living in a quiet town near manali

manreet_16

Hello grizzlyofalaska
want to know or need any type of help in Punjab let me know..by the way which city u r presently...

kullukid

Keiran i'd be interested to know how much you have spent on average per week so far for lodgings, food, travel, laundry etc KK

Styler

The best place for you in goa would be Palolem, in south of Goa. You could stay at bhakti Kutir at the south end of the beach. They have regular yoga classes of all levels. It would cost you around 800 a day. If you want more info do a google search for "Bhakti Kutir, Palolem" and you would get the links.

Styler

cyberhippie

Except Palolem can hardly be described as quiet, not any more why not try Agonda!

CANADON

Hi Grizzly: I'm spending a week this Feb.in Mandrem in the north of Goa.It's supposed to be pretty quiet.I've found a Yoga centre there called Ashiyana that has both retreats and drop in classes twice a day.I'll be staying at an area hotel and take a class each morning. Google Mandrem and Ashiyana and you should find plenty of info.

Styler

Canodon Morjimnear Mandrim is the best beach in Goa for me. With The River flowing in from the south side, and the turtle breeding there. Then there are lovely seeguls all over.
The beaches i like in Goa are the Agonda, Palolem, Morjim, and Mandrim, and Arambol.

Cyberhyppie although Agonda is vey quiet , it will be hard to find Yoga Clases there.

cyberhippie

Styler there are Yoga teachers on all of South Goa's beaches!!

Nick-H

Seagulls and lovely are words that tend not to be put in the same phrase by people who have lived by the sea!

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

cyberhippie

Seagulls in North Goa weird, I've never seen any in South Goa I wonder why that is (been wondering for a while)

grizzlyofalaska

thanks for the hints guys. But what about a good gym; more then just a multi gym machine|? any ideas?

grizzlyofalaska

Hi Styler,

Just read your profile, can you recommend a good gym in West Delhi? if not west then any good gym that will let me join for two weeks. I am planning to stay in delhi for two weeks before i go to Goa

thanks
Sumit

scotsman

Hello! It is sunday at about 3 oclock. Its the 4rth day of the teaching. What I've learned is that teachings by the dalai lama are actually quite rare, and ONLY ever done on a request by another buddhist guru. This time it is some mongolian guru whos requested him to give some special empowerment.

I've just came out after an hour today, because I left my pass in dharamkot! I still got in the actual temple but to be at the top (where he speaks and u see him and hes louder and u feel like ur getting better wisdom) you need the pass..... It feels quite good, like you've done something noble and honourable after spending 4 hours sitting to the dalai give his wisdom. Yesterday he was quite funny cause there was this ritualistic bowl he was to drink tea from, "ive not used this pot for a long time so I have to wipe it, i dont want to drink tea from a dirty pot" followed by giggling, more giggling "This pot is good if you are fighting because it has a mark on the bottom and you can give you're enemy big scar" more Dalai laughter, even I laughed at that one. This is the western equivalent of the pope, giving an important teaching on altruism, compassion and karma but he was joking to himselfe out loud that his sacred buddhist bowl would be a good chib!

Kullu: I would say when I'm in budgeting mode. I am living on about 250-300 rs a day. Some days I'll spend 500 other times 200. Ive also bought a few things (which severely ups my average budget, severely) but if you're not buying gifts, charas etc you can live on 300 a day and live WELL, a bus fare works out about 10 - 15 rs per hour of travel on local busses which ive taken to dharamasala and used alot in the valleys. dirt cheap. I'm spending 80rs a night in dharamkot and thats with a hot shower (although the bathroom favilities outside the room, which is annoying when you want to take a piss during the night!)
Laundry about every week.... and it costs between 100 and 200 for near enough all my clothes to be washed. Its much cheaper in the less touristy places (100rs as apposed to 200 in manali)
Food well I never eat in restaraunts. I usually wake up have fruit scrambled eggs and chai, costing about 30-35rs on average.
followed by a thali when i get to mcleod for brunch (20rs and it fills you up you are allowed as much rice and dal as you want) then for the rest of the day snack on sausages, momo's. sweets, ice cream etc which usually comes to about 100-130 rs
get some fruit for the evening when I've got the munchies.
sleep.
Thats the ritual for where I am just now.. pretty easy cosy wee life!

