Notes on Pulga

A lazy Sunday afternoon chilling with friends from Israel: sabkuch milega – efshar alok – everthing possible! At Mandeep’s café in spe, yes with Boom Fala himself. It’s a crazy thing to think back and forth in time. Every now and then Mandeep takes me out of my reveries and sings:

I’m gonna die
You gonna die
We all gonna die
Why cry
Enjoy life today
And get high
Boomfala Baliwalla

Three days at Kheerganga!

What an incredible adventure. The trek itself is easy enough, and still some people tell me it took them around 7 or 8 hours. Well, sabkuch milega, I guess.

The way to go: 3-4 hours straight, or with a lot of stops, or walking meditation… you decide.

More and more I understand why Himachal Pradesh is the place to be when it gets hotter and hotter in the south of India. It’s cool, it’s fresh, it’s nature!

The culture up there at approx 3,000m altitude is, let’s say, a foggy one. Due to the hot spring, due to campfires, and due to the high times. Charras rules and everything takes just a little longer. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. “Time is money” is definitely not the mantra of H.P. [ha-ppy]. Rather, it is “Gut Ding braucht Weile” as we say in Austria. The clocks tick differently here, indeed, if they tick at all cuz with all the power cuts, and batteries are hard to find.

As always there are non-human companions joining people on the Kheerganga trekking tour. Some have to carry the weight of food and beverages (left) while others enjoy the scenery and explore the areas up and down the pathways.

Time and again, I remember Baba (shoutout to you my friend!) in Bhagsu telling me about the guy with a towel blowing off the clouds so that a clear blue sky remains. And in my humble opinion that is needed to tune in and accept a slower pace of life in general. Appreciate the blue sky, folks! Especially now – cuz there is no time like NOW! Oh, the silence, that genuine ocean of silence I was blessed to dive into!

Uphill from Kheerganga: Tunda Bhuj

Here are some impressions of the camp at Kheerganga.

Now, if you are like me, you think that reaching Kheerganga is just the beginning. There are so many hikes to explore from here! Himachal Pradesh is India’s doorway at the foot of the Himalaya, the land of snow. So one morning I get some breakfast and move up move up move up. Up until it starts raining. Moving on up.

Crossing a river I see one guy going uphill as well. We walk together for an hour. No talking. And still, nothing is left unsaid.

After about three hours of trekking I stop in order to meet the man who lives up there at around 3,300m above sea level. A real mountain man. Meeting Vindrabala Baba at Tunda Bhuj is certainly one of the most amazing things I experienced:

He tells me how sad he is because Kheerganga being such a terribly busy place these days. Vindrabala Baba has been living here for the past six years already. We sit in front of the fireplace in silence. Really, what’s there to say? I am glad to be with him. I can hear the wind howling and the rain splashing against the roof and walls of Baba’s house.

It is still raining when I start my descent towards Kheerganga.

Back in Pulga

Another morning i wake up from slumber. The body is awake but the eyes are still a bit sleepy, adjusting to the sunlight. Two workers are preparing themselves to start working outside the hut – when the restaurant is opened a toilet will be needed. So let’s get diggin’. But first things first. Thirthram is making the first mix of the day. For Italians it’s an espresso, for the Indians it’s chay-chillum-chapatti before a man goes to work.

A stonemason has to come in order to split a huge boulder which is in the way

Pulga, Kalga, Tulga

As mentioned before, everything takes a bit longer in Himachal Pradesh. The other day I walked through the neighbouring villages Kalga & Tulga. I could literally sense the atmosphere of calm abiding… or of stupor, maybe?! Hard to say what’s what, really. The people here are so used to plant medicine they have fully integrated it into their daily diet. It makes them mellow. At the same time, they seem to have no trouble getting things done anyway – slowly slowly, but steadily.

Inbar and Gali from Israel tell me they have been staying in Parvathy valley for a month now. Time flies, not only for me, apparently. Today and the next couple of days I would like to go to Fairy Forest around Pulga, to Kutta and Budhavan. After that I plan to travel to Grahan and Chalal in order to visit Gopatram (Thirtram’s relative) at Maya Café.

