Tea with Tibetan Monk, Bus Ride From Hell, Delhi Haven

It's 3:15 pm in Delhi. We arrived early this morning. Recap:



Yesterday morning A and I awoke at 5:40am to catch morning prayers at the Namgyal monastery near the Dalai Lama's palace. Before entering the temple we removed our shoes and placed them on the racks. The sign above the racks said, "make sure that your shoes are not stolen by someone."



We watched rows of monks chanting in the low-pitched gutteral tones interspersed with bells ringing. It was very spiritual once my stiff body got accustomed to sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor for an hour. It's amazing what six straight nights of camping does to your flexibility. I did manage to meditate for a few minutes at the end. It was surreal.

After that we strolled on the footpath around the complex. We got a bit lost and walked back (we were walking in the wrong direction, or as is written on the signs, "circumambulate this way"). [Oh, and on the roads in Himachal there were speeding signs with interesting wording like, "If married, divorce speed"]

Yesterday's highlight was having tea with our monk friend Gelek. After a yummy Tibetan lunch on the patio of Chonar House, A and I decided to check out the monastery office to see if he was there. Luckily he was, and he invited us to sit for tea. It was awesome (both the tea and the experience).

The rest of the day was spent wandering around Mcloud Ganj. It was a beautiful sunny day so we basked in the sun. It was great to feel some warmth at last.



Ok, onto the bus ride. We were due to get on a 12-hr overnight bus to Delhi leaving at 6pm. Our luggage was strapped on top of the bus, and we crammed inside. The bus was not chartered for us alone, and we were asked to leave the first 10 seats empty. Which we did. But once the 10 additional passengers got on, their tickets showed seats 11+12 (where A and I were sitting). Even though there was room to shuffle them around to fit, they refused, and after much debate, A and I decided to just suck it up and sit with strangers one row ahead. It was not really a big deal until Anjum realized that the woman next to her would need the window wide open for the entire trip (due to motion sickness). It was quite cold by then. So we offered her a dramamine, and by chance the lady accepted (what a relief!) She was asleep 10 minutes later and Anjum reached across and closed the window. Where else would someone accept an unknown drug from a total stranger?

Ok, so we thought we were set! But then the roads were windy and within one hour five of our team had vomited in make-shift barf bags (including one in the row behind us). The windows were opened. We were cold again. After three hours the roads were less twisty. But we were not in the clear, because our inconsiderate passengers had reclined their seats back to their fullest, leaving about one inch of leg room. I'm not usually one to complain about that sort of thing, but the seat was touching my knees! Me! I took another dramamine to put myself in a coma. It worked until my freaking tiny bladder woke me up to go. Picture this: six American (and Canadian) women lined up on the Indian roadside squatting as oncoming traffic passes by.

The only reprieve from all this was my neighbor Tenzin, who turned out to be a really nice Tibetan guy on his way back home to Delhi. He escaped Tibet nine years ago with his brother on a six week trek across the Himalayas with a group of 40 people. They ran out of food, shoes worn through, but still managed to reach Nepal with the entire group in good health and without frostbite! He was somewhat clausterphobic so I offered him some dramamine. That drug is a life-saver.

We finally reached Delhi at around 6:30am and at Harry's insistance headed straight to the lovely Hotel my mother had reserved for us. That was a great move. The first thing I did was go to the lobby restroom to wash my hands and face and dry them with a perfectly white, soft, face towel. Bliss...

A's friend Ritika later picked us up for some brief shopping for gifts, followed by a hearty (non-Indian! non veggie!) meal of pizza and pasta with fries on the side. Yum!

Jaime will be here in a few hours. We will have dinner with Harry and send him off to the airport at midnight. Then Jaime and I we will begin our Rajastan holiday. Yay!

The medical expedition is over. It was a great experience that has had a profound impact on me. I do not necessarily feel transformed, but I certainly have a greater appreciation of my luxuries back home; namely, clean, potable, heated water, and accessible quality healthcare. Obviously I have a lot more to say, but will leave that for individual conversations with all of you.

:)
Karin