It is never what you think

One of the most important lessons that I am learning here in India is to appreciate each moment as it is, whether pleasant or unpleasant. Phillip Moffitt, in his book Dancing with Life, is coaching me how to do this. Last evening on my journey to Goa was just one example of this. Literally, one had to laugh, as it could only happen in India. One would think when you book a tourist bus on an overnight journey that you would pick up the bus at a chosen location and away you go. Well, no, not necessarily. As I arrived at my destination to pick up the bus for Goa, I and six other tourists, mostly young Europeans, were to be crammed into a rickshaw that comfortably holds four, and were to travel 60 kilometers to pick up the bus where we were to begin our journey. Not only did we have to wait almost an hour as the 6th person was late, we went along a roadway for more than half the distance that was under construction, and the potholes were enormous. The roadways under construction everywhere in India are a nightmare, to put it mildly. The Indians go about their way. This must be normal. I was exhausted by the time I arrived at the pick-up location. While sitting in the back of the rickshaw, holding on for dear life, one hand grabbing the side bar and the other my back pack, I chanted the Trayambakam mantra to have a safe journey. I decided I was going to arrive in Hospit safely and be assigned a comfortable sleeper compartment to make the overnight journey to Goa as bearable as possible. I was. Thank goodness. The concept that we create our realities is most true. At this point on my travels, there really are many reasons to smile: the masala chai tea is delicious and available at every corner for 50 cents or less, and you can eat well for about $4. a dish. Accommodations have ranged from $12. a day, from an ashram (with a shared room, two meals and two yoga classes a day) to $60. an evening in Goa (with a fabulous room with an attached bath on the seafront) and in Delhi where I purposefully spent more money to be wise in such a large and busy city There are dogs and cows wandering the streets everywhere. They own the streets. There must be just the one breed of dog in India, as they all look the same, with a hound-like body and a curled-up tail. They bark. The cows are humorous to observe as it is the bull that is primarily out, while the cow remains at home (although this is not always the case). Cows are held sacred in the Hindu culture, of course, and are not taken as food. Beware where you walk. There is dodo everywhere. The Indians in the South are curious, polite and even shy. I will absolutely return to the South to explore more of Kerala and the other states.