FIRST DAY IN MYSORE
Cribbed from yesterday's diary



RM 19 KAVERI LODGE 7/11/07 8:30PM



-Too tired to write

-Trying to stay awake til Ammu comes w/ scooter, so we can go out for food.

-Alarm clock not working

-Mobile phone not working despite Rs 463 for new SIM card + time and assurances it would work after 5PM.

-Mobile phone clock is on Chicago time, so cannot use the alarm for 7:15 practice Thursday. Unless the jetlagged mind can calculate the 10.5 hour time difference....

-Gave my life savings (Rs 27,530) to Sharath at 4PM sharp. With the dollar so weak (a buck bought Rs 48 my first trip; now it's barely 40), this was somewhat painful. He saw the sugar-free chocolate I brought and told me not to give it to Guruji. Already I am making quite the impression.

-Ammu says I am too thin - ha! His dog died today: Blackie. That's the one the girl who committed suicide gave him. Blackie jumped from the 3rd story roof to the ground.

-There's a new Nilgiri's in Gokulam, right on the main drag near the shala.

-There are helmet laws in Karnataka! The driver of a two-wheeler must wear one or s\he gets a Rs 100 ticket.

-Ammu and I drove up to Chamundi Hill and then back down because of a massive rain storm we could see moving towards us. It never came. I'd post the picture but the single functioning USB port in this browsing center is being used by someone else (who said he'd let me use it "in 10 minutes" some 20 minutes ago). No problem - I'll post it tomorrow. Or perhaps not....

-Ajay (whom you may know from Rebecca Mead's "Yoga Bums" August 2000 New Yorker piece) is married! And still teaching yoga. Deepak is still chef at Chakra house in Gokulam.

-My trunk is, hopefuly, still at 3 Sisters -- where I have yet to go.







TODAY'S VOCABULARY WORDS:

Malay - Kannada (the local language) for rain
Rudrakshi - Kannada for drizzle