All in all, Parvathy valley is of outstanding beauty. It’s not pristine nature anymore. Too many tourists roam this valley and they leave, unfortunately so, much more than mere footprints in their wake.

Getting cash in Kasol and Manikaran

The fact that ATMs in Kasol and Manikaran are rare, and if you find one it is either closed or empty or doesn’t accept your card means that everyone who ventures forth deeper into the valley and closer to the source of Parvathy nadi soon runs out of cash. This is also due to the prices for food which are double at Kheerganga and Tunda Bhuj. Still very cheap, though.

By the way, there is a trek starting from Barshani to Spiti Valley. It takes 12 days. The guides have everything – gas, food, sleeping bags, tents. I guess there are enough waterfalls on the way to refill the containers and drinking bottles. For me, alas, this is not an option this time around. Given that i have only around 1,500 rupies left in my pocket I am gonna skip that trek. My plan is to get back to Jari or Bhuntar in order to cash-up. Let’s see where I’ll end up.

Pai, Thailand

SynchroniCity

This post is rather lengthy. Take your time. ไม่ดอ้งรีบ. You Are in Pai. Also known as Synchronicity although it rather resembles a town really.

…

On the way to Pai the minivan I am sitting in unfortunately hits a dog’s rear. A short rumble occurs which means the poor animal probably gets smashed under the left front wheel. This incident reminds me of the dog who was hit at Krabi when I hitchhiked to Khao Sok National Park. It was also hit at the tail end and then tried to reach the side of the road, crawling, whining desperately… my heart shivering. Mirror neurones firing away. I know how my butt hurts after three hours of sitting in a local bus, but this… well I have to accept the fact I can’t help the poor lad that is most probably expelled from the gene pool soon.

Ten minutes after arrival in the town of Pai I already found a place to put up my tent at a camp ground near Roots Bar. It’s hot. With the help of an Australian youngster named Theo it’s all set up in another couple minutes. Very helpful. Never before have I arrived somewhere and found a place to stay as easy and quick. For a week I stay here. Then I move to the other riverside.

It is hard to describe what happens here, and somehow I don’t want to… next to doing nothing for hours on end, here are some things I have done in and around this lovely town. Play table tennis. Share three delicious cakes with two lovely ladies at Witching Well. Enjoy bonfire at Roots Bar.

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At the Pai Circus School I spend one afternoon at the pool and participate in a workshop. I get some advice on slacklining, learn to swing staff in the hot afternoon sun and spin fire in the evening. Bruises on right elbow and blisters on fingers say it was worth it. No photos of this afternoon. I was simply too immersed in learning a new skill. Sun sets over Pai. Kygo music enchants. Foot massage for a Brazilian girl. Read a good book about Burma. In a word: happy! And disillusioned by what’s going on in the neighbouring country. Life’s not a fairy tale.

Swimming pool at Pai circus school (100฿ just to get in not worth it, there are better places to get wet)

Preparation for fire-spinning this evening

When I wake up a nice lady and a cute puppy await me. At breakfast we meet Aron, a cool Californian.

Scootering Joy and me to the white Buddha uphill with a great view. On our way downstairs we give some bananas to the people working on the concrete staircase.

White pink and blue buddhas 😉

Bungalows and meditation hall at Open Mind Centre

Sunset at Pai Canyon

In the evening we listen to Undercover Hippy (www.undercoverhippy.com) at Art in Chai. It’s open mic night and everyone is invited to share some story some poem or whatever. It’s like poetry slam but without the competitive touch to it. I like it. Chocolate brownie, too, hihi!

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Refreshing bath at a waterfall with a slide. Friendly people all around. Local children and travellers alike.

On the way up to the waterfall we pass by a bar with pool table and pétanque area. Ganesh Bar it’s called. Good พัดไทย. Good mood.

In the evening when we arrive at Roots Bar (also campground, my resting place) I decide to get a bamboo tattoo. Oh yes. Sweet pain.

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Morning yoga at Open Mind Centre.

