From Sarnath to Bodh Gaya
Dont know what and how much to write here. How much can be shared...
Right now near the Bodhi tree. We are spending five days here - or rather nights. Yesterday me and Olga (travel partner fellow meditator) spent the entire night meditating under the Bodhi tree. We walked back to our quarters at around 4 in the morning ... slept soon after and woke up in a few hours at 9 am completely rested. Olga has gone to the room to catch some rest now as I am sitting here writing this post – its 6 pm.
I feel quite good with her, money is of least concern between us and we frequently lose track of who paid for what :)
Today we spent some time walking in the local market as I wanted to buy fresh milk, fresh veggies and fresh bread instead of going to some eatery ... we got back to the room and had a good salad, fresh Tibetan bread, hot chocolate from the cow milk we were lucky enough to get. Going local turned out to be a super idea to save our guts from spice!
Going to soak almonds and soak chickpea for sprouts and have that for breakfast. I increasingly prefer cheap over expensive, and there are reasons - if you go to a cheap eatery chances are you will be served quickly, you walk out quickly and save time, food will be fresh and usually I ask them to cook in a particular way and it is easier to get it done in a smaller joint ... I feel safer in trains and public transport after bad experience with hired drivers hallucinating after lack of sleep, or drivers just trying to help us realize that we are single women daring to travel alone in Bihar.
It is great to stay in a Tibetan monastery and wake up with chanting and gongs, far better than a plush hotel with creature comforts.
I know am losing a lot of constructs, I could sit with street kids in the park surrounding the stupa marking the place where Buddha gave his first discourse and talk for hours and sip tea from the same cup ... ... I even washed the public bathroom in the Tibetan monastry before I used it. Funny part is it only occurred to me later that instead of taking all the trouble I could have paid someone to clean it! I saw the monks were cleaning the toilets and were not using soap, I simply went to my room, got lots of soap and scrubbed the toilets and bathrooms tiles till it was squeaky clean; then took a shower in cold water, and walked out with Olga for breakfast.
Numerous little things
Everybody began to recognize us n the small town of Sarnath - peculiar pair - an Indian and Western girl looking very peaceful waking past the streets ... not into rites and rituals but just with the ability to sit motionless for hours near the holy sites :)
People would smile as we would walk past in the small town J
Olga was a complete stranger before I met her for this trip at the meditation center, and we will soon be parting ways
Ja
