TRAVELS w/P: Tales of Adventure Here & There

Today is Sunday November 7th. It's 8:45 in the morning here in Bodh Gaya.I'm sitting beside a Tibetan monk in an Internet cafe. Sorry to all who have written lately. Been unable to use the old Black Berry since Rajgir, some days back. Not sure what if any posts have made it here to this blog. Will have a look see after this post. Bodh Gaya is other worldly. It's teaming with monks and nuns of every conceivable buddhist tradition, and then some. Pilgrims a plenty too. Add in the fact that this is Dhiwali, the indian equivalent of Xmas, and it's sheer chaos. Wonderful!!!! Love it tons.

The crowds are so thick it's regular to find ones self caught in a pedestrian traffic jam. Followed a nun out of the throngs yesterday, funny how she managed to part the crowds. She was as delightfully befuddled.

Yesterday was - hmm - words escape, wonderful to be sure. Our group wandered through the "downtown" part of Bodh Gaya to the dried up river bed, followed the shoreline, wove back into a nearby village and found ourselves in the midst of a "mela" akin to our country fairs.

Couldn't resist trying a sweet treat - batter curled into a vat of boiling oil, deep fried and then dipped into another huge vat of honey. Sweet bliss. The locals gathered round me to watch my reaction, breaking into grins of delight at my delight. Tried some pakora too, an Indian version of vegetable tempura - spicey delish. Same local reaction, crowds gathering round. In fact that was the theme there as they never ever see Westerners in their villages. Felt odd to be such a curiousity.

As Lynn and I wandered back to town a young boy in his early teens asked us to please come to visit his home. Remembering that this is an honour for the hosts, and of course being a curious sort, I instantly accepted. Lynn was a tad cautious, but her fears were quelled the moment we stepped into the common sitting area where a psychedelic painted goat was munching hay. Our young host proudly showed us his bedroom - mud walls, painted, decorated with deity posters and a book shelf. The other bedroom pretty much the same. His mother offered us chai, while his sister and sister-in-law grabbed plastic lawn chairs, ushering us to sit. In due course big brother came home. Some half hour later father came home too. The hospitatality bowled us over. Touching to the enth. So generous with so little to offer. Their graciousness the most treasured experience of all. Humbling.

uh oh, the computer here is telling me the blogger site is not accessible. Damn, I hope this gets through so that worrying back home is allayed. This place, incredible India, is indeed incredible, a place that makes me very, very happy. You can't be anything but grateful. Love to all xo