I'm going to leave this area on probably the 28th (day after final teachings, tomorrow) and go to pathankot and get a train somewhere, I'm not totally sure, I was thinking between Kangra and chamba valley, But I might start heading south slowly too..... Its definitely got much colder than the start of the month. It is now very chilly during the night and is also much colder during the day. Early nov you were

I've documented some of the teachings on a notepad, actually 2, 1 to write down some of his mantras or quotes (ie cultivating compassion is cultivating good karma.... ovverride afflictions rather than letting afflictions override us.... etc) and one at night where il write down what happned that day from a general non religious persons observation..... I'll copy what I wrote the next time im on the internet (try to remember)

Mum no I dont get any emails! the only one Ive recieved was the one just now asking if I'm getting them! I got that one. And on you're questions : I do use most of the gear! I wear my jacket all through the evening and during some days here, its already cold enough. The sleeping bag was NEEDED. Its now far too cold for just blankets without any heating, which my rooms all over india have had none. I've only moved to a new guesthouse about 5 times, so I'm not an expert at packing yet, cause ive not packed much, and I dont repack when I'm settled (ie I take out most things from my 2 bags and use when I need. My room is in a worse nick than my old bedroom ) The boots also have came in handy on a number of walks/treks I've gone on (4000metres rhotang pass, triund among others)
Ive just read the report on the celta vigo match and its encouraging. Thats a draw against arsenal away followed by a home win against a good spanish team. I am very satisfied with that.

Just remembered. I intend to go to Diu. The Island of Diu... Its in gujurat and is tax free. It was once portuguese territory but now it just retains a portuguese "feel" with all the housing etc there in portuguese style... Its on the way south (sort of) on the goa side, so I could slowly make my way down to goa and visit other places in India too. Diu sounds quality because you can get a bottle of port for $2 and a beer for 30p.....Its also said to have sandy white beaches where you can swim, with not a great deal of tourists (the less touristy the better for this part of my India adventure)

Soon (in a few weeks) I will start to slowly go south, reaching the pinnacle - Goa!(Kerala too... but goa!)

What else to note. Not much, as Ive noted the Dalai Lamas teachings which is what its all about at the moment. Im wearing my string on my wrist I got from day 1, and I got given a blindfold which i forgot to take to day 2,3 and today (your meant to wear it at some poinds durining the teachings)

For now I'll either take a trek and catch the end of his teachings (which has about an hour to go if it is roughly the same time as the other days) or go back up to dharamkot to ponder the wisdom and finish that charas doobie I started this morning, filled with some fine parvati cream

bye for now!
kieran

shefalisweetness

Hi Folks,

I am back from Manali with a less than broken back with 16 + 16 + 10 hour bus rides in a span of ..er.. 3 days!

The flight from Pune was delayed by 45 minutes.. instead of leaving at 7:45am and reaching at 9:45am like my sweet itenary, it managed to take of at 8:30 am and reach by 10:45am.

And the height of all this was that on landing I got an SMS that the Kulu flight is delayed and instead of 10:15am it would leave at 10:50am. So would have made it if this had blasted off on time.

So instead of soibbing quietly moved off to ISBT Kashmere Gate - first bus to Manali was at 4:40pm (an ordinary bus, no volvo till 8:30pm!) - booked it and after a back-grinding journey reached Manali with its snowcapped mountains at 9:30am.

Booked the HPTDC Rohtang Pass tour found the company of the European Union.. a UK lady, a Czech guy and a Italian...) and had fun in a fresh snowfall (with snowflakes falling) - they also took us to Solang Valley - it was amazing - no skiing yet of course but nice place.

Fromt he weather, looks like the snow would reach Manali's streets any day now...

The HPTDC bus dropped me off at 4:20pm and I spotted a "Deluxe" bus leaving for Delhi and boarded it... finally bye bye Manali in under six hours! (crazy!)

