1/11 & 1/12: Last day in Diu and First in Palitana

I forgot to tell the story of my experience at the little temple in Maykal's village. I was shown around by this jovial, old man, who turned out to be the village guru. It was a very simple temple. He took me to shrine after shrine, opened the gate, and beckoned me in. In order to honor his modest temple, I took a picture at each shrine. I guess I got a little bit carried away, for at the end of the tour, he took me around the back and pointed to the cat, as if to ask, "Are you going to take a picture of it?" I knew he was a happy monk, but I didn't know he was funny too.

Sunrise (for a change) and birds on my last day in Diu

I missed my morning bus by 4 minutes (the trains may not run on time, but the buses have always been to the minute), so I found Maykal and Ashoka and took them for omelets and chai. The omelet man gave me a hug as I left. Maykal and Ashoka walked me to the bus station to see me off (I didn't know when I was leaving, so it turned out Maykal got up at 4AM and headed for the bus station to make sure he didn't miss me).

As I rode away from Diu, and drifted off into the scenery, I realized that something has happened to me. It crept upon me imperceptibly over time, but I can no longer imagine what it feels like to not feel the connection to all that's around me.
Palitana (in the foreground is a motorcycle pick-up truck)

Palitana is a dirty, dusty, stinky, noisy, congested little town. I am back in India proper, and I like it. There are too many people on the small roads. The cars, rickshaws and motor bikes drive too closely to the pedestrians. They honk their horns too much, which are too loud. There is shit everywhere. I am back to being a novelty - possibly the only non-Indian in this town. I can not