เนิบเนิบเป็นคนติดดิน …

In the afternoon we eat some chocolate salty balls – put’em inya mouth n suck’em – in the shade at Earth Tone opposite Maeyen temple.

Helping Amanda, a canadian friend in need after a a scooter accident, to find a new place to stay, far away from all the noise, to cure her mind and body at Baan Din Doi Lisu (House Earth Hill Lisu) and Open Mind Centre. Lisu is a tribe living in the hills near Pai.

So many people here who come and have no clue how to ride a scooter. Or they are driving drunk. Breaking in curves. Not knowing how to deal with sand pitches. Let alone for the psychology of dealing with a highway cop patrol.

After sunset we settle down at the bonfire. The atmosphere has changed since friends left and some weirdo kids arrive. Conducting interviews instead of talking to one another from the heart. Hard to take. So after a couple days of big chill out the decision to move to the other riverside comes easy.

A tenant staying here for a longer period of time is the man from down under. With his attire and beard he looks like a twenty-sthg but he shows me his passport to prove he’s actually 18. Well, he has Greek roots he tells me… and also about his tattoo ideas on both arms. He had one made that reads ‘koi pen koi pai yim samme chun thon heng lisu’… meaning ‘slowly slowly always smiling the way of the lisu’).

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Breakfast at vegan restaurant near the police station. Highly recommended. At the back their is a shrine room. Inside the restaurant no smoke no alcohol. Probly Buddhist proprietors. 35฿ for a proper meal. Excellent quality. I share black sesame which I got from Tom & Tim at Nan.

I go to pick up Amanda Dawn at Baan Din Doi Lisu. Half an hour by scooter.

Bungalows (300฿)

We check out the waterfall together. Take a plunge in the fresh water basins. Some cows pasturing there, too.

Ok, I won’t be afraid of you if you’re not afraid of me, ok?!

In the evening we pass by the Indiana cottage. Meet Leo (Bavaria) and Peter (Austria) there. And then Sarah, the ladyboy transcender we met on the first day in Pai, asks about our whereabouts and invites us to stay for free. After the strange atmosphere yesterday evening at the campfire she doesn’t have to ask twice. So the next thing to do is to move the tent and backpacks over there. With joy that’s done in about half an hour. We get a mattress and blankets from Sarah who’s in charge at Indiana cottage. Kind of. Funny guyle.

…

It is getting more and more difficult to keep up and write a diary. To keep track on what has happened.

Joyce (Amsterdam) and me strolling the streets of Pai

With happy joy who cried last night we explore House of Pork (a veggie café, as you might have guessed) and a guy shows me how to juggle with four balls.

We go to Om Garden with friends and have a great salad. Crawford, a slightly famous Scot (google Cambodia naked bike police chase) provides me with fresh coffee and serves it with a just-woke-up-ten-minutes-ago smile.

Writing postcards at John’s exquisite & extensive bookshop in walking street

Mr. Brown and Mr. White

Delicious food at Om Garden Café

Opening up the tent in the morning… dog gazing at me in … well.. almost lotus posture. Magic moment.

My resting place at Indiana cottage (the tent I bought in Sukhothai for 700฿)

Wake up bath in the Pai river

A big smile and a great chai in the evening

Dinner: bananas, chai and the best raw spring rolls ever!

One evening we discover some kittens crying… we get a ladder and get them down from the attic…

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Days are going by in a peculiar fashion. Not to do anything when you don’t know what to do is the best thing you can do. And it’s so easy to do exactly that around here. It makes it so much easier to decide on the things actually worth doing. I will give you some examples:

Afternoon I attended Muay Thai training. Exhausting
Indian dinner with a nice British couple at Bebe Spice. Marvellous.
Bonfire with Crawford, Demian, Joy and many others. Relaxing.
Fire-spinning performance by Demian. Incredible.

And then…
after what seems like a month – or completely beyond any time frame, for that matter – I take a bus to Chiang Mai … and on to Chiang Rai. Joy joins me. She has even let a train ticket go void cuz she wanted to spend some more days with me.

At the bus station I reencounter a couple I had met at Pai Canyon.

