Over Mountains & Into the Mind, A bit...

Lingerin' Lyrics:

"Life is like a pipe, and I'm a tiny penny rollin' up the walls inside." Amy Winehouse

"Ya pass thru places, and places pass thru U. But ya carry 'em with ya on the soles of your travelin' shoes." The Be Good Tanyas

"And so and now I'm sorry I missed you; I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain. It went the dull and wicked ordinary ways." The National

A few more Signs on the Indian Highway:
"love your neighbor, just not while driving"
"reach 4 the stars, even if U have 2 stand on a cactus"
"after whiskey driving risky"
"drink & drive, won't survive"
"fortune befriends the bold"--a bit ambiguous in their message of caution--
"it's not a race, not a rally, enjoy the views of the valley"

Reads: "The Stranger" Albert Camus is a classic and much like a French J.D. Salinger. The book is a bit dour but worth your time; especially if your in the mood to curse the current world. Then b4 the Vip course I briefly expound upon below, I read Osho's "An Inner Journey"...not one of his best; at least it didn't reach me like many of his other books have; however, a good book to pass thru b4 I entered VIP.

Finally, I finished with my recommendation for this post; "Shantaram" by David Gregory Roberts an aussie who broke out of prison (robbery 2 support his heroin habit) then fled to New Zealand then India where he ended up in Bombay. He sets up a free health clinic, works for the mafia (black markets, currencies, passports, etc.), ends up in Indian prison, and heads of Afghanistan, pretending to be an American, to fight with the Mujahadeen to free itself of Russian aggression. He wrote the book a third time after guards in prison trashed the first 2 versions. It's a wild tale loaded with all the ingredients and the perfect quantities to make for an ejoyable 935 pages...you burn thru it, really. It's a classic to read while in India because of the relation one gets while here; accents, idiosyncracies, etc.



w/ a flash of Indian cash, my journal and...

a gr8 Camus Cover!

Music: "The Boxer" and "Alligator" of The National have really soaked into my moment. The lyricist MUST be 27-30 as he's writing and singing exactly what I'm feeling. Have you heard of the Return of Saturn...I'm not sure I believe all the astrologists, but I can't help but heed that it's in full-force in my life; SO much has been cast into the tempestuous tumult of my teacup. Also, a madly, menacing song that I LOVE by Frog Eyes, "Bushels" has constantly been the 2nd song 2 play on my Gassio (that's right...my mp3/CD player...highest kwality). The first to spring thru the cord to my ears is Dinosaur Jr.'s "We're Not Alone". Finally, Nick Drake's "Blues Run The Game" is also a consistent pleaser on the Gas-yo!

Photos Pholder: Just a few selections that I snuck on while I watched the place when the lady went out 4 lunch. Ladakh

Documentary: "Ancient Futures: Learning From Ladakh" is based on the book by Helena Podge and talks about the tourism in this area and how it's breaking the infrastructure and straining all resources. She attempts 2 show us in a small scale what we might be able to do to counter globalization and the problems that are facing us on a global front...it's ambitious. I don't think you'll be able to get this unless your local library has connections.

So many of you have said..."Murr, what's up w/ your blog? Where the hell RU? Get with it!" 2 all of U, I say...well, let's be nice and not say that. Instead, I'll say I've been to the deepest darkest dungeons of my dude, I've seen double humped camels, I've finally gotten off my ass and walked with my pack a bit, I've climbed the second highest motorable road in the world (ahh, by bus that is), then had 2 one-up myself. I've organized a trek more than 3 times to have it fall apart each and every time and in the end not even ascended the bloody thing. It's all gone by as quick as cool nights in a Bombay brothel.

And the only way I can even attempt to ketchup is 2 bullet-bind my history...I do it willfully.

Manali-Leh Bus Trip

The low down is that it's a 2-day bus trip going over 5 passes, one of which is the 2nd highest motorable road in the world--Taglang-La--at 5,328m (17,582ft). The trip takes 22 hours, 15 of which are on the second day and the 22 hours equal just 475km (285m). Those long gruelling hours R enjoyed on the luxurious cushion-seats of a public bus with public people, at least they were 4me ;)). I left the rain soaked roads of Manali and entered the heaven sent mountainscape of Ladakh, which contrasts with super-sun and diabolical-dryness, that last bit is emphasized in the bloody noses that afflict most travellers here--"stop pickin' yur buggers" I tell 'em! It's a gr8t road trip and I'd love to have had a bike to work the curves myself...this maybe a future trip 4 any of my friends daring enough to buy the infamous Indian Enfield Bike and cruise around India with me...in the future...any takers???

