I woke up in the middle of the night feeling a tickle on my neck and as
I brushed it off I realized it was big and furry, probably a wolf
spider, then I fell back to sleep and had a scary dream about "The
Belfast Trials," an Irish version of The Hunger Games, except the
participants are 300 men in loincloths, with no other possessions. Then I
went back to sleep and had another dream, this time about my dad and my
ex, both of whom I'd forgiven while meditating earlier, and both of
whom I guess I must miss a lot.
Jim and I went out to go to another monastery. On the way, we passed these shit-cakes drying on the wall:
I asked Jim what they're for and he said fuel! Everything out here is so much more environmentally-friendly. Necessarily so, but it still feels great to know people are reusing cow feces.
We walked up another mountain for 2 hours to find another monastery. It was very hot and the air was thin, so I had to stop every 5 meters, like Jim did yesterday. I felt guilty for judging him for this, then forgave myself (and him).
We got so lost I wanted to quit, then I sat and meditated for 10 seconds before he yelled "Come on, I think I see something" and pointed out the trail. We met a monk as we arrived. We sat and waited til some nuns opened the temple door. Jim chatted with them in Tibetan while I tried to meditate and ignore their noise. It didn't work, of course, and I wished I'd gone back to the monastery we went to yesterday, but I'm not a good enough climber to do it alone.
Anyway, they invited us in for tea, which was truly awesome. Dirty cups w/soot inside, hot water, and an old tin (I mean like 50 years old) filled with barley and sugar.
Jim talked to them and translated for me a little bit, though I mostly smiled and bowed, and emitted love into the air. I know that's a real thing, whatever science says.
I told the monk that it's very free of desire here, and the monk said "there's anger, ignorance, and desire here, too, like everywhere else." As I watched the nuns fight like Italian sisters I was glad not to be a member of a crowded monastery. They did not seem any more enlightened than anyone else, but said they're glad that life is a lot simpler there. The monk said the worst part of being so far from town is bringing food up. I wanted to meditate with him but Jim's perpetual fear of offending people made him not ask. I wish we'd all drawn pictures together.
Jim and I left and walked back, took maybe 30 min because we weren't lost. As we got to the bottom, I said I'd meditate and catch up with Jim later. I wanted to do it on top of the mountain but Jim wouldn't wait for me. I tried it down below and couldn't get the same feeling from yesterday back. I did accept the advances of many flies, and realized I can't and shouldn't escape desire, but the trick is to not create more desires than we're born with. It's OK to want to eat or come, it's not OK to need to play video games. Our homeostasis is perfect at birth, just satisfy it as you ned to and life will be good, as long as you truly find the satisfaction of reaching homeostasis.
I also realized that the reason I'm impolite and typically uninterested in unproductive socializing is it gets dull fast. I need to be creative to be happy. I think that was inborn. I have done nothing creative since Saturday, 6 days ago.
I also realized I wish Lydia or Caitlin were here with me because of their openness to experience; they'd have loved yesterday, but the dull walk back is something only Emily would've enjoyed with me, probably. And I'm boring more often than not, but do I want to stop this? Can I stop it? That's the $1,000,000 question. If not, maybe no one will be satisfied with me but her. I don't think there's a rush to know, though.
On my walk, I passed this sickening example of Las Vegas-style religion, this time for the Hindus, though the Tibetan Buddhist temples look basically this cheesy:
Right next to it was this shed with graffiti that made me feel a lot like Holden Caufield
After lunch I went to the Spiti-Lahaul museum, the worst museum I've ever seen. I just looked in from the doorway and saw a huge TV and 4 framed wall-photos. I think that's all it is.
Basic facts about India: The only groceries safe to buy are prepackaged, so I buy Muesli, peanut butter, Oreos, and bottled water. You can order hot water (instead of buying a bottle), but they don't always boil it, then you get diarrhea.
Car horns are used every 2 seconds, since there are no traffic lights.
Emissions tests never happen because the tubes are always broken. Jim told me there's a law that emissions testing places have to photograph the tube hooked up to the car, being used, so you go to the emissions place, pay them, and they take a photo of a broken tube connected to your car as proof you've had an emissions test. Then you drive around spewing smelly poison everywhere until this photo expires.
Most people you encounter are of Hindu descent, though they may not practice Hinduism anymore. Laissez-faire is the law here, with no one ever asking if something they're doing is OK, but many will stare at you if you break some unwritten law. The roads are all dust, which makes everything dusty all the time, so a lot of people wear ninja masks. It makes me want to watch 3 Ninjas so badly.
One other thing is how friendly and gregarious people are here. We ate at that dhaba again, and the owner came over and bought us apple liquor. It tasted like sake.
