Bodh Gaya, India

Okay, I could have sworn I posted a comment on Thanksgiving day, but no matter. It is now Monday and I am in Bodh Gaya, India, the place where Lord Buddha reached enlightenment. It is a pretty knarley place all together. The temple area is lovely and the meditation garden is lovely, but the rest of the place, well, it is India.

I had a wild time getting here. An almost full day at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu started it off. Then one of the nuns invited me to her house to spend the night as we would be leaving from Kathmandu the next day, so...I did that. We also went to another nun's family's house to meet her for tea and had dinner with an ex nun, all very interesting. The next day, the day after thanksgiving in the US, we had our own version of Thanksgiving in Kathmandu. The ani (nun) with whom I am staying, Sara, has a number of cousins who are monks and she wouldn't see them for a long time because once she comes back from India they will all go, so...we had them over for food. I can't say breakfast or lunch, because it is just food and it starts being served early and just keeps coming.

I made scrambled eggs in the morning, after shopping with Sara for the meal, the boys ate that, after they had their noodle soup, then we had cracker buiscuts while were making momo, known in our area as dim sum. We cooked potatoes and made the dough and cut carrots and onions and then made, what seemed like hundreds of momo, which were instantly devoured. It was a trip and lots of fun. The boys are all monks, and yet still boys probaby early 20's or so.

Once we finished all that we had to rush to catch the bus to Boud Gaya, or so I thought. Actually we rushed to sit at the open bus station and wait, and wait, and then wait, and finally wait some more, until, at 5:45 we left. It was a 24 hour bus ride. And I mean ride. The roads in Nepal are bad, the roads in India, at least in this area, practically non existent.

We finally arrived at what could be an old catholic school. It is some sort of monastery but, it is all pale yellow cinder block and dust! I am sleeping in a room with probably 20 ani of all ages, pallets on the floor, not sure which is harder, the floor or the pallets. Mosquitoes are everywhere unless they are crowded out by the dust. Nevertheless, I am having a good time. The bus ride, while, incredibly long and boring, was such a trip. The ani all bring different food and pass it all around, the chatting almost never stopped, it is fun.

I lost my camera the first night here. Was really stupid and left it in a cab, well in a tri-wheeled cab loaded with about 12 ani hanging out of doors and the back and sitting on laps, so...it was pretty funny, but, bummer about the camera, just cause I would like you to see this place. One of the Ani has lent me her camera for while we are here, isn't that sweet? I am getting to know more of the ani, they are openning up now, I think it helps that I was on the bus and peeing in ditches along the side of the road with them, not to mention sleeping in the same room.

Yesterday we decorated the temple all afternoon, in between various eating opportunities, these girls like to eat, and that was great. We waited for their big Rimpoche to arrive, lined on the street with white scarves and bows. There was a children's school from Sikkim down the road waiting as well, they were really cute. They were singing and dancing and were all lined up and the head guy would shout attention and they would all jump to it.

Okay, I am getting tired, I have a wicked cold at the moment, going to go out and sit in the meditative garden. The ani have puja all morning and then this afternoon there is a talk that will be in english. But...I can't sit through the prayers in Tibetan.

Okay li 'dat, welcome to December. I am in short sleeves and slippers! thats it from Bohd Gaya, at least for today.