I have already left

Around town I'm already comparing sights to similar ones I recall from India. I have left the building.

There are exciting adventures on the horizon. I spent most of last year consulting with a naturopath, oriental medicine doctor, radiologist, oncologist, surgeon, psychologist, nurses, and many other helpers in my quest to overcome breast cancer. It was a year of years for me. About a month ago a friend forwarded an email to me from a friend of hers who was in India and knew of a healer he thought I would appreciate meeting while I was in India. Joe, the friend of a friend, had a friend (in India) who would take me to the healer if I desired. So, I began emailing the friend of a friend of a friend to make arrangements for a pilgrimage to see this holy man. The Indian gentleman sounds very helpful, one might worry too helpful, but sometimes it's just a matter of faith. Besides he's a friend of a friend of a friend.

Today, Joe, the friend of a friend, called me. He is in Fayetteville and wanted to assure me of his Indian friend's motives. It was a delightful conversation. He wanted to tell me of his adventures but was polite and spent time talking to me about what I might expect on my own journey. I asked if he would mind if I shared one of his stories with readers of my blog. He agreed. Joe, thank you very much:

did y'all see the lunar eclipse two nights past? i didn't- but i tried.

6 hours journey from bangalore is mount arunachal, the most holy site for hindus in south india. it would only be 2 hours journey with usa highways, but oh well, this is india. supposedly this is the source from where all life came from, where a volcano spewed out all the life forms millions of years ago. and its the source of shiva. whether you believe it or not, this is the belief of the people here.

thousands of hindus travel around this mountain each full moon. it is supposed to give great powers to those who walk around it, and great power to your mantra when you repeat it going round, or sitting in one of the many temples on the circular road. an eclipse of the full moon is supposedly more powerful than just a full moon. so i went with 4 of my mexican friends by taxi to this place. why watch the lunar eclipse on the roof when you can see it while walking around this auspicious place? 2 of the mexicans were seasoned indian travelers and 2 were not.

we got to tiruvannamalai, the city where the mountain is. there was no lodging anywhere. but we found a most excellent place, run by a westerner, who teaches yoga there. he let us stay in his cottages, because it was the off-season and the rooms were empty. only 100 rupees each, the best value yet in indian lodging. and the rooms were so clean! he also has a restaurant with great food. we decided to walk around the mountain about 10 pm, then finish about 2 pm, after the eclipse. just as we were getting ready, it started sprinkling. we waited in the restaurant for the rain to stop. it didn't, it got harder. so we went anyway, myself and the 2 seasoned travelers. the 2 newbies ran back to their rooms for the night. i didn't come here only to stay in a lodge.

the rain was cold, by indian standards. but it was sure to let up soon, the clouds open, and expose the moon at about 1 pm so we could watch the eclipse. maybe a huge ray of light would spew out of the mountain, shiva filling us all with light and love. we put on jackets and set off. the indians walk barefoot around, as they do inside their temples. they consider this route as a temple itself. so i went barefoot also. my friends did not, as almost all westerners do not.

the rain did not let up, it got harder. we got drenched, but we kept walking. we all left with wishes to shiva. your wishes are supposed to come true, if you wish them devotely to shiva, and they are for others, not yourself. the journey turned out to be 4.5 hours, in rain, hard rain, light rain, then no rain for the last hour. it was about 10 miles or so. did i say i went barefoot? why did i do that? i was looking hard for an umbrella and a shoe store halfway through the trip. not likely to find at 3 in the morning. but i found a sandal shop at 3:30, and yes i bought a pair. only 40 rupees, but i would have paid alot more if i had to. the bottoms of my feet were getting very sore by then. i don't know what i was thinking, walking 10 miles on indian roads barefoot.

believe it or not, it was a great journey around the mountain. alot of work went into going around. perhaps my wish, and those of my friends, will come true. the new travelers got a good nights sleep in a warm and dry bed.

the next day we ate lunch at an ashram. i arranged the day before for the meal. the man in charge of the meals got mad at the newbie mexican girls. we showed up late. one of them wore her shoes right to the dining hall. they both brought spoons. they didn't look happy about sitting on the floor and eating with their hands off of banana leaves, like everyone else. and they didn't eat all their food. you don't waste food in an ashram. i was going to eat the girls spare rice. but before i could finish mine, he saw them and barred us all from ever coming back again. so lunch was not so good. its hard traveling in india with new travelers. no matter where you are from, it takes a while to get accustomed to eating with your hands and temple etiquette.

last stop was an enlightened man 20 miles outside of town. he has remained in the same chair for 25 years, and has not eaten or drank anything for over 10 years. not even one sip of water. i have heard about breatharians, but never seen one. there are many in india. we wanted to see him and ask him some questions. we arrived at his place, just after he started his afternoon nap. he wouldn't likely awake for more than another hour. and they said he was sleeping in a bed. so much for the 25 year chair sitting thing. roxanna and i were the only ones with much interest here. we couldn't make everyone wait so long. too bad, because that was one of my main goals of this trip. but i guess it wasn't meant to be. maybe next time.

we could've stayed up and watched the eclipse from our roof-top. except we have this freak rain storm all over south india. we could've gone to bed at a normal hour, and woke up fresh and practiced yoga. but i am content with the choice i made. it was a happy trip for us all.

later,

joe