Vipassana Course

The second and more painful stint was a 10-day meditation "retreat". When you think of meditation and retreat, what's the last thing to come to your mind? Okay...before whisky, women, and WHOA!!! Maybe after that, it's intense pain...that was the last thing that I thought of but the most enduring (not endearing) things to withstand. Wake-up at 4am and shut-eye at 21hr with 10.5 hours each day set aside 4 meditating. 2 meals with a light snack and tea at 17:00. 3 of those 10 hrs. were "strong determination" hours (read: don't move no matter how crazy and cruel the pain). The center was a gypsy camp that has only 3 courses per year due to its removed location and the closed passes for 8 months of the year. This meant that food almost always ran out just as we finished, bucket-showers were mostly ice-cold to go along with the freezing nights and cold mornings. And of course, 4 the duration of this 10 days there was no talking, no listening to music, no reading, and (most torturous 4 me) no writing...completely experiential. Having listed all those...not so positive details, I'll finish with the revelation that it was exactly the right thing 4 me 2 do at this moment and it drowned me in thoughts and sensations that needed to be experienced. I'll say no more about the mental savagery.

U Were There!!!

I will say that I saw Nicki Hightower there...the noticeable breasts and fire-red hair had nothing 2 do with it, luv. K-gat...U2 were in the back row of girls that I wasn't suppose 2B looking at; Irish, fiesty, and by the end of it, U really needed a drink and told me so. J-mac was Kiwi dude with mid-back lengthy ponytail who was in charge of managing us--don't read into that Mr. MP ;) Ximena was the beautiful New Yorker (tho born in India) who was noticeably calm thru 10 days, but with whom I didn't get along so well afterwards...too cold...NYC jaded her. Bri...you were a jewish-american (read inverted hair deposit...full-beard and balding-dome) tho' some of the Guru (teacher) was also bits of your style...mostly the stocking hat that he pinched up as a triangular dome that sat just above his head. My mate Mauro sat just in front of me and slept thru much of the morning med. There was Chris from California...I know Hamby doesn't read this--doubt he even knows where I am--but the kung-fu karacter was exubrantly U. ZRiah was a German who'd just arrived from Pakistan sporting the local garbs...can't say I saw you runnin' 2 the women's residence halls, but his appearance was much like yours brother. Brett Rasmusen sat behind me and after I found out he was an MC for jungle drum/bass in London, he happily hopped the mike when silence was broken. Mark--my muzic man--Oneil was...HAH, U were a servant bitch! Actually, much more respected than the title implies...but seriously M-town if you had long hair put into dreads and still sported your stringy goatee (which U may)...U were there brother and a bundle of fun when I hung with you after! Jeremy Huntington (also a non-knower of me) was the English kid who'd gotten too involved with drugs and found himself with the mind to step out and try a bit of this to see if it could keep him safe and separate from those intoxicants...I think it worked...good kid who I shared a room with on the overnight bus trip mentioned above. Finally, Katie Shelton Sweetheart was this German chick who loves to talk and etched the classic phrase "auto-sex" into my vocabulary when she was trying to tell many of us...it's easy enuf 2 put 2gether, and no...has nothing 2 do with cars.

With all these past peeps around me while I journeyed thru my mind, so many memories came back to me; so deep, so powerful, so resolute. And each of them brought such fondness that I found myself wanting to hug each and every one of you...even kiss some of you (easy mark...girls dude, get a grip!). It seriously brought to the forefront some issues of "long-lost" and "impressionable incursions" that R deep-rooted. I hope 2C many of U--as well (obviously) as so many who weren't "there" in the dhamma room w/ me-- in the near future.



Sikh Driver & me desparate 4 a proper clean-up after Vip

Shortly after this, I hitched a ride with a Sikh truck driver (above), wandered into one of the many military posts around this area, ate lunch with them in complete elation at the Sikh style. Wandered back to Leh, tried to integrate after that experience, then got a permit to see Nubra Valley. The permit is needed because China loves to play real-life Risk and expand it's territory...many wars and as in every northern Indian state, a precarious tension on the frontier. However, it's a lovely place and a shame the permit only allowed me 7 days which made me miss the Dalai Lama AGAIN. That road over to the Nubra was in fact the highest motorable road in the world at 5,578m) 18,380ft. Climbed up a few peaks above monasteries and hitched a ride back with Peter Fonda of Easy Rider.

Varner & yo...on his Enfield

Me on the ridge w/ Tibet down that valley 2 the left

While I was trying to "observe the pain", my buddy Julian--who I've now met in 4 different countries beginning in Indo just shy of a year ago--was 2 do a Study Trek 4 Kashmir/Jammu region where they were 2 open an area 2 tourism cuz it's a bit safer now. That would've been amazing in itself, to C villages and the people who've not known tourists in the last 25+ years if at all. But just as he was going to turn the offer down cuz he didn't want to commit a month to the project, he gets the offer to be in a Bollywood Film. Bastard has more luck in his path! So he got a speaking role in this film "Tashan" translated "Attitude" as he played a stereotypical American Director...and I dump another bucket of ice over my body and "observed".

It pains me deeply 2 not B able 2 upload more photos around here due to inet managers insistance. September is coming and I'll manage to clue you all in sometime in that glorious month. 4 now, keep your eyes and ears open to Kashmir (which I won't go to unless it settles down a bit) and Lovely Ladakh...far far away from Monsoon country.