More McLeod Ganj 3/17/07

3/17/07




One more post before I head for the Tushita Meditation Centre for a 10 day silent meditation retreat. I have been asked what my apartment looks like so here are some pictures which, as one can see, is an adequate accommodation. I really have everything I need except for a good heater.




The apartment is basically all one room with a large attached bathroom that has a shower, toilet, sink, vanity and mirror. The hot water has to be turned on an hour before using it and there is not enough hot water for an entire shower - it's the get wet, turn off water, soap up and then rinse technique. Meanwhile the air is cold. My sleeping bag and fleece liner are a saving grace. Thanks Mountain HardWare.


The kitchen works well - Indians & Tibetans do not use ovens. They cook their breads on a flat pan and then throw them directly on the burner to puff up. I've made a number of vegetable stir fries with crispy noodles or rice using all fresh vegetables and Indian spices. I store filtered water in a 2 1/2 gallon water jug and use that for cooking, drinking, and brushing teeth.






Today I visited the Tibetan Library and Archives and got a feel for what they offer. I hope to meet with Pema Yeshe, the librarian, on Monday to see if I can have a tour and understand how they organize the collections. There is a reference room and stacks for foreigners with many English magazine titles such as Time, Newsweek, as well as Tibetan and Buddhist titles. There is also a reference & research collection of Tibetan works on the other side of the library. The library publishes many books on Buddhist teachings, Tibetan language, and Tibetan folk tales and one can purchase them at their small book store. I’m also anxious to see how their digitization projects are conducted.

It’s very difficult to get good pictures of the mountains – they appear and disappear many times during the day. It’s also hard to get any idea of perspective other than they are high and often covered by clouds and totally disappear on rainy days.

Everything is built hanging on the hills and there are steep paths and stairways to access the various levels. The stairs are of varying heights and widths so it makes it difficult to ascend & descend if you aren’t used to it. I find my walking stick makes the go easier.

I called my Mom in New York State this evening and it cost me about $1.50 for quite a long talk. It would have cost me as much or more if I was calling her from Maine. I go to the Cyber Cafes just about every day to deal with my e-mail and also I am teaching an online course and have two Independent Study students that I have to keep up with and grade assignments. It has been quite easy to teach from here but I’m not sure that will be the case in Ladakh.

I’m reading a fascinating book right now about a family in Afganistan:

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

From Publishers Weekly: "After living for three months with the Kabul bookseller Sultan Khan in the spring of 2002, Norwegian journalist Seierstad penned this astounding portrait of a nation recovering from war, undergoing political flux and mired in misogyny and poverty. As a Westerner, she has the privilege of traveling between the worlds of men and women, and though the book is ostensibly a portrait of Khan, its real strength is the intimacy and brutal honesty with which it portrays the lives of Afghani living under fundamentalist Islam. Seierstad also expertly outlines Sultan's fight to preserve whatever he can of the literary life of the capital during its numerous decades of warfare (he stashed some 10,000 books in attics around town)."

Picture of the week: Spinning the Prayer Wheels

Graphic Sign of the Week: Located near a hospital

Older Gals of the Week: Sitting at the Dalai Lama Temple