Similar journey way back, the bus was searched by police on exiting the border (scotsman be careful) ... Had a lot of fun and was lucky to find snow after all.

Some snaps attached...

http://www.indiamike.com/india/attac...1&d=1164611206

http://www.indiamike.com/india/attac...1&d=1164611206

http://www.indiamike.com/india/attac...1&d=1164611206

Attached Thumbnails

         

Styler

Oh Man, that must have been tiring. Hats off to you Shefali you did the 15-16 hr bus ride twice in 3 days..I think this travel endurance would be comparable to Lovemax's solo bike ride from Delhi to Leh and Back in 5 days or something.

But i'm sure it would have been a great experience to see the snowfall.
The pictures are nice, but then the feeling of being there in the actual snow fall is something that cannot be expressed by pictures or words.

I drove to manali last week and now that i have to drive again tommorow i.e. Wednesday the 29th i'm a little tired just thinking of driving again for 11 hrs each way. Actually i am setting up my branch office (Actually Showroom and Office) for computer hardware and networking in Manali, so i have to drive up there for work.

scotsman

'm going to pathankot tomorrow to get a train (somewhere, dont know yet) so this is probably my last time on the net for a week or 2.......

I have just picked up my washing and will smoke the last bit of charas tonight, I'm not going to get anymore. I love the parvati cream but I feel its time to stop being so lazy and go to another area and keep fit/get the hash out my system for the rest of the trip down south, Im not going to pathankot to go far south on a train to delhi but I am starting to slowly trickle down.... So far I've had what I would call an eye opening experience, I would not say its been a total adrenaline rush but its been very positive none the less.... giving up my huge amounts of charas inhaling life will not be easy, but its the correct decision. For now

I'l make the most of the cheap internet at mcleod and try to write all of my scribbles for the 5 days of the teachings...

23rd - Dalai Lama Teaching (23rd - 27th)
First day, about 3000 crammed in. I got a seat on the top floor (where he is) but blocked view. Saw him smiling on the way in though, giggled speaking. Monks are generally jovial in posture with a wee hunch and a funny looking grin its hard not to like these characters. On the actual teaching, I translated it on the radio into english (200rs radio) Being in that temple with thousands of Monks around me and maybe 100 Westerners only. As he came in even I had the monk grin, and low and behold so did the dalai lama.
He speaks with an authorititive tone, in a manner of telling it how it is. Very philosophical, sometimes common sense, other parts I have not much clue. The one thing I liked about it, that stood out this time, this religion was not about praising and fearing an obscure god, this one was more, a good moral "code" to live you're life..... That centred on "enlightenment" or as a westerner translates "how to be happy". Cause and causation, objective reality/true reality. Practising mental strength was what I learned from a very, to be honest, strange 4 hours. My chai making skills have exceeded expectation. A huge warning for any would be Mcleod Ganj visitor.- Tibetan grocery stalls. Never, under any, even tealess circumstances, buy the hand bagged wood, twigs, more wood and occasional earth flavoured tealeaf. And I mean it. For 2 days I survived on that dross, believing it must be my amateur chai making status concocting that crap rather than the ingredients. Well, after mildly suspecting the "shit". I got some, Indian, mass produced raw tealeaves. 250grm, 500 chais worth, for 50p (45rs)I also added twice as much milk as before but apart from being sweet and creamy this time, my chai, Indian tealeaves chai, tasted like infact even better than a good dhabas chai!

