Road To Mysore

We got back from Delhi last Wednesday around 3AM. It's been nice to be back home. Mysore is without question paradise. The air so much fresher...we're spoiled here. After Delhi and Varanasi, driving around the city here is a walk in the park. We're all still trying to recover from our trip. Travelling around India is no joke...maybe one day when I fully recover, I'll talk about it.

First day of practice last Thursday was difficult. I didn't get much sleep the night before plus not being able to maintain a full-on daily practice while travelling didn't make practice any easier. Surprisingly I felt flexible but I had no stamina. After my backbends, I went straight to rest (was tempted to say savasana but that does not exist in ashtanga, Guruji always says take rest. the day I can stop my heart from beating then I'll be doing savasana). Practice was also difficult because I put some weight on...not good. Which also is why I felt sluggish and had no stamina.

Friday led practice was no better. Still didn't get good sleep. Travelling really screwed up my sleep schedule. The room was packed since there was only one led class. There was no space between mats. A lot of new people have arrive...strange to see too many new faces but I was happy to see the old faces. I was happy to get practice out of the way. The good thing about being back in Mysore is the food is so much healthier and I know I'm slowly getting my health back. Delhi and Varanasi triggered my allergies which I haven't had in a long time. It feels much better now.

I slept better last night. Today was such a chill day. Trying to prepare my body for tomorrow's led class. Hopefully, I can sleep early tonight and walk up early.

I finally got my internet connection the day I left for Delhi. It didn't take 3 days but it also didn't take 3 months so I'm happy. Unfortunately, the day I arrived from Delhi the connection was down. It worked yesterday but it was very slow. Fred, who lives on the second floor installed a WI FI unit so he can have access to the internet. I can't believe I have a WI FI connection in my apartment...how sweeeet is that? Mysore is rapidly changing. Last year, one of the tenants wanted to get internet connection in this apartment and he was told that there was no line in this street. Now a days, a lot of the long time yoga students have internet in their apartments. Next year, I'll install a jacuzzi in my bathroom...we're entitled to dream, anything is possible.

I went to the ATM today to get money to pay Guruji for my 4th month...yikes, 6 weeks to go!!! I've been here for over 3 1/2 months already. I get 10 days credit for the shala closing. Normally I would take out 10,000 rupees twice...shala monthly fees is 17,900 rupees. After taking out the first 10,000 rupees, the ATM machine told me I was over my daily limit. This is the first time it's happened to me. I always use the same ATM machine...the one beside Nalpaks. I was really surprised it rejected my request for another 10,000 rupees. I decided to go to another nearby ATM machine and this time it said that there was something wrong with the connection. I decided to try one more ATM machine. This time it said that I was again over my daily limit. I can't believe this!!! I've always relied on the ATM machine and the cash and traveller's check I have are only for emergency purposes. This must be a new thing because I know I have more than enough money in the bank and if I didn't have the money, I would be in deep shit. Why the hell would they limit me to only 10,000 rupees? I thought about cashing in some traveller's check with Shiva but I want to make sure I have those checks when I'm in Kuala Lumpur. I guess Guruji will have to wait until tomorrow.

Practice this morning was great. It was so nice to be in the shala today. Practice since getting back from Delhi has been difficult. I haven't felt like I was physically 100%. Today I felt like I was closer to being a 100%. I can feel that as the week progresses, I'll get back my momentum. The 5AM slot was pretty full and when I was done with practice at around 7AM, there were still a few people queing to get in. I'm seeing more and more new faces everyday.

I don't know what it is about this year but everybody seems to be doing pancha karma with Dr. Kumar. Most of the people I've talked to are really happy about doing it. I feel like pancha karma is one of those Mysore experiences we all have to try...like going to Bylakuppe or getting a massage at the 3 Sisters...peer pressure. I really wanted to try it but I don't want to miss any more practice time. After conference yesterday, I asked Sharath if I could do pancha karma. I wanted his blessing before I did it because I might miss practice. Sharath and Saraswati always notices if I miss practice. Sharath asked me, "do you have any illness?" I said, "no". He then responded, "then it's not necessary. I have never had any pancha karma." I guess I expected this response but for some reason I was hoping to get his blessing...oh well, maybe I'll do it next year.

