and . . . . we're back!!!

after a little hiatus from the blog and each other, heather and i have reunited (and it feels so good!) in dharamsala. heather had a very profound experience at her retreat and i done had myself a crazy little adventure.

i left dharamsala on an overnight bus to delhi and arrived there in the wee hours of the morning when the only thing that was open as a 24 hour internet cafe . . . i holed up in there sending emails and assuring my parents that i would be ok at this rainbow gathering. i met up with udi and we got a room to get some recuperationalization from our long journeys and explore the mayhem known as the main bazaar in paharganj, where everyone is trying to sell you something. poor udi was pickpocketed twice in the span of 24 hours, once on the street and once on the subway so he was happy (as was i) to make a quick exit from delhi, and by quick i mean an hour and a half long rickshaw ride (it should have taken 20 minutes) in delhi traffic (during which we were passed by an ox pulling a wagon) and then a 10 hour busride to some anonymous mountain town. after the initial busride we jumped on two more local buses and then hired a jeep to a little mountain village called lohali. from lohali it was a 2 hour hike to the rainbow gathering. if udi hadn't carried my pack i think the hike would have taken ohhh, let's say, 8 hours for me to do on my own.

the rainbow gathering was quite an experience. it was very hippy hippy love, but had a beautiful energy. everything was communal and voluntary. people pitched in for food if they wanted and volunteered to cook in the kitchen to feed all 150 people there. there was a little chai "shop", drum circles, and workshops like learning hindi and t-shirt cutting. everyone was very friendly and i saw quite a few folks that we had met previously in india.

i also gained a much greater appreciation for things that i would normally take for granted. for example, having tea involved: hunting for firewood, building a fire, and finding a position where the kettle would heat but not tip over. also, going to the bathroom required lots of forethought and equipment. everyone took care of bidness in a designated hole in the ground and you needed to bring: a bowl, ashes, tp, water, soap, and a lighter. if anyone would like to know why each of these were needed you can let me know. we were also camped 15 minutes up the hill from the stream which meant we (and by we i mean the guys i was camping with) had to carry buckets of water up to the camp. i felt like quite the prima donna, but it was good to know that i can really rough it if needed.

we left the rainbow a bit prematurely and headed to almora, also known as the sweater vest capital of india. i would say at least 1/3 of the men there were cruising the streets in hand knit sweater vests, it was quite a beautiful sight to behold. unfortunately i was beseiged by another bout of the sickies in almora and spent most of my time there in the room, where udi and shaun mothered me. i think i may have gotten giardia while at the rainbow, but am not sure yet. i did go to see a doctor and possibly got the cheapest misdiagnosis ever. i paid 5 rupees to see the doctor who pushed on my stomach in several places and declared that i had ulcers in my intestines (huh??) and get three prescription medications . . . 5 rupees is approximately 10 cents. in your face, private american health care system!

after spending a few days in almora we made our way back to dharamsala where i enjoyed a giddy reunion with heather. we will likely spend the rest of our time in india here where the weather is temperate, the food is so delicious and the people are wonderful.

and on that note, i am going to go gorge myself on something now.

lots of love and namaste!!