Day 2: (morning of day 3) Long teaching, maybe 5 hours, with no room, legs crossed (back fucked) position. Not comfortable 1 jot must be said. Somehow monks sit like this without a toilet visit or even flinching. Must be all that yoga. I on the other hand, changed seating position approx every 5 minutes. This time I was in a better seat too, in view (to the left) of the Dalai Lama.Im sure he spotted me. I brought (and bought 32rs) seperate book and paper, but after writing down some 3 or 4 'mantras' ie culrivating compassion is cultivating good karma, ovverride affliction rather than letting affliction ovverride us, etc. After this brief graspable concept, the graspable became ungraspable, and for 4 hours I sat listening to some hardcore Dalai Lama Wisdom. Im pretty sure it was all about ways of achieving 'Emptyness' or "enlightenment" as after much talk about, dont have a clue actually, it would be followed by an often stated "this to achieve emptyness" and "achieving emptyness" was the goal the buddhists had. Another thing that stood out yesterday which I found a bit funny was the Tibetan Dalai Lama security bodyguard people. Most Tibetans are short, slight, unnasuming people. These lads remind me of a bruce lee film. Only 6 or 7 of them (around 15 armed indian police) but theyre unarmed in expensive suits. You can imagine them ruthlessley karate chopping and snuffing out any would be assasin or thread to the dalai, im sure that short stocky one kept glancing at me, probably cause i was allways on the move to try an get comfy. An impossible task here.

Evening of day 3: Finally the seating position beat me, just, with only 50 minutes left of a teaching that lasted 4 hours. I got up and went into the outdoor part, just below the main room. I simply had to. This time I was even more uncomfy,m moving about every 2 minutes. Other people didnt even move (almost all) with a minority flexing back, unbelievable.Back to teaching. Dalai told some good jokes today, in amongst serious wisdom, there was a ritualistic pot, of which he was to drink tea from. "Ive not used it for a while so I'm going to have to wipe it out" followed by giggling, inhale, more dalai giggles, "Its a good pot if you're fighting it has a big mark on it you can give you're enemy big scar". He started laughing again. I laughed at that one. For 3 hours we had been seated, in a medititive position, in a semi medititive state. Listening deeply on compassionate Karmic rhetorict, from the equivalent of the poope. And he was joking to himselfe, out loud, that his special buddhist pot would be a good chib!