This morning I spent a good chunk of my time organizing my apartment and cleaning up clutter. I've been wanting to do it for sometime now but have been procastinating. I threw out a lot of trash and rearranged some stuff. I feel so much more grounded and centered today. I have 6 more weeks to go and I feel like I need to do certain things before I leave. For most people, 6 weeks is a long time but when you've been here for 3 1/2 months, you know that time is just going to fly by really quickly.

Today I'm going to start another month of Sanskrit chanting with Jayashree. I stopped after my first month because I wanted to relax the week before leaving for Delhi. I haven't chanted for about 3 weeks now so I'm excited to get back to it. This time though, I'm not going to presure myself into doing it 4 days a week. Chanting for 4 straight days can be pretty intense and exhausting. I will probably take a day off every now and then. I'm looking forward to being in the presence of Jayashree. I really enjoy her energy.

It's been a little over a week since we got back from our little excursion. I should have wrote about it while we there but I didn't bring my laptop and finding internet cafe was a little more difficult than expected. It's much easier to write about things when it's still fresh in my mind so it's going to be difficult writing this next entry.

Delhi

We spent about 4 days in Delhi and stayed at Connaught Place. It's a pretty good area and was accessible to the places we need to go to. Delhi was much cleaner than I expected and the roads were much better and more organized than the ones in Bangalore. All the rickshaws ran on gas instead of gasoline so it didn't feel as polutted. I actually think that Bangalore is more polluted. We did a little sight seeing and shopping in Delhi but for the most part it was more of a jump off point to go to Agra and Varanasi. We visited the Red Fort, the Delhi Gate, Chandi Chowk (the market in Old Delhi), Gandi's Memorial and Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India).

Jama Masjid was my favorite place in Delhi. Since a lot of tourist go to Delhi, it was so in your face. Every 5 minutes someone would come to us and try to sell us something. Jama Masjid was nice because when we walked in the mosque, the locals would just leave us alone. The place was beautiful and peaceful...it felt very holy and I'm not even Muslim. I walked into one of the areas where they were praying and just sat down and watched them pray. I don't know much about the Muslim religion so it was really interesting to watch them pray. They would stand up, then get on their knees and place their forehead on the floor and then stand up again. They would repeat this a few times while praying. It was without question a very holy place. We all just hung out in the courtyard and watched everybody. In the middle of the courtyard was a small pool which they use to wash their feet, hands and face before entering the mosque to pray.

Going to Chandi Chowk was without question the most intense place in Delhi...it's part of Old Delhi. It was such a full-on in your face kind off place. The girls definitely enjoyed it more than I did. I had no intentions of shopping so I was there strictly for sight seeing. The market is so concentrated and there was just loads of people. We followed one local who was supposed to bring us to a jewelry shop and we ended up in this maze of alleyways. I think he was taking us in circles and for awhile I thought he was going to bring us to a dodgy place. It was hard to believe that there were all these shops in the alleys. After a while, we decided to ditch the guy and find our way back to the main road. The alleys were so confusing, it took us at least 45 minutes to find our way back to the main road. The girls eventually found the street of the jewelry shops and you can tell they were in heaven. I just walked around and met up with them after an hour or so.

The Red Fort was impressive from the outside but once we were inside, it was not that spectacular. It was just a lot of manicured gardens, a few old structures and a couple of museums. I was not totally impressed by it. Here are a few pictures of Delhi.

Outside Jama Masjid with Rebecca...the largest mosque in India. I didn't take any pictures inside because I didn't want to pay the camera fee. In a lot of places we went to we had to pay a fee to take pictures.

The Red Fort in Delhi

More of the Red Fort

I was hoping to finish this travel summary today but this morning Sharath announced that Guruji was going to be honored in Managalore on Sunday and Monday so the shala will closed on those two days. He also reminded us that Tuesday was a moonday...OMG, we have 4 days off. What do you do with 4 days off? I could only think of one word...Hampi!!!! I called Rebecca if she wanted to do another trip but she got really sick in Varanasi and was admitted to the hospital last Monday and checked out yesterday. She had allergies in Mysore before the trip and the water in Delhi and Varanasi made it worst. She was also had a fever which just wouldn't go away. On our was back to Mysore we both talked about going to Hampi so she was the first person I thought of. Unfortunately she hadn't fully recovered from so passed on the opportunity.

During breakfast, Bridgette told Fiona that I wanted to go to Hampi during the break. Fiona was there two years ago and she loved it. It didn't take much to convince her so we spent the afternoon purchasing our train tickets. I can't believe I'm on a train to Hampi tomorrow evening...wooohooo!!!