Joy and I arrive in the evening. At a Reggae Bar we get advice where to check in.

Ko Lipe, Sharing, Thailand

Seele baumeln lassen

Chang beer and chips…
chocolate cake, coffeee…
cocktails and Christmas…
chillin chillin chillin…

To You All 🙂

About a week I stay at the beach on KoLipe. Mind you, I wouldn’t be here without Su. She invited me to stay here for a little while. Lucky guy, me, I gotta admit. With friends like that, life is great. We explore the island, enjoy good food together, talk tacheles, have a drink (or 2), get a thai massage (ouch!) and relax at the raggae bar listening to chill out sounds and breaking waves. The boats gently rocking nearby. Stars shine above at night. Clouds cover the sky during the day.

We book a royal snolking (and snolqueen, of course) trip the other day. Yet day after day because it is not sunny enough we postpone it. We stroll around the walking street and go to the other side of the island. Only 10-15 minutes on foot. Still, motarolas and scuta taxis drive around the walking street. Eventually, on Xmas day, we cancel the trip because Su leaves a day early. She decides to believe the weather forecast, pay more than 1,000 baht to get away from the island 24 hours earlier and spend a day in Bangkok instead. Go figure. I try to talk to her but her mind is set. “The weather forecast said…’ – ‘Alright, alright…’ Later, I watch the sunset while she goes shopping. Well… everyone just wants to be happy. We choose different paths. I only wish I could be more equanimous about the people I care about.

People are friendly here. But inna different way than in Malaysia. I do get a taste of tourism around that place. It’s nothing unusual. Nothing to be surprised about.

Reminiscing the irony of what happened to Ko Phi Phi when that movie came out. The book by Alex Garland delivers a message that is only hinted at in the movie. Another Hollywood love story seems more important these days. And who wants to stir up the guilty national conscience, anyway. Kiss kiss bang bang. Cut! … Forgive me if this sounds cynical. But as most cynics say, ‘I am only realistic’. If it is true that a cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing then I am not a cynic. At least not in a Wildean sense. Cuz I know the value of a good movie, trust me 😉 It’s just… I think it’s essential to look at something from many different perspectives and to try to see the big picture. It is what makes some people think of me as a strange person, sometimes asocial, sometimes unfathomable. It is also what others like about me, freethinking, able to dwell alone, happy to share and go into depths, still down-to-earth. (em… ok maybe that’s only the way I’d like to be seen haha)

ChiLLa CaT… a tautology, I know…

As I said before, I would not be here without Suzu. When I was in Penang we agreed to meet on the island on Dec 19 and spend a week together. I am grateful to celebrate X-mas on Ko Lipe with her. I mean, geez, who’d have thought that? It’s all happening so incredibly smoothly over here. Why not float along?! Lasciare la vita ordinare le cose.

Fresh coconut, please!

Ha Ha Ha Ppi NesS

Wishing you a wonderful, happy, peaceful and homely Christmas eve. Eat and drink well, sing and dance, and also spend a minute or 2 thinking of those who are less fortunate than you are and maybe having no one to share this evening with.

May you appreciate what you have got! May you be happy with who you are! May you be aware that there are people you love! Show it to them today! Tell them: ‘I care about you. I love you so. I am happy when you are happy.’

Is there anything better to do today than this?

I mean, apart from having a prolonged siesta 😉

Postscriptum:
In the end, we undertake the snorkeling trip. We really do. Since the morning brings sunshine, Su decides against taking the booked flight. She changes her mind again and stays on the island instead of flying to Bangkok line day earlier. Well, I’d say it’s OK to make mistakes. And it’s OK to change one’s mind twice in 24 horus.

Malaysia

A walk in the park

To be true to you, I am not in the mood to write a lot of words. I’ll simply let the pictures speak for themselves. It is place called Youth Park … only 15 minutes from where I stay. I walked there and met volunteer workers at the children’s adventure camp that takes place this weekend. Last weekend there was a jazz festival, a literary festival and a family picnic gathering at the Botanic Gardens. So many activities in and around Penang, it’s amazing…

Children’s playing ground and consumption-free leisure space

Work out stations… with trees and memorial stones next to it

You are invited to abide.