Evening of day 4: Unfortonately today I forgot my 'upstairs pass'. That 3" by 4" green piece of cardboard with my photo ID on it is apparently crucial. From the "garden" part of the temple, you still see the 14th dalai lama in the flesh. Only fleetingly though, as he arrives from his nearby living quarters in a jeep to the stairs leading up to the main room. His house is literally 100 metres from these very stairs. I felt a bit pissed off I forgot my pass. After a conversation this morning, while eating a good thali, with a western buddhist woman. I decided to sit in that sometimes sore seating position. Legs crossed, back straight, lower back becoming sore within 20 minutes, Monk way of sitting. For the whole teaching. But it wasnt the same listening to it on the radio downstairs. Cant hear him, see him, no sense of connection to the ceremony. Although there was tons of space in the garden, along with the benches (of which I lied down comfily on one) you just didnt feel part of the audience downstairs. I left after one houur with a mild dissapointment at not being in the dalai lama's rare classroom, for the whole 5 days.Also worth mentioning is on the radio translation, for the teachings, the minute you step outside the temple the signal dies and some shitty Indian pop music channel corrodes you're eardrums for a few seconds, before I hurriedly switched it off.
Quite cool for me though, knowing this wasnt on mainstream radio, and it also adds to the feeling the Dalai Lama was speaking directly to me!And im still wearing my string from day one! am I on my way to buddhahood? I'm now very high, as I write this. To think I was just, only reason to smoke high quality hash in a remote mountain villiage, pondering what my next move in life will be. Living with no worries or big responsibilities. It has, in the most part, been like that, But ive come to crucial realisations that being in India for these 26 daus only , would be worth the near 2k shelled out for my 4 month stay here. Parvati cream sure is good, but just maybe this country is better. To actually decipher and put in order, whats good about being in this quite primitave, compared to Scotland, place is not easy. But make no mistake, this societys mentality is different and far better than that of the west. Unfortonately Indias rapidly gowing middle class seem to want to act like the west. Thankfully, here in the mountains, this type of indian is only a tourist. To be totally honest though, its not all fun and games here, beggars galore, no toilet paper, all scrounging, shameless even sometimes from well off children, for milk (Which they want cause its alot more expensive than a 1,2,10rs handout, so they sell it back to the shopkeeper at a lower price. They get 50/70rs while the shopkeeper gets to sell the powder milk twice!) A scam explained to me from a philosophical west indian rasta, who was living in a shepherd hut halfway to triund, if you set off from dharamkot. These beggar children aged between 9 and 10 are exceptional fraudsters and if I was a hardsell company come to India to recruit these wee conmen. Just today, as I was leaving the teaching, I was buying those lovely black pudding sausages, a meals worth for 10rs, and a beggar child approached me.
"Please sir, one for me too?" I agreed this time as it was genuine food, "Momo please", when I gestured to the the tibetan sausage cooking man, the wee boy said. Fair doos., momo is a pastry ball filled with either spinach or potato, a snack sold every 50 metres in steamers in Mcleod Ganj. Incidentally 10rs also. As I collected my grub, midget conman gave me the schpiel: "Sir, Sir, momo means milk" .... "No it dosnt"... :beggar/conman who speaks amazingly good english for a homeless 9 year old: "yes, it means milk sir". Well, after being a bit disgusted at finding out about this scam, and for the wee torag to try it on me, even after I offered him a free meal. I said " N.O : and walked up the street ignoring his "OK SIR MOMO! OK SIR! PLEASE SIR!" and running infront of me making a scene. I mean, f*cksake, beggars cant be choosers. No but honestly, the Indian dailly wage for most (minimum 57rs or thereabouts) is far less than a bag of milk. Think about theyre dailly wage if they get 3 bags of milk off gullable (there are plenty here) tourists, every day. These beggars probably live in Dharamsala, on one, overstayed, begging holiday.The charas also nicely puts things into perspective. Every evening almost, for the past 3 weeks, ive been engulfed with Shivas powers. Apart from it being socially acceptable here just to bum around smoking charas all day, wandering about, seeing the sights, eating amazing food all day and gazing at the mystic Himalayas area. 3 quid a day and you could survive and eat well. 4 quid and if you eat at dhabas, and no restaraunts, you could have room with a double bed, private shower/hot water but still eat very well. Its a myth that you're likely to get sick here or Delhi Belly. Ive had 2/3 dhabas a day and often stop for a dhaba chai (dhaba being open roadside kitchen with table or 2 to serve customers. To be honest not even the cleanliest dhaba would pass a Scottish Hygene Board visit, but they serve outstanding veg curry with chipatis (freshly cooked flour tortillas) for 23p in most places. And if you're not full after one plate, which I normally am "More rice sir?" Im full but I'm being offered more curry "Yes" and as I tuck into my second helping it feels more like an all you can eat buffet, for 23p! I'm high as a kite. I do not think the parvati cream gets enough credit. For it to be illegal, and drink shops scattered all over the mountain villiages is disgraceful. The hand rubbed sticky resin is of outstanding quality. The only negative to be lethathargy experienced next morning and throughout day. Not surprising I suppose considering1 or 2 gram is 1 plants worth and at times I will smoke 2 a day. Never really paranoid even after smoking lots, despite being toasted. Very clear, but also forgetful indica high. It knocks you out after 2 hours, at this stage, eyes begin to feel heavy, breathing gets slower, heart rate receeds and you genuinely dont want to move a muscle and just sleep. It can lead to being in this state, lying on bed/in sleepingbag not getting up and standing to reach for the lightswitch, 1 metre away, for 4 hours, which can be a slight hinderence to sleeping pattern. Just now, and for the last 20 minutes I've known its time to 'hit the sack (or -10 degrees copeable sleeping bag) but I just dont want to expand the energy. Its 8:30 on day 4 of the Dalai Lamas teachings. Tomorrow I must remember to bring my pass and make a genuine attempt to sit in monk postion, only leaving to attend toilet.