This blog entry will have to be written in installments. I've promised friends that I would write about Varanasi and Agra. Since it's a lot to write about, it's going to have to be written in installment...to be continued.

We took the early train to Agra on Sunday. It was the Shatabdi Express which is one of the best trains. The Delhi train station is chaotic even at 5:30 in the morning. We had great seats which made the 2 hour ride to Agra really smooth. Thats a good thing when your still half awake. We got into Agra around 8AM and went straight to the government run prepaid rickshaw booth. We ignored all the rickshaw drivers who were trying to sell their service.

Taj Mahal

We got to the Taj Mahal at around 9:30AM. I can understand why the foriegners pay more then the locals but the difference was a little much. The locals pay 20 rupees while the foreigners pay 750 rupees...it's worth it though. It hard to describe seeing the Taj Mahal from a distant. It is a breath taking experience to just stand there and watch. I'm not an architect or anything like that but the structure is amazing...it almost looks unreal. It was great being there and walking around. We made the mistake of having a light breakfast because we could have stayed much longer but by 12:30PM we were all starving. They don't sell any food on the premises and once you leave you cannot come back in. We were lucky we went early in the morning because as we left around 1PM, the line to get in was really long.

Rebecca and I in front of the Taj

The crew - Sidney (from San Francisco), Rebecca (from Canada), and Morag (from Australia)

Sidney and Morag enjoying the view. If we weren't so hungry we could have spent the whole day there. They didn't let us bring in food and I think if they let people bring food, nobody would leave.

There is nothing like laying on cold marble floors. Rebecca and I refused to get up.

I normally hate to pose but this is the Taj and maybe a once in a lifetime thing.

Fatehpur Sikri

After the Taj we had a lunch at a nearby hotel. We asked the hotel if they could arrange a cab for us to go to Fatehpur Sikri. It's about a 40 kilometer ride from Agra. It is an abandoned city which was one of my favorite places we visited. It use to be the capital of the Mughal empire between 1571 and 1585. It was abandoned because of water shortages. It took about 45 minutes to get there and you can tell we were close by because we were constantly waved down by wannabe tour guides. When we finally got there everybody was constantly in our faces. It reached a point where in we had to be rude to let them leave us alone.

There were two sights within the city. The first sight we went to was free and we really liked the place but the locals would not leave us alone. We all just wanted to sit and enjoy the place and it was about an hour after when they finally decided that they couldn't sell us anything. We eventually decided to head to the next site which had a 250 rupees admission. I wish we had gone to the second site first because it was even better than the first site and so much more peaceful. I just sat in one of the empty courtyards for 30 minutes and meditate. The whole city was amazing and I don't think I have enough words to describe it. We stayed as long as we could and when the sun started to set we had to leave. We also had to catch our 7PM train back to Delhi.

Posing in Fatephur Sikri

It was nice to just hang out there. It was so peaceful and the structures were beautiful

More Fatephur Sikri

Close Call

On our way back to Delhi we couldn't get on the Shatabdi Express. We ended up in a slower train and our seats were in either the 2nd or 3rd class. It was not very comfortable because instead of individual seats, we sat on benches. The Shatabdi was fully booked and all the first class seats on this train were taken. I know I shouldn't complain but I would much rather have comfortable seats. It was a long day...we got up at around 4:30AM and we were out and about all day. It must have been around 7:30 when we finally left and instead of a 2 hour train, we were on a 3 hour train which was not very comfortable.

Anyway midway through our train ride there was a lot of commotion. People from the front carts started heading back. I couldn't understand what was going on. I tried to ask one of the locals what they were saying. He too was confused. One of the local started pulling the emergency lever like his life depended on it...OMG, what the hell is going on? More people started getting there bags and more moved to back carts. The only thing I could think of is we might be colliding with another train...OMG, am I a going to die in an Indian train. It seem like forever...we were all clueless. The train eventually made a sudden stop. Some people opened the doors but nobody when out. Everything then was quiet and I attempted to ask another local what was going on. He said, "technical problems"...whatever that means. We were on a full stop for about 15 minutes but by now I knew I was going to live another day. I think I've been watching too many movies. We eventually got going and got to Delhi around 11PM...what a long day. I went to and back from Agra and survived.

