The long winded description of an altogether uneventful couple of hours (Nov. 24/08)

So.. What have i been up to these last weeks?

When i last wrote i was heading for Ajmer, near Pushkar, where i was supposed to meet Bruno & co. But they were actually holed up in an ashram in Harni Mahadev (a tiny 'holy' village some kilometers from Bhilwara) where a religious festival in honour of 'Lord' Krishna was being held (including daily four hour long re-enactments of scenes detailing the life of Krishna from the Mahabharata). Interesting trip, that. My train had a bit of a delay (2hs), so i only arrived in Ajmer at 10pm, the next train to Bhilwara was at only at 0.50am (next bus at 1.30am)..

From India Nov/08

However that train was also slightly in delay, arriving at the station at 3.50am. Then after being dropped by the autorikshaw i called Bruno to come pick me up, but his mobile had apparently stopped working.. So there i stood, 5.30am, completely trashed after three days of being stuck on or waiting for the right bus or train. Nice little square, this. Cool black Shiva temple. Hmmm... Luckily, the tea house/juice bars were already/still (?!) open and their owners, an insomniac rickshaw driver and some other Indians wandering about the place pointed me in the 'right' direction.

From India Nov/08

Should i go past or into this monastery lit up like a Christmas tree? Could this be right? Miraculously, i managed to find the right building and Bruno & co's room - right at the first attempt! However, i'd already started walking away when i didn't spot Bruno straightaway. But then i was greeted and motioned inside by a slight, skinny Indian in very elementary Sadhu garb (a Kaupina* and another very basically draped piece of unstitched cloth) with a thick bunch of rastas, who jumped about the place quite ecstatically. (Or was that just me and my sleep deprivation?) 'Namaste! Namaste! Welcome! Welcome!' Hi Radee. First a hug. Then could i finally drop down and crash? But where was Bruno? Goddamn it! There my lil' bastard lay, fast asleep for f*** sake! Lord Almighty! If i weren't so tired i would've strangled him with much glee, lemme tell ya.

From India Nov/08

But instead, he took care of me first. In less than two hours (7.10am i heard someone saying), there he was jumping on top of me, teasing and taunting. Funny business that karma, ah? Impossible to go back to sleep. Instead introduced myself to Silvie (bit mad, great fun, buddy type, kept a travel sketchbook), Philippe (partner of aforementioned, slightly less silly, bang enthusiast, very good at Ayurvedic body cleansing rituals, tho ;=), Linde (vegan and psychology student, twice afflicted - what cross to bear, right? ;=) But a good talker with a great sense of humor! Tho a bit anal marking off her lil' sleeping place and ordering people about, guess she'll kill me for that last remark, so be it :), David (jovial, active fellow traveler, nr1 supplier of bananas) and Karolien (completely enthralled by Radee, his chanting and yoga, fair enough, but her constant inane laughter and high pitched outta key singing - sessions that went on and on, literally, without end - drove me round the bends more than once, 'fraid we'll never be good friends, a good kid, no doubt it, tho).

Prrrff, my brain still lacks a bit of the ol' sleep i suppose, seem to be doing ages putting together the right words. In a day or two i'll report more on being invited to 86 Indian weddings in the same time, the slightly maddening theater that is Pushkar, Bruno's ashram, traveling through Himachal Pradesh and escaping food poisoning walhalla by a hair's breadth in Shimla - lil' hint: never trust old people (with electrical appliances). Okay?

Loadsa luv,
-hx.

* A sorta loin cloth, which traditionalist Brahmin still wear and which has the added benefit that Sadhus can just pull it a bit tighter when being assailed by sexual urges, great fun that, no? :)