Gotta Job!!! Well Andy its been a couple of weeks but have again caught up on your travels and career in movie stardom, good job you didn't go to Holland could have been a totally different story! Great to hear what a fantastic time you are having, I think to a man (well your Dad doesn't count) we are all jealous ~ you must be soooo looking forward to Uni?
Keep well, glad you have enjoyed your birhday and looking forward to a drink when you get back. P.S If you Thierry Henry in your travels give him a kick from your Dad and me, your Dad needs a new shirt now.
happybirthday we have all read your blog and found it really interesting.can tell you wrote it because of the many mentions of food.hope you have a great birthday,and look forward to the next blog,it seems a long time since we shared your last curry at home.love from janet lisa emma and zoe.
why did i decide not come with you again? sounds amazing - missing it so so so much and wish i could have been exploring it all with you guys! enjoy your last few months.....and take care! xxxx
Malcom in the Middle. After reading the bulliton and looking at the pictures i noticed that you have a rather strange resemblance to Malcoms older brother from Malcom in the Middle. Just thought i would let you know. Btw its the half unshaven beard that does it. xD
P.s liking the hot pants
Gissa job!!!!! Hi Andy, at the moment I seem to have a fair bit of time on my hands for some reason so have been catching up on your blogs. Great to hear you are having such a wonderful experience and making the absolute most of it. If you hear of any vacancies going over there could you put a word in for me?
Well done Liverpool, Arsenal deprived Chelsea of the Premiership (we Gooners have to cling to something this season), 'Pool deprived them of the Chumps League now hopefully they will deprive the Mancs of the Domestic double ~ the season could end up OK after all. Looking forward to your return (don't worry we know you would rather stay there). Cheers Ian and Marion.
A message from your beloved older and infinately wiser cousin Hi Andy, firstly I wanted to ask, HAVE YOU DONE THE SLINKY THING YET?! If you haven't I insist that you find the biggest flight of stairs you possibly can and get the slinky fun going! Glad you're having such a fantastic time. I won't even pretend I'm not utterly jealous, bitter and twisted that you're travelling and I'm not. Just make sure you take loads of fab photos for us all to see, teach all the kiddies out there some innapropriate English slang, and take care of yourself xxx
advice needed! hi andy! hope you are surviving the peace and tranquility of monkland! Glad that youve settled and r enjoying yourself! the food sounds interesting..if a lil boring!my mum bought you an easter egg but we have eaten if on ur behalf!your mum has been filling us all in on your antics. Mum said you've got problems choosing ur uni, likewise! Your mum said you hav a friend at Greys, which is where i applied, did u stay there by an chance? I just want 2 find out more about Greys atm..so if you have any knowlegde about it? are they too many geeks to mention for example? im hoping not! and have you lost ur figure thru all this wonderful tibetian cuisine, mayb u cud write a book about it if so!
newayy..hope ur having fun n ill look 4ward 2 ur reply!
Sarah X
EEYOO!! Hey andy!! Sounds like your having a wicked time...rlu good to read up whats going on. Hope u still have a groovy time...water rafting gud i hope =) George x
Oops ! Didn't follow the trips agenda Well Andy, Hi again.
Guess I should have read all your blogs and seen you headed out to Tashi Jong.
Means you're heading ram straight into the heat in a couple weeks then. McLeod's the place that's cool from now til June. Then the monsoon can let up a fraction of that summer heat in the plains. Tashi Jong is part of the plains heat.
For people reading, I'd indicate that my comment to Andys other entry ("Indian bureaucracy - the Patience of a buddha") about McLoed, will fill in on the topic of newsgroups that Tibetans use in that area and which enable to keep in contact with people throughout that community - other than just on the street-contact level which is very limited. There are very important people that are present throughout that area and which belonged to the former hierarchy of the immense land of Tibet (about a third of the USAs size and influence) and their club or meeting place is those newsgroups which I speak to Andy about in that other entrys (see that elsewhere) comments by me.
There's a lot going on in Dharamsala, under the surface (not least of which the chess game between the ten thousand Tibetans ? in Dharamsala and the one and a half billion Chinese glowering at them across that close border) and far from the tourist flock, trucking through non stop.
Tough balancing all those elements in just one short trip. Good luck Andy. I spent six months in Dharmasala myself (and with my wife), split between Tibetan lessons and making acquaintances around town such as the Dalai Lamas bodyguard.
Americans are welcomed in that place, but it takes some time to make ones way into the community.