We left Mysore last Friday night on the 6PM train to Bangalore and caught the 10PM Hampi Express via Hospet. It was only Fiona and I since Sunny and Mark couldn’t get seats on the Hampi Express. The train ride from Bangalore to Hospet was a 10-½ hour sleeper train. I’ve had taken my first sleeper train ever when we went from Delhi to Varanasi and back so I knew exactly what to expect. It’s not as bad as I first expected…especially after two valerian capsules. We arrived in Hospet the following morning around 7:45 and headed straight to the Priyadarshini Hotel. We decided that to stay in Hospet and take the daily bus to Hampi every morning. Fiona was in Hampi two years ago and said that it was difficult getting a room in Hampi and that accommodations look more like cages. It wasn’t hard for her to convince me to stay in Hospet even if the room cost 1,000 rupees each as oppose to the 250 rupees cages in Hampi. We checked in the hotel, grabbed breakfast and freshened up.

At around 11AM, we took the bus to Hospet. It took only 35 minutes and 6 rupees each. I asked Fiona if we could possibly get the A/C bus instead…she just laughed at me. I’ve been recently given a hard time for acting like a maharaja…but why not travel in comfort? We walked around the Hampi Bazaar for a few minutes and decided to head to the Mango Tree Restaurant for lunch. Fiona had been raving about this place and said she could spend all day there…I could see why. It’s a good 15-minute walk from the Hampi Bazaar…away from the hustle and buzzle of the center. You walk through the middle of a banana plantation and in the middle of nowhere there is the restaurant. The tables are set under a huge old mango tree overlooking the river…yes, I could stay here all day. Not only could I stay here all day but I could also eat here all day…the food is divine. I started lunch with a cheese and egg paratha and followed it up with cheese, mushroom spaghetti. When you’ve been in India for almost 4 months it’s always good to have some non-Indian food. Don’t get me wrong, I love India food but after awhile a little variety is good. For dessert, I had a banana pancake. I always thought that pancakes were breakfast food but when I asked for dessert the waiter suggested pancakes and I wanted something sweet. The food and the ambience was amazing…Hampi in itself is amazing.

After a two-hour lunch we decided to get off our ass and check out some rooms across the river. A couple during lunch told us about a place they were staying overlooking the river. They said the rooms were nice and clean and were only 150 rupees each. We thought that it would be better to stay in Hampi if we could get good rooms. We also knew that Mark and Sunny were arriving the following day and that Mark had insisted that he wanted stay in Hampi. We took the little boat across the river and followed the couple to their hotel. We checked out the place and looked at the rooms and decided that we wanted to stay there the following night. We paid for the rooms in advanced and told the owner we may need more rooms tomorrow. He told us to call when the rest of the crew arrived and he will make sure we get rooms. Hampi was not buzzling with tourist at this time of the year so there were a lot of rooms available.

When all that was settled, I decided I wanted to find myself a scooter and explore this side of Hampi. We were told that we were close to the Monkey Temple and the lake. Most of the huge temples and ruins were in the other side and we decided to do that when the rest of the crew arrived. The scooters in Hampi were not only more expensive than the ones in Mysore…150 rupees a day but they were also in terrible condition. I was determined to get one because I hate being in the mercy of a rickshaw driver and all their sales pitches…squeezing every rupee from us. I finally settled on an old Honda Kinetic with almost non-existent brakes…oh well, still better than being on a rickshaw. The roads were initially bumpy in the beginning but when we hit the main road it nice and smooth. Scootering around Hampi was amazing…the scenery was awesome…mountains of huge granite rocks scattered all around with rice fields, banana plantations, and coconut trees all mixed in. We passed the Monkey Temple…also know as the Hanuman Temple but decided to climb the 600 or more steps up the hill when the rest of the crew arrived. We just scootered all around for the rest of the afternoon and tried to find the lake but it was getting too late. We decided to find the lake another day since we had to get across the river before the last boat ride around 6:30PM. We had a great long first day so we headed back to Hospet around 7PM. After dinner, I headed straight to my room, took a nice shower and crashed. I was even too tired to get out of bed to turn off the light.

This last installment is long overdue. It's taken me a while to sit myself down to write it. I'm still physically trying to recover from my Hampi trip. Sleep has been eratic and hopefully everything gets back to normal in the next few days. Normally I don't write about things which happened a few weeks ago but I promised friends before the trip I would write about Varanasi. In fact the Varanasi leg of the trip was the highlight and the reason for the whole trip in the first place. We alloted 5 days in Varanasi, one day in Agra and Delhi was just a jump off point.

