Found my Cup of Tea

Hello everybody,

I have arrived, I have found one of the most amazing places in the world (if I haven't don't tell me otherwise). I am in Dharmakot, in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is wonderful... the weather is perfect, I have a great room (with hot water), yoga Iyengar style which I think is my favorite, unlimited hiking opportunities, and some other stuff that is just great.
It was quite the journey getting here, but well worth the struggle. From Hampi I took a 16hr bus ride, I was told that it would be real nice. I had a sleeping area at the very back of the bus above other people sitting everytime we hit a bump I would get launched into the air and come slamming back down. It was sold to me as a luxury sleeper... the little bastard. Then I had to stay the night in Mumbai, unknowingly I stayed one block from where the attacks had taken place. Ended up in a slum sitting in a stair well drinking beer with two guys that I think either wanted to rip me off or have relations with me in some way, it was wierd to say the least. Then I flew to about 10km from the Pakastan boarder. Stopped in a place for a beer before I headed to the golden temple and ran into two old shiks that were brown bagging it. They offered me a drink and the next thing you know we are well past temple time. Slept in a seedy place next to the bus station. Good thing I was drunk or I would have had a hard time sleeping because of the noisy busses. The next day one of the shiks offered to take me to the golden temple at 7am so I waited until then before I realized he might be a bit hungover for such things so I got on a 5hr train. At first I had my own compartment sitting back with my legs up by the window next thing I know I was completely invaded by a Tibietan family and 7 huge bags and boxes. Mom, sister and grandma sat next to me and brother dad and other brother were across from me. Brother across from me took these huge sniffs every 3 sec. and other brother had a cell phone playing music outloud, such great hits as Master P's latest little dity and Shaquira's dance mix. Then onto another bus for 5 more hours I was one of the latest people so I ended up sitting right next to the driver Indian style...no pun intended, while holding my guitfiddle on my lap. The reason for the seating arraingement was because of that same family had stuffed the leg room part full of trinckets that I am sure I will end up buying at five times the price.
I do have to say, it was all worth it this place is amazing. Just got back from hiking to a waterfall where I met five Tibetan guys on there lunch brake. All of them Independant contractors dealing in everything you can imagine and a couple that you can't. I will be going now, I have a date with my guitar and the setting sun.

Love Ya, mean it,

-Jim

What to do?...What to do....?

I am at somewhat of a quandary, I could go north the weather is a lot nicer...or...I could just stay right here? What would I do here you ask, there is a school type place here that is looking for volunteers. I have gone back and forth and back again can't decide at all...I think, I am supposed to stay,.. that is what the universe seems to be saying to me. There is yoga here and there seems to be some kind of inspiring air about this place I have written a couple of songs and my paints seem to be getting closer and closer to my hands, started some sketches who knows I might be just where I am supposed to be. That means seeing the north of India another time, which kind of makes me happy because it gives me a very solid reason for returning to this country.

Howdy all!!!

Hello everyone,

I am back in India, and really missing Thailand. I got my cell phone nicked last night just let my guard down for a second. That was all it took. So I wont be able to give anyone a ring anymore. I have to hangout in this town (Bangalore) until 10 pm tonight then I am off to Hampi then to the north. It has been a long time since I wrote one of these, but I really don't have a whole lot to say. Lots of traveling has caused me to sink into this weird half loopy state of being. About me: I stink a little, my clothes are all ripping, cant find a computer to download pictures with to save my life, I'm a little hungry but afraid to eat because I am not used to the food anymore, and...I burnt my tongue drinking chai (tea) this morning. Enough complaining, I am off to discover whatever it is that I am meant to discover in this city.

Love you all,

-Jim

"PUSHEE MASHTA"