I kept expecting to notice an ulterior motive because we hadn't made any friends here but none arose. The only options are that he wants Jim to marry his sister or brother, he wants to sell us one of his travel agent tours (that was why he sat with us but he knows that's not happening), or he wants Jim to teach him English. Jim talked well with them, comfortably. I didn't. Not a problem though. Bus to Leh at 5 a.m.
This amazing business is at the bus station:
Jim and I went out to go to another monastery. On the way, we passed these shit-cakes drying on the wall:
I asked Jim what they're for and he said fuel! Everything out here is so much more environmentally-friendly. Necessarily so, but it still feels great to know people are reusing cow feces.
We walked up another mountain for 2 hours to find another monastery. It was very hot and the air was thin, so I had to stop every 5 meters, like Jim did yesterday. I felt guilty for judging him for this, then forgave myself (and him).
We got so lost I wanted to quit, then I sat and meditated for 10 seconds before he yelled "Come on, I think I see something" and pointed out the trail. We met a monk as we arrived. We sat and waited til some nuns opened the temple door. Jim chatted with them in Tibetan while I tried to meditate and ignore their noise. It didn't work, of course, and I wished I'd gone back to the monastery we went to yesterday, but I'm not a good enough climber to do it alone.
Anyway, they invited us in for tea, which was truly awesome. Dirty cups w/soot inside, hot water, and an old tin (I mean like 50 years old) filled with barley and sugar.
Jim talked to them and translated for me a little bit, though I mostly smiled and bowed, and emitted love into the air. I know that's a real thing, whatever science says.
I told the monk that it's very free of desire here, and the monk said "there's anger, ignorance, and desire here, too, like everywhere else." As I watched the nuns fight like Italian sisters I was glad not to be a member of a crowded monastery. They did not seem any more enlightened than anyone else, but said they're glad that life is a lot simpler there. The monk said the worst part of being so far from town is bringing food up. I wanted to meditate with him but Jim's perpetual fear of offending people made him not ask. I wish we'd all drawn pictures together.
Jim and I left and walked back, took maybe 30 min because we weren't lost. As we got to the bottom, I said I'd meditate and catch up with Jim later. I wanted to do it on top of the mountain but Jim wouldn't wait for me. I tried it down below and couldn't get the same feeling from yesterday back. I did accept the advances of many flies, and realized I can't and shouldn't escape desire, but the trick is to not create more desires than we're born with. It's OK to want to eat or come, it's not OK to need to play video games. Our homeostasis is perfect at birth, just satisfy it as you ned to and life will be good, as long as you truly find the satisfaction of reaching homeostasis.
I also realized that the reason I'm impolite and typically uninterested in unproductive socializing is it gets dull fast. I need to be creative to be happy. I think that was inborn. I have done nothing creative since Saturday, 6 days ago.
I also realized I wish Lydia or Caitlin were here with me because of their openness to experience; they'd have loved yesterday, but the dull walk back is something only Emily would've enjoyed with me, probably. And I'm boring more often than not, but do I want to stop this? Can I stop it? That's the $1,000,000 question. If not, maybe no one will be satisfied with me but her. I don't think there's a rush to know, though.
On my walk, I passed this sickening example of Las Vegas-style religion, this time for the Hindus, though the Tibetan Buddhist temples look basically this cheesy:
Right next to it was this shed with graffiti that made me feel a lot like Holden Caufield
After lunch I went to the Spiti-Lahaul museum, the worst museum I've ever seen. I just looked in from the doorway and saw a huge TV and 4 framed wall-photos. I think that's all it is.
Basic facts about India: The only groceries safe to buy are prepackaged, so I buy Muesli, peanut butter, Oreos, and bottled water. You can order hot water (instead of buying a bottle), but they don't always boil it, then you get diarrhea.
Car horns are used every 2 seconds, since there are no traffic lights.
Emissions tests never happen because the tubes are always broken. Jim told me there's a law that emissions testing places have to photograph the tube hooked up to the car, being used, so you go to the emissions place, pay them, and they take a photo of a broken tube connected to your car as proof you've had an emissions test. Then you drive around spewing smelly poison everywhere until this photo expires.
Most people you encounter are of Hindu descent, though they may not practice Hinduism anymore. Laissez-faire is the law here, with no one ever asking if something they're doing is OK, but many will stare at you if you break some unwritten law. The roads are all dust, which makes everything dusty all the time, so a lot of people wear ninja masks. It makes me want to watch 3 Ninjas so badly.
One other thing is how friendly and gregarious people are here. We ate at that dhaba again, and the owner came over and bought us apple liquor. It tasted like sake.
I kept expecting to notice an ulterior motive because we hadn't made any friends here but none arose. The only options are that he wants Jim to marry his sister or brother, he wants to sell us one of his travel agent tours (that was why he sat with us but he knows that's not happening), or he wants Jim to teach him English. Jim talked well with them, comfortably. I didn't. Not a problem though. Bus to Leh at 5 a.m.
This amazing business is at the bus station:
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