First Sleeper Train

We took the sleeper train to Varanasi on a Tuesday night. I was really anxious and excited. I have never taken a sleeper train in my life. It was a 12 hour train ride and prior to that I had never been on a train longer than 2 hours. Growing up in the Philippines, we either took a plane, a bus or a boat. I also wasn't sure if I could sleep in a narrow bed surrounded with strangers. I wanted get my own cabin but decided to travel on the two tier sleeper with the crew. We had rented a car and did some sightseeing around Delhi that day. Since we had checked out of the hotel, we went straight to the train station.

The train must have left around 8PM. When we booked the tickets, our beds were not together. The girls were together while Sidney and I were together. Fortunately when we left Delhi, the train was not full. We arranged with the conductor so we could all be together. I was really tired after a full day of sightseeing. After setting up my bed, cleaning up with wet naps...no shower after a full day in Delhi...yuk!!! and taking two valerian capsules, I decided to sleep. I think the valerian did the trick. I got decent sleep and was pretty relaxed on the trip...I hope I don't become a valerian addict. I woke up around 5AM and we arrived around 8AM. I survived my first Indian sleeper train experience and lived to tell...can you tell I'm not a well travelled person?

Rebecca and Sidney having breakfast on the train.

This is how we look after 10 hours on the train...2 more hours to go. It wasn't as bad as I expected.

We had arranged for someone to pick us up and bring us to the Krishnamurti Study Center. He was commended to us by someone in Mysore who was in Varanasi a month earlier. We got to the center and freshened up before breakfast. It felt so good to take a shower after a full day in Delhi and travelling on a sleeper train. Some things we take for granted. After breakfast we decided to go back to our cottage and rest. I must have not slept as well as I thought because I instantly passed out. It took Sidney a while to wake me up for lunch.

Varanasi

I no longer remember what we did on a day to day basis. My memory has never been that good. This much I remember...Varanasi is chaotic and intense in every sense of the word. I expected this but was never really prepared for it. I don't think anything can prepare you for it. Delhi looks like paradise compared to Varanasi. Getting from the Krishnamurti Center to the old city took at least 30 minutes and the roads were bad and dusty. By the time we reached the old city, I was already exhausted and ready to head back to the center. Once we got to the ghats, the air was much fresher and less chaotic.

Varanasi is the oldest and holiest city in India. It definitely looks old but for some reason it didn't feel holy to me. I never really connected to the place the way the rest of the crew did. I would only spend a few hours on the ghats and was more than willing to retreat to the Krishnamurti Study Center. I felt like it was more of a tourist trap. Everybody was trying to sell us something. I think Sidney connected to the place more than anyone else in the group. He checked in a hotel in the old city, practiced yoga along the ghats and swam in the river. I thought about swimming in ther river but it was not that inviting. I only spent 3 of the 5 days in the old city while the rest of the crew was there everyday. I did enjoy watching the sunrise while being on the boat and watching the burning ghats (burning of the dead bodies). I enjoyed hanging out in the abandoned majaraha's palace along the ghat. I'm glad I went there but I don't think I would be returning there anytime soon. If I do go back, I would only stay for 2 days...maybe 3 days max. Unless you enjoy hanging out in the ghats, there's not much else to do. I'm more of a nature kind of person and the less populated the place the better it is for me.

Finding Krishnamurti

A lot of people in Mysore recommended that we stay at the Krishnamurti Study Center in Rajghat Fort. It's away from the old city and is a good place to retreat after a full day in the city. We were supposed to stay there for only two days and then find a hotel in the old city. After my first morning driving through Varanasi and arriving at the retreat center, I knew I was going to stay there for the 5 days. It is an oasis in the middle of chaos. The place is so peaceful and air is fresh. There are huge trees all over the property. I was told the whole place was about 300 acres which includes a college.

On our first day in Varanasi we headed to the old city to do an afternoon boat ride. On our way to the city my stomach did not feel well. I had "Delhi belly" and asked the guide to take me back to the center. They left me in the center and headed back to the old city. I just hung out in the cottage and rested. I was a little bummed that I was left behind but I didn't make a big deal of it...there must have been a reason why.