Teachings finished, Day 5, 6:20pm.
I remembered my pass this time. Top floor classroom with the Dalai himselfe, get in there. as I got through security I could hear him on the temporary speakers, session already started. I sat, legs crossed on the concrete floor, about 15 metre from the Dalai Lama. But a big concrete pillar blocked him from view for most of it. With a firm belief I could sit like a monk, not flinching with a meditative look. The other westerners pissed me off for the most part too. As he was talking, near 3000 monks would sit calmly, not speak (rarely anyway) Alot of westerners, or even Asian foreigners but mainly Americans, of which there was a large proportion of the "foreigners" section, kept talking. Many didnt even have a radio to listen to it in English. As you could buy one in the market for 130rs (1.50p) (with headphones!). Why come if you're not interested in listening to what he's got to say??!! Even though 85% was un understandable, many things were. To come and not even try to listen, have a laugh with another rude radioless American, sums up that countrys mentality. Even in the "Tibet Museum" after watching a genuinely moving video of how China 'Liberated' Tibet, in a manner incidentally almost identical to what the Yanks did to Iraq - Us wants oil, China wants land. Anyway, I was in a mildly saddened state but the minute the film got switched off, this typically egotistically twisted middle aged american woman starter the schpieel: "Who out of the audience actually knew anything of the plight of the Tibetan people??"...... "can you raise you're hands?", most raised a hand. "Okay and hands up if you didnt know about it before this movie?" nobody raised theyre hands. There was then a bried heated discussion, which she instigated, but what she said next really pissed us ALL off, even some other yanks in the room. : " Okay and I dont know if you'l be impressed ....but... (pause, put on laugh)... America is the only country prepared to bring up Tibet with China, nobody else will" It turned into an almost childlike, Bush argument. Everryone (even some audience yanks) slating bush and this eccentric republical woman who found herselfe in India, defending him. There was another film to watch, "escape from tibet" but I left in disgust at this imbecile. I saw her at the teaching today too, at the front, without radio, talking, and mimiking monks when praying as if she were a real buddhist. She has no shame, along with the many other radioless yanks just here so they can gloat about meeting "the Dalai Lama". Come on Yanks, show some respect.
Another thing today I learned, as a 'genuine listener', was that being moral (behaving in a way cultivating good karma) and compassionate person is the best and only goal in life. Cause its best for you're happiness and "all other creatures and beings" - What the dalai lama often said. the word altruistic featured alot in his teachings. Everyone equal. A great teaching and one they should install in primary schools across the country, Buddhism not christianity. I should also mention throughout each day every one of us recieved tea (often 3 or 4 cups), as friendly monks carted massive steel kettles with them, and others handed out polystyrene cups. On 2 of the 5 days (today included) Huge hampers would be carried throughout the audience (and thrown to the garden too), by more monks, and cakes, fruit, bread and sweets would be given to everyone.I only managed a solitary banana today as I was at the back of the row, I'd have preffered the choco cookies but to be given any free food in India is an experience not attained by many! Back to dalai wisdom. (It shouldalso be noted I only got up twice to go to the toilet and moved position about 5 times only, you could say I achieved my goal) The Dalai's teachings especially today, were centred on, :Taking away all afflictive emotions from the mind/only being compassionate. He repeated that even someone behaving in a negative manner, no matter how nasty, should be treated with the same compassion as anyone else, as, in Dalai's words, "This is the correct way". And to think these selfe centred yanks were missing it all, is a shame.I'm sorry, but when you have 2 people directly next to you, constantly joking about something and moving as if very bored, while you're 15metre away from the Dalai Lama giving a rare and important teaching. I wanted to punch him near the end, and would have, had it not been for the Dalai showing me the correct way. As the grinning, frail old man, the 14th dalai lama left, he walked slowly down the aisle waving and smiling to everyone and a lucky few even got a handshake. I was not so lucky. But as I left I felt a kind of soft smiley state like all the monks and most of the 'genuine listeners' from te foreigner section. The mass of red robes then left the temple and ascended to uptown Mcleod, for the last time, to get a bus to dharamsala, or find a way back to mongolia. It was 5pm and getting dark in an hourm so I bought some goodies (burger, cinnamon bun, donut, another cinnamon bun and fruit to take to dharamkot) and walked the 3km to dharamkot thinking about the excellent advice on the outlook and purpose of life.

5 Days with the dalai lama