Buddhists, as we are, are also very much welcome - but being different from the mainstream tourist - that's not a Buddhist - makes one be a bit at odds... and between two communities. The community of university scholars that do spend time there are the most interesting group, but a closed one which follows its own agenda patiently and makes practically no noise. I saw the scholar of Tibetan culture (they say he's pro-Chinese) Melvyn Goldstein (among many other famous faces), who's famous for his good dictionnaries that everyone uses in university Tibetan studies. Then (surprise !) we saw "the" Richard Gere. Ha ha ha ! Funny the star system, where one pays absurd reverence (or is expected to ! ha ha ha !) to people one doesn't know ! I wish I were out there for all the occasions and opportunites that travelling there affords. A tip, Andy : when you go to Dharamsala, the very laid back and cool place to stay is Bhagsunath (4km. half an hour on foot from town) because you're far from the madding crowd of gogglers in town and you can enjoy the calm of McLeod which you can't, when being in town.
May the spirit of Buddha fall upon you ! Ha ha ha !
Kind regards Geir.
Living in Dharamsala How long are you staying in Dharamsala, Andy ?
I spent some time there a few years ago and I know that suddenly the weather warms up around the end of March and then it heads straight into that warm inferno that India is down in the plains in April and which is therefore all the more just great.... up in McLeod Ganj.
I found that the news group RFA (Radio Free Asia) which is part and parcel of Voice of America mostly, is the one discussion group that Tibetans really rely on and appreciate as the only place they can be sure Chinese-influenced writers will be scrutinized and eventually debunked and thus they trust it.
There's also a group called Phayul that's got some pretty rich entries about various subjects - but is less sedate and cotrolled than RFA.
I don't know if there seem to be any others around town to participate in.
RFA and Phayul are here http://www.rfanews.org/tibbs/index.php
http://www.phayul.com/forums/showForum.aspx?forumID=4 (the thread about "Save Buddha Dharma" that speaks about saving the Teaching from being stolen by people in France that steal the names of lamas and then publish the teaching under other names,.... is by me !). Thanks for your comments. Geir.
Hi Andy, Hi Andy,
How's the temperature now in Dharamsala ? Any discussion groups for people up in Dharamsala ? Places to meet the people of the village at per Internet ? Tibetan groups ?
Geir (Gerhardt) Smith, Paris France.
you newbie! i like such an old hand at India after two months :) you newbies don't know whats coming you have it all to discover! enjoy the monastery and say hey to bhaarat! i sent you an email so maybe see you the next weekend if all goes well? take care hun xxx
Delhi ? Delhi[Not New Delhi] is supposed to be a place of cheaters and thugs and is dirty-Mostly these are taxi/rickahaw drvers or hotel owners or street sales mans-Not oridinary people.Beware of pick pocketing,stealing etc.It is not tourist friendly.
New Delhi-the place where all emabassies and president's house etc is clean and posh area.It is NOT a common man's area and so it is clean.
Amongst metros-Mumbai,Delhi,Chennai,Calcutta -Mumbai is decent-people are friendly and polite .Mumbai things are little bit in order compared to Delhi and other metros.
Recommended travel areas for first time visitors[so that they face less hassles]:
Southern India-Goa beaches,Kerala backwaters -Less Hassles from street sales people.
Northern India-Rajasthan [Jaipur,Udaipur etc] -Little hassles but places are great.
Common People are really friendly -So differenciate between sales persons[rickshaw/taxi ,street sales mans etc] and common people.
Bear Bear, you're going! I'm sure India is going to be amazing. Don't get AIDS, oh wait you ARE AIDS. Um can you bring me back a better present than Amy did, ie. no tribal, (or monastry) sex toys? I will say something deep and meaningful when I think of it, that might be some time, in the mean while have a spiffing time old chap, and remember this: you're gay.
Philly xxx
Hi Hay Andy, well i cant exactly say I've heard of where you are going, so i wont try. But it sounds like your going to enjoy yourself!! Diarrhoea!! Gotta love it :S Do you possibly think that you might get it from the food...? A loud and vibrant culture.. sounds perfect for you :) Even though i honestly didnt think that monks were that loud and vibrant to tell the truth.? Or am i mistaken? Have you secretly booked to like ibiza or somethink? So your leaving a comfort zone that will big a big blow for you but im sure you will somehow build a new shrine which helps with that. Well anyways have loads of fun as i know you will!!
Matt Runciman!
So this is the blog I've created for all of you back home to keep up with me if you should want to, that said I make absolutely NO promises to keep it updated regularly! For those that don't yet know I'll be teaching English in Tashijong, a Tibetan monastery community in North-West India not far from Dharamsala, for about 3-4 months before travelling for as long as my cash allows... ... full info
Ian
non-member comment
Gotta Job!!!
Well Andy its been a couple of weeks but have again caught up on your travels and career in movie stardom, good job you didn't go to Holland could have been a totally different story! Great to hear what a fantastic time you are having, I think to a man (well your Dad doesn't count) we are all jealous ~ you must be soooo looking forward to Uni? Keep well, glad you have enjoyed your birhday and looking forward to a drink when you get back. P.S If you Thierry Henry in your travels give him a kick from your Dad and me, your Dad needs a new shirt now.