Later that afternoon, one of the staff invited me to a group discussion they were having at 7PM. I did not know anything about Krishnamurti or his teaching and at that time didn't care. We were just using the place as a hotel and had no interest in his teachings. Since I was bored that afternoon, I decided to join the discussion group. I just kept quiet and listened. I don't recall what was said that night but a few statements struck me so I decided to borrow one of the books from the library. I asked one of the staff to recommend a book since I knew nothing of Krishnamurti. He lent me "The Beauty of the Mountain". It was a small book with big letters...my kind of book, written by one of Krishnamurti's old students.

I read that book that night and loved it. After reading that book I went back to borrow more. I really could relate to Krishnamurti's teachings. In a way, his teachings reflects how I approach my asana practice. I spent much of my time reading his books and watching his videos. I ended up buying 7 of his books. Finding Krishnamurti was the reason why I had Delhi belly that afternoon. I was meant to be there that day. I think he died in the mid-80's but his spirit lives on in the center. You can almost feel his presence in the trees, the people running the center and in the air. Some of his teachings confirms much of what I've already believe in. I may not be that crazy after all. It's nice to know I'm not alone in some of my farfetched beliefs.

For most people, watching the burning ghats or swimming in the river is the highlight of their Varanasi trip. I never connected to the ghats or the old city. I found Krishnamurti in Varanasi...that was the highlight to my trip.

When we left, I thanked Sangeetha for her hospitality and the great food. She told me that they do not encourage people to use the center as a hotel. The center should only be used by people who are interested in Krishnamurti's teachings. They only allowed us to stay because they could see that Rebecca and I were truly interest. I'm glad she let us stay.

We headed back to Delhi two days after the bombings. By then we were all beat up and ready to be back in Mysore. All of us got sick to a different degree. The water in the north made Rebecca's rashes worst and she had to check in the hopital for 4 days in Mysore. Sidney had severe Delhi belly and a fever. Morag and I were fighting a cold. Travelling up north is intense and takes a toll in your body. I'm happy I did it though and wouldn't change anything about it. In fact I'm planning to head back next year and visit Rishikesh, Rajastan and Dharamsala. At least now I know what to expect next year and I realized I'm much tougher than I thought I was. Trip is only the first of many trips I plan to make around India. If I can survive Varanasi, I sure I can survive any other place in India or even around the whole...who knows.

the ghats late in the afternoon

bathing in the river...I thought about it but that's it...no thank you.

more bathing in the river

there were a lot of sadus in the old city. it's hard to distinguish the really ones from the fakes ones.

the Varanasi crew hanging out in the maharaja's palace. this was on of my favorite places in Varanasi. it had a great view of the river and nobody was harassing us or trying to sell anything.

we woke up at 4AM to catch the early morning boat and watch the sunrise. our guide came late and we almost missed the sunrise.

riding the boat with Morag. I'm still half asleep.

Yesterday I volunteered my body for the good of mankind. Fiona asked me if I wanted to be a model for her final ayurvedic massage class with Kumar. I thought hard about it and after she twisted and turned my arms I conceded...why not? I might as well volunteer for some "social work". I missed the last 5 minutes of the Monday Night Football game for something much more important...this practice is really working.

Fiona asked me to be at Kumar's at 10AM but at that time the score was tied with about 5 minutes to go. The Vikings were driving, do I ditch Fiona and finish the game or do I head to Kumar's? Why does life have to be so difficult? I ditched the game and got to Kumar's at around 10:10AM. I was surprise to see everybody all naked and ready to go. I thought there would be a little lecture before the massage. I was the only model with my clothes still on. They waited for me to get ready and then Kumar started a chant before they started the massage.

Fiona did her thing and I did my thing...yes I snored, you don't need to tell me. I'm a typical kapha. I fall asleep two minutes after the start of most massages. If you can't put me to sleep during a massage, I suggest that you don't quit your day job. All went well until she asked me turn on my back. I don't know what the hell she was trying to do but she started to try to lift one of my leg. Fiona is a tall pale skinny English woman who probably weighs about 100 pounds. Each leg of mine weighs about 100 pounds. Now imagine Fiona trying to lift my leg. My eyes were closed and imagining Fiona lift my leg was too difficult to bare. She was huffing and puffing. What the hell was she thinking or attempting to do? I felt sorry for her so I decided to help her out by lifting my leg for her. I think she didn't realize that the massage class was turning out to be a weight lifting class. At one point, I opened my eyes and gave her that "I feel so sorry for you" look. She immediately told me to shut up and go back to sleep. She eventually finished my legs and mustered what ever energy she had left to finish the massage. She greased-up my arms and then my face. I don't know what it is about ayurvedic massage but they put a shitload of oil...like their preparing to roast you in an open pit.

