. And I've heard that Rekhie massage is supposed to be a very intense energy/aura type of deal, and a true Rekhie master could give you such an intense/emotional/body high feeling without even touching you. At least thats what I hear, supposedly only very few have this ability. So go find yourself one highly accredited through the talks of the town.