I have had quite the adventure the past couple of days. I went on a three day hike in the jungle the group that I was in consisted of me, two English guys, one Japanese guy, two German guys, a couple from Scotland and another guy from Scotland. We had two guides, Mr. Dong and Woody. We hiked to a couple of waterfalls and then we would spend the night with a hill tribe where we would get drunk and teach the Japanese guy some choice English phrases with the help of his electronic translator/dictionary. We had very limited exposure to the villagers, which was probably best. We played a game with the locals that is like volleyball but you use your feet not your hands. I did score once using me head, well, more my nose then anything. The ball is made from wood so my eyes watered for a while, but I did not want to appear as though I had hurt myself so I played through the pain. Then one of the locals kick spiked the ball right at me, thank god it missed because that would have hurt really bad. The last night we played games around the fire then Mr. Dong decided to take us all frog hunting in the rain. He managed to catch a couple then we took them back to the fire and roasted them on a wire grill type thing. We ate snake the first night.
We got done with the trip and we all met up with Mr. Dong and Woody for a big night out on the town. Every time you take the Japanese guys picture he makes a peace sign and then sticks his tongue through the middle of his out stretched fingers. That cute little number was presented by the German guys. Oh and he has been going by the nickname (sorry grandma) "pussy master" for the last two days or so. Which sounds like "pushee mashta" when the German guys or the Japanese guy says it. So we went to a bar called Heaven Beach it has sand on the floor and a good band that has no idea what the lyrics are but they get close enough for all intents and purposes. The owners name was Anang she was nice to me saying that she wanted to shave me, "you cute me shave you honey." About two hours into the show Woody and two other Thai guys have taken their shirts off and are dancing around with each other The Japanese guy sees this and he also takes his shirt off while screaming "pushee mashta," I look over at Mr. Dong and he starts pouring beer into his mouth from his extended arm then pours the last of it on his head, just like he won the world cup. The cops show up close the whole street down for what reason, I don't know. Mr. Dong and myself ate some street food, I think it was squid, some kind of hot dog and chicken guts with pineapple. We all go to the next place called the spicy bar where there are masseurres in the bathroom. They start rubbing you down while you are using the urinals, I opted for a stall. after closing that place down I end up in a tuk-tuk with a couple of girls from New York and and English guy who is so drunk all he can say is "take me to next drink... rasta bar." So off we go but that bar is closed. A guy comes up to us and in perfect English says everything is closed but I have a bar around the corner if you want me to I can open it. I asked him where he was from and he says Louisiana we hit it off and start chatting like old friends. Then some truck pulls up and asks us if we want to go to a party, so we went. It ended up being Anang's house, the owner of the first bar. I spent the night in a tent in her back yard and then took a taxi back into town. She has invited me back out there today for a barbecue, so I probably will go after I clean up a bit. I am off to Pai tomorrow, I hope this message finds you all well and happy.

Love,

-Jim

What the Fuck...? Oh well....Fuck It.

The title of this blog has become my Motto. I see things everyday that just do not fit into my frame of thinking, this forces me to expand and except. Both of which are good I think. I have to walk two blocks in the morning to the yoga shala. Within those two blocks their are cows that are turned out to the streets for pasture, ill tempered monkeys that raise their eyebrows up at you as if saying I would like to throw my feces at you but I just don't have to go right now. I saw a dead rat that was as big as a average sized house cat. The neighborhood milkman rides around on a scooter with open buckets of milk carefully balanced off of both sides of his scooter. Vegetable sales people on bicycle yelling out the fresh pick of the day. two shrines to two different gods right next to each other sometimes people are in their chanting or lighting candles or incense. There is a tree with shrines devoted to Adisious, who is the king of all cobras, the god Vishnu rode on him. Apparently he had a thousand heads, and chose to incarnate as a human named Patanjali. He is the man that wrote the first grammar books, health care book and yoga book. He's kind of a big deal. I have to cross one street with zig-zaging newspaper men that don't seem to have a pattern or a system at all, driving on the wrong side of the street often sometimes on the sidewalk. That is just my 10 minute morning walk!
I just had a conversation with a cute little girl that should probably be home at this hour, I think she lives right across the street. There are personal space bubbles here, and budding in line is not considered rude (unless I do it). The people here will just come up to me anytime anywhere and shake my hand, grab my biceps, lean over my shoulder and watch me while I am on the computer. All I can say is "What the F#@k," then "Well... F#@K it." The questions are always the same, "What country?" "What your name is?" "Are you married?" As soon as I say USA some will quickly say "Obama," Then I say "Obama" some I have taught the phrase, "Obama for your Momma, bitches," They really seem to like that. Specially down here in the south, because mama means uncle. Sometimes I get some funny looks from the English speakers if they over hear my impromptu "English lessons."

Love you all,

-Jim

Hello all my friends and family,
I am now in Mysore and I think they call it that because MY entire body is SORE. I have spent the last week being manipulated into positions that I did not think were possible. I have this little Indian man as a teacher and he will come over to me grab one body part and push on another until I am breathing like a cow birthing twins sideways. Mysore is the heart of yoga, I have been told, Madonna's teacher is here in this town even. Ashtanga is a form of "power yoga" and the Mysore type is a moving meditation were no one talks and instead of getting direction the teacher will come over and push or touch or lean and even sometimes stand on you. Today I was in the butterfly (heels to groin elbows pushing down on legs) and Ajay my teacher came over put his hands on my shoulders and stood up on my thighs putting his entire weight on my inner thigh area. All I could do is breath and think holy shit he is standing on my thighs and holy shit my knees are on the ground, wow. I am going to stay here one more week I guess I am a sadist or masochist which ever?
My plan is to find a ticket to Thailand I already negotiated one but like most things you do or plan in this country it got all messed up.