The massage as a whole went well except for the leg lifting incident and the excessive grease on my face...I think she intentially did that to get back at me. After the massage, I gave her a hug, thanked her and told her she did a good job. She assured me that she wasn't going to quit her day job. She's an architect...I hope she's a good one.

After the massage, I joined the whole class and headed to the Green Hotel for lunch. It's customary for the students to take Kumar out after the last class. I was supposed to go to chanting after lunch but it was raining really hard and we were trapped in the Green Hotel. I convinced Mary to skip chanting too and a group of us decided to watch a movie instead. When the rain slowed down we headed to my place..Mary, Fiona, Fred (all English), Mathew, Bridgette and Tim (all Canadian). I don't know what's going on but I'm been surrounded by a lot of English lately. I've barely figured out American humor and now I have to figure out the English...God save my soul.

We intially wanted to watched "The Wedding Crasher" but the copy we borrowed was a bootleg copy and the sound was terrible. Fred saved us by bringing some other movies. We decided on a really old comedy with Val Kilmer call "Top Secret". Nobody wanted to watch a serious movie so this one was perfect. It was a funny stupid movie and we all enjoyed it. I can't believe I've never seen this movie before. Val Kilmer is still so young. I highly recommend this if you need a good laugh.

After the movie, Mary told us about her passion of reading blogs. I thought I was a blog addict but Mary is in a legeaue of her own. I turned on my computer and she started reading blog entries a loud. Mark, another English arrived in time to hear all this. We all sat there stunned and amazed. I have never heard anyone read a blog with such passion. We all listened to her beautiful English accent. I could have never imagined that my blog entries could sound so romantic. We held on to her every word...it was mesmerizing. It was like we moving to a state of samadi...there's definitely something about Mary!!!

It's been almost two weeks since I got back from Hampi. I'm too lazy to finish up this entry in detail. Mark, Sunny, Gibran and Mauricio arrived the following day and joined us. We checked out of Hospet and moved to Hampi. We rented 2 motorcycles and 3 scooters. We all had a blast...Hampi is really amazing. It is one of my favorite places so far and I would have wanted to stay longer. I will be back one day.

Lunch at the Mango Tree Restaurant with the Hampi Crew. From the left - Fiona, Mauricio, Gibran, Sunny and Mark.

Ruins around Hampi

Mauricio and Gibran hanging out in one of the museums

The Hampi crew in front of the Lotus Mahal

More ruins

And more ruins

And some more ruins - they were scattered all around. That's Fiona sitting on the left

This was the kind of scenery we had on our walk back to the Hampi Bazaar late in the afternoon

More ruins

On our last day we decided to wake up at 5AM and climb up the Hanuman (Monkey) Temple to see the sunrise. It's about 600 steps to the top and the view from there was amazing. We're told that the sunset is just as spectacular. There's too much to do and so little time. Fiona and I were only there for 3 days while the rest of the crew were there for only 2 days.

Scootering to the temple was freaking cold and I didn't bring a jacket. I ended up wearing 3 shirts but since they were all short sleeves, my arms were freezing...what was I thinking. It took us 15 minutes to get there ane then we made it up to the temple. The climb up was painful but was worth it.

These are the steps going up to the Monkey Temple

Hanuman Temple

Mark, Fiona & Mauricio hanging out at the Monkey Temple

Monkeys at the Monkey Temple. They're so used to be around human beings. One of them tried to get my backpack.

Sunrise from the Monkey Temple

View from the temple

Rare breed of monkeys only found in Hampi. They are almost extinct.

Mark hanging out at Monkey Temple. We could have stayed much longer but breakfast was calling.

This is what happens after 600 steps. Out of shape yogi.

Just hanging out

Starbucks - Hampi : When we came down from the temple we hung out at the Starbucks of Hampi for some chai and coffee. Coffee was 25 rupees and the chai was 20 rupees...chai is Gokulam is only 6 rupees. This was definitely a Starbucks franchise.

We headed to the lake after some chai and coffee. It was a beautiful drive around the lakes and Mauricio and I followed the river for another 20 minutes or so. We wanted to keep going but breakfast was waiting for us. We all headed back after breakfast and went for a swim. The water was great. I hope we had more time to spend and explore the place. We barely scratched the surface. We headed back to our hotel around 3PM to freshen up and checked out. We went straight to the Mango Tree Restaurant for our last meal in Hampi and hopped on the 8PM trian back to Bangalore.