While sitting at the pool a man from near Budweis (CZ) comes around with his children. We talk and i learn he has been living on Ko Samui for the last 3 years.

Cool pool shower on a sunny afternoon

Family!

In the park, there are places to rest, to get wet, to access hiking trails to Penang Hill, to play chess, to skate, to do graffiti art, to talk, to eat and drink, to watch children play on playing grounds, to work out…

Young volunteers preparing the children adventure camp

Foot Reflexology Path

yes it hurts…

Koh Phangan, Malaysia, Sharing, Wat Kow Tahm

Welcome brother, feel at home

Ferry departing from Kohphangan at 7 a.m.

Minivan arriving in Georgetown at 9 p.m. Heavy rain and inundated roads shortly after crossing the Thai-Malaysian border

Names are just names. After a night at so-called Budget Hotel, we check in at Hotel Noble… and pay ⅓ of the price

Keep smiling and trust me: penang people are extreeeemely friendly.

Georgetown offers a shuttle bus circling the city free of charge. Many other means of transportation available, though.

Chinese taoist/buddhist temple…

Inside a taoist/buddhist temple in Georgetown

Street Art on King Street, one of many (part of UNESCO World Heritage)

Please do not spit.

Late lunch with good friends at Sri Ananda. Food in Little India, it’s the bomb, man!

Masjid Kapitan Keling Mosque, with a cannon in the garden, just in case

Sai Baba Anniversary in Penang Road… very lively & lovely tabla music and chanting!

After having stumbled upon manifestations of buddhist, muslim and hindu belief, on the way along the esplanade, finally St. George Church, spectacularly lit

… and to conclude this smooth sunday, a barbecue anniversary at ‘The alley’, a funky place with generous proprietors and ample evidence of artistic expression, only two minutes from where we stay

Suan Mokh, Thailand

Suan Mokh experience

Two weeks ago I left Chaiya.

I remember fireflies, bugs, ants. I remember lizards, snakes, spiders, geckos, and I surely remember them mosquitoes. I recall being amazed by the beautiful lush scenery, the palm trees, alleys, pathways. The hot hotsprings, cool meditation halls, ponds and grass. Grass as the heart of the Garden of Liberation.

I remember the simile about life not being like a high mountain to climb in order to reach its peak (perfection strive mode) but rather being many hills. And on these hills there is sunshine, rain, snow, wind. The choice to go up & down & around them is ours. We can always choose to enjoy the natural landscape of this life. I remember ‘meditation is like learning to ride a bicycle’. I remember the singer who rediscovered the courage and self-confidence to write a song after years of mental blockage.

I remember breathing in. I remember breathing out. I remember doubts arise about the sense and nonsense of becoming increasingly aware of this ever recurring process I remember Ajahn Poh (82-year abbot) and Tan Mehdi (monk). I remember Yossi (volunteer) inviting us to stay at Donkin (Dharma Dūta hermitage) near the retreat centre for free, anytime, for days, weeks, years. I remember carrying loads of sand to cover paths around the hermitage. I remember the words about there being cobras, scorpions, spiders. I remember how I cried silently when Santikaro gave a translation of a talk by Buddhadāsa about the destruction of nature in Thailand and SE Asia in general. I remember this talk about the senseless brutality and destruction that came about by the passing of Man entered the open door of my heart and made me sob bitterly.

I remember the hard bunk and the wooden, yes, wooden pillow. I remember sweating a lot. I remember the smiles of fellow participants. I recall sounds of crickets, grasshoppers, frogs, birds. I remember an inspiring evening on day 10 with retreat participants recounting how these days affected and changes their lives. I remember listening to stories about wearing masks, about eating-disorders, about depression, headaches, crashes, near-death experiences, life-changing insights, back pain, childhood conditioning, perfectionism, workaholism.

I remember we were all looking for truth within ourselves. Discovering through direct experience what is really going on in this ever-changing field of sensations, feelings, moods, thoughts.

I remember understanding leads to compassion. I remember the mind as perfectly clear.