Thank you for the strong positve energy you all keep sending me
I do feel it,

-Jim

Ooty

Good morning everyone. I am at a hill station in southern India, the British bought up all this land from the local tribe for 2 rupees and then explained to them the monetary system to the tribes people. They established these hill stations for the army troops so they would have a place to rest. It is hard work concurring and pillaging a nations people and resources. Yesterday we went on a hike around the tea plantations. It was beautiful, we walked through the hillsides and into some very interesting villages. I have pictures but cant use this computer (S.S.D.D.). After having lunch in a fly infested hole in the wall, but it did have great chai (tea). We started up a small mountain for our final destination. We were about 1/3 the way up when these locals came running out of the trees yelling at us to change direction because there is a wild elephant roaming the hills making messes and harassing the locals. We went up anyway with out any sightings of the trouble making elephant. The day before was our travel day we had to wake up at 4am to catch a train so we could catch another train. The second train was what they call a toy train. It was a old steam engine probably 120 years old, that is what the German guy sitting next to me told me. It traveled at 10km/hour in a very jerky fashion. I could not stop looking around at everyone trying to sleep as they received a mild case of whip-lash. We had to stop every 10km or so to let the engine rest, fill back up with water and add more oil to the leaking moving parts. It was quite the experience. It is cold here at Ooty about 0 degrees C. There are a lot of horses roaming the streets there are cows and goats just like everywhere, but more horses then anything. At the train station a fight broke out between two groups of guys trying to get on the same train car. The train car did not have any seats and was standing room only like a cattle car but voluntary. I am starting to get use to the squat toilets, but I am still using toilet paper. Just thought you all would like to know.

-Jim

Out of the Ashram

So I was not made out for ashram life apparently. Maybe I will try again later. I spent yesterday on a house boat in the back waters of Kerala it was fantastic. Relaxing, laying around, we had a crew of three and there are six of us. All of our meals were prepared and served to us, kinda like a weird Indian version of a Rocky Mountain River Tour, except the boat had an engine and it was 70 feet long. The crew definitely had an us and them thing going on. And their bedroom was the common area so we had to go to bed early. I didn't agree with this however and stayed up drinking beer and enjoying the moonlight and the fresh feeling of freedom that I have from my exiting the ashram. I played guitar with a German guy who had very hairy shoulders and rum that he mixed with tea and sugar, it was surprisingly good. The crew of people that I am travelling with right now is very fun and interesting. One girl from Canada who grew up in Chenni. One guy from India who lives in Mumbai, and three girls from Massachusetts, one of whom is living in the north with her husband while he is learning Tibetan so he can be a translator. It is very different traveling in a group as opposed to being by my self. All the decisions are quite an ordeal. It is fun for now and I am enjoying everyone specially Avijay, the Indian guy he has a great laugh and good sense of humor. We don't really understand each other all the time, but we figure it all out somehow. We are off to Cambitore to get a train tomorrow at 5am to Ooty it is a hill station and supposed to be pretty cool. Hopefully it is a place were I will want to stay for a while. I don't really like the bus to bus to train to tuk-tuk hassle of constant movement. (Pictures to come, but can't do it here at this computer)
LOVE YOU ALL,

-Jim

Hello friends and family,

I have been given a pass in order to walk down to a small shop to write an email to say hello. I do have some pictures to download but I don't trust this computer so I will try at my next stop. I was in fort Cochin for two days on the last night I was there I went to a festival and tried all the different food that was offered. It was all fried, like, cauliflower, onion kinda like a blooming onion, peppers, and bananas. And my favorite is sugarcane juice. They have these huge grinder looking things that they feed the sugarcane through to extract the juice. then they will throw a lemon and some ginger in the mix it is wonderful. Back in Arambol I would stop and have one everyday. One day the little guy ran out of ice bribed someone with a drink to go get him some more. the guy came back with the ice on his scooter the ice was just placed where your feet go, no bag, no paper, just dirty scooter foot pad. You think that would make me question drinking there again, but I was there the very next day. For these first two months I have eaten whatever I want with any issues or problem. So I started to call down the thunder a bit and talk about my iron clad stomach... Well, the festival got me. I woke up with a cold and stomach ache. Instead of hunkering down and getting better I decided to go get on a train to were I am now. Sweating like a whore in church (as my father would say)and running to the bathroom to have explosive movements, is not the most pleasing way to travel through India. The toilet is basically a shoot that goes straight down and out under the train. No pack it in, pack it out philosophy here. I thought I was better the next morning, but I still had to get up after meditating and limp off to the toilet. So here I am at 6am both legs asleep trying to make it back to my dorm to grab my toilet paper, cheeks clenched and legs shaking. Some how I made it with out having to shower and change clothes. Then today I am again not feeling very good and I am still sweating.
This ashram is the strangest place I have ever been you have to do these chants I think it is all giving prays to Hindu gods and goddesses. They have this boiled water with auyvedic herbs that is given for drinking, no one knows what they are and why they do what they do. I think it is just rituals for ritual sake, so needless to say I a not a convert, I will not be shaving my head and passing out flowers just yet. I will be leaving here soon I think, maybe Friday?.

Love you all,

-Jim

Daily Routine

I have found myself settling into quite the routine. I wake up at 6:15am hang myself upside down for 10-15min. Then do leg stretches for 10-15min. then yoga class starts. Yoga lasts for 3 1/2 to 4 hrs. then off I go for a quick breakfast of bhaji and chai. Then off to Hindi lessons, I have learned quite a few words and now I am starting to form sentences and I am also learning the Hindi script, which I think is very beautiful. The lesson is supposed to last for an 11/2hrs. but he often gets carried away and goes for 2. He is very gruff and stern, stern but fair, I have a wonderful time messing with him when I do something correctly I try to get him to give me a high five. He is not into this at all. He would prefer to hold hands it seems I yell high five!! and he holds out his hand to shake so I adjust and shake then we hold hands for a minute or so, kinda weird but whatever. Then it is time to study which is slightly synonymous with nap. I sit under an umbrella down on the beach and get offered everything from coconuts to t-shirts to freshly pirated movies and Cd's. Then it is lunch time, sometimes I eat on the beach under my umbrella, sometimes I go try something new. I have been eating mostly vegetarian. This has increased my gas ten fold, now I know why Jackson's farts were so bad. I don't have a problem just letting them go however because I am traveling alone so no one is there to reprimand me, except myself, and yes I have gotten made at myself for this. After lunch more napping/studying with some guitar thrown in there as well. At sunset if I am not still at the beach you will find me at my "contemplation" rock. It is located just outside the area where I am staying I need to jump two walls and walk through some thorny bushes then I am there. It collects heat all day and has a perfect place for my butt. I am occasionally visited by a cow or a pig both with utters scrapping on the ground. Then I go hang myself upside down again do some meditation and play some more guitar, or this little drum (I bought down on the beach.) Then dinner sometimes with others sometimes just by myself. I know it sounds pretty hectic doesn't it. Don't worry everybody I will be fine.

India...what a trip!

Well, I have had quite the week so far. Sunday I played at an open mic show had to go on first, it made me kinda nervous. It went well, not my worst performance or my best. Yesterday I was down at the beach after my morning yoga class and daily Bauhji ingestion and two guys with a very well decorated cow came up one playing a drum the other one was playing the kind of flute that the snake charmers uses. The catch was the flute guy sat down on his feet then encouraged the cow to walk up onto his thighs, all this while playing the flute. What a man!!! I also completed my first week of advanced work with Shorat. I think I will be studying here a little while more I guess I just was not meant to see as much of the world as I thought, oh well. I am learning a lot and hopefully I can apply this knowledge to help humanity in some way. While at breakfast they were doing road construction right in front of me the guy is using a large watering pot to apply hot tar they work on about 5 yards at a time they dont set up cones and just try to work around traffic. It was so funny, cars and trucks just drove right through the wet tar most the time not even slowing down.