At the lake with Mauricio

Mark doing a terrible David Swenson imitation. He forgot his Speedos.

More bad David Swenson imitations.

Scootering around the lake with a crappy scooter...oh well, it was still fun.

The lake...we came back and swam. We could have stayed longer...to much to do, so little time.

Today was my first day back to work. I’m back in the Brentwood accounting firm that I worked in last tax season. I notice the office has been newly renovated and I say, “hi� to my co-workers and chat with them. I meet one of the partners and he gives me work to do. I go through the file and I’m totally clueless. What the hell does he want me to do with this? It doesn’t look like any tax file I’ve seen before. I spend a few more minutes and try to figure out what I’m supposed to do. I decide to get up and look for the tax director to discuss some issues I need to settle with him before I formally start working. I see a lot of new faces in the office and continue to look for him. I’m eventually in a room with the tax director and we’re looking at each other but not saying anything to each other. He gives me this weird smile and then I wake up. This is all I remembered from my nightmare last night. Thank God, it was just a dream. I’m not ready to work yet.

Last week I got an email from a co-worker from the Brentwood accounting firm. The tax director asked her if I was coming back this coming tax season. They expect me to come back. I was non-committal when I left last July. I wasn’t sure where I was going to live when I left LA last July….I’m still not sure. There’s no good ashtanga on the Westside but all the good accounting firms are on that side of town. I don’t know if I still want to do the drive…45 to 55 minutes from Silverlake to Brentwood everyday.

I leave in three weeks. My second stint here is coming to an end. For a lot of people, three weeks is just beginning of their trip. For me, it’s time to slowly detach myself from this place. I would like not to think about leaving yet but I can’t avoid the constant reminders…the email, the dream and very close friends leaving. I’m already in that unavoidable, “I’m don't want to meet anybody new� mode. Yeah, I know it sounds snobbish but many of us who have stayed here for more than three months go through that…too many goodbyes. For those who have just arrived, don’t take it personally. It’s just our “shit� we’re dealing with and our way of slowly detaching ourselves from Mysore. I’m not ready to leave yet but when I get on that car for Bangalore…I’ll be ready.

This past week I was tempted by “Evil Fiona� to skip this Friday’s practice and do a 4-day trip…leave Wednesday after practice, Thursday is a moon day and back Saturday afternoon. I thought about it and was tempted. We were planning to go to either Bandipur and Ooty or maybe Coorg for those days. I decided that I’ve done enough traveling in this trip and the most I could do is an overnight trip to Ooty. I was also tempted to go to the Honey Valley in Coorg by the Sanskrit chanting crew. I’m happy to just stay here in Mysore for the next few weeks. Fiona decided to go with Rebecca to Goa instead. I’m glad she found a travel companion after Mark and I ditched her.

One of the older students told me a good story last week. There was once an old time student with an amazing asana practice. He had been coming to Mysore many times. There was no question in anyone’s mind that he would be authorized to teach by Guruji…including his own mind. He decides to ask Guruji in front of 30 other yoga students if he can be authorized. To everyone’s surprise, Guruji’s says, “NO!!!� I’m told that after that incident he totally changed as a person. He is now authorized and I’m also told he is a very good teacher because of that. There’s more to this practice than just the asana practice. Unfortunately, much of the talk here is about getting the next asana. In Mysore, you may not learn “perfect� alignment but if you stay long enough you’ll learn patience and maybe some humility. I am a lot more patient today than I was 2 or 3 years ago. I know everything will fall in place in it’s own time. As far as the humility thing goes…I’m still working on that. If I accumulate enough samskaras in this life maybe I’ll learn it in my next life. Practice, practice, practice…all is coming.

It’s been almost two days since our internet connection went down. I’m ready to commit suicide…just kidding. I’ve picked up a bad habit since having internet connection in the apartment. I wake up around 4AM, turn on the computer, check my mail and read news. At around 4:30, I take my bath and get ready for practice. With the internet down, what do I do with myself between 4 and 4:30…what a difficult life…HELP!!!

Last year, Vincent used to tell us how nice it was to reconnect with people he had met on his first trip. He always reminded us that it was his second trip and the rest of the LA crew were all newbies. Well Vincent, I know how you feel. This past month, I’ve reconnected with a lot of people I was with in my first trip. It’s nice to see them. There is without question a special bond between us.