First photos:

Sunset on beach while waiting for dinner:



Tripy fire dancer chick, you can't tell from the picture, but she had a great smile:





My bunk:


More fire dancing:

Yoga and Things

I have now completed my second day of "advanced" Iyengar yoga with Sharot Aroura. It has been very intense, I wake up at 6am to go hang myself upside down for a half hour. After that class starts. The hardest thing for me are all the standing poses, but as Sharot says nothing changes unless you have a strong foundation. This kind of logic makes a lot of sense to me. I am now living in a hut, my bed is on a 4 in. platform and I have a mosquito net to help keep me free from malaria. I went to a juggling convention and learned the basics of how to fire stick dance. I don't think I will be lighting anything on fire real soon. The vibe of the place was some kind of dungeons and dragons masters seminar. I felt very out of place; so I did what I always do and just jumped in and made pretty much an ass of myself. That night after all the juggling stuff, one of the best classical guitarists I have ever seen played. He was accompanied by a violinist and two different types of drummers. He almost brought tears to my eyes, I don't know what I felt for more the performance or the abuse he was putting on his guitar. It was awesome, different dancers would dance and he would play to their movement. I will have pictures soon. the last ones got erased from my card when I tried to down load them. hopefully with this blog everything will be different, we will see tomorrow.

The Event that Started it All

Happy New Year,

I was going to write on the first to make a fresh start of the new year and all but I am so glad that I didn't. Because there has been so much has happened in such a short time... I have debated with myself as to whether or not to share this story, I will probably regret it but here it goes.

There are these places here called Ayurveda message and treatment centers, they use oils and aroma therapy. It was established in Kerela the lower most state of the sub-continent that is India. The treatment was established to heal the warriors after a hard days battle. Sounds good wouldn't ya say, well that's what I thought.


Not suffering from any ailments to speak of I opted for the full body 75 min. oil message everything from the neck down. On the brochure there was these two girls both very professional looking and somewhat cute. Well, after negotiating a price (because buying anything in this country is a huge hassle) , I sat in the waiting room relaxing trying to get my mind right for my message.

Then my "therapist" walked in. He was slightly overweight in designer jeans, you know the kind that are just way to tight where you don't want them to be, probably made in Bangladesh. He had a real fancy shirt on and a apron over the top of all his business. He looked at me and smiled like he was going to enjoy this way more than I was.

Being in a different culture and experiencing new things can take you to this kind of cross roads from time to time. Feeling secure in my manhood and firmly based in the heterosexual realm, I decided to go through with the message. Everywhere you look down here guys are holding hands leaning on each other and hugging. It is not uncommon to shake a mans hand and have him hold it for an extended period of time.

So I go into the room looking for the loin cloth that the guy in the brochure was wearing... no loin cloth just the slightly rotund masseuse smiling at me waiting for me to drop trough... so I did and I laid down and waited for it all to commence. It started innocent enough he started to oil me up rubbed my shoulders rubbed my back rubbed my ass then rubbed my legs then my ass again then my back back to my ass then my shoulders then back to my ass.

This is when I began to panic.

Again I am in a strange land in a strange place who am I to say this is not how things are? At this point I am completely covered in oil one false slip or one arrant finger and my well established exit door could easily become a... I don't think I need to explain any further. Well after the third pass across my ass region I quickly faked a cramp complained that the table was not big enough and told the guy that I was done. He took me into another room with a bigger table and I still told him that I was ready for the steam bath now. This was all in about 5-10 min. felt like forever.

So after my near sexual assault I went to the beach where 3 different groups of Indian men came up to me asking to take a picture with me, they all commented on how nice my body was, almost totally ignoring the English girl that I was hanging out with, weird but what are you going to do?

On Tuesday I traveled up to this town called Arambol almost everyone here looks like they were an extra in the mad max movies. You have all types the hard core type smoking hash like most people breath, they take the pipe and hold it to their third eye (the space between your eyebrows) with their eyes closed. I had the pleasure of having breakfast next to these guys yesterday the hacked for the better part of two hours - that is about how long it takes to get poached eggs and toast around here, You just need to bring a book and forget that you ordered anything that way you are surprised when it arrives.

Then there are the tree hugging/tree worshiping mad max rejects, they have a little commune where I spent the first part of my new year they began to chant and sing at first I thought cool a drum circle, but then they took a big rock placed pictures around the rock then started to bow and pray to these "Idols" I thought this is weird lets see where they go with this. they turned some sound box on it looks like a small exposed speaker, you can hear what it sounds like on the Beatles albums, the ones where they are all fucked up on acid.

The next day I went to a lake just out of town where you can walk up to a spring and find this yellow clay that you can brake up mix with water and rub all over yourself, it is supposed to have magic healing properties. Pretty great way to start the new year I think. The next day I ended up at an open mic night met this guy named Zuzu he looks like side show Bob from the Simpson's he sung some pretty great songs and played the Ukalaylee.


Well, I am going to try to send some pictures again, If it does not work I will call Aaron and have him help me set up a blog... here it goes. Well I tried, It is a mess I will set up a blog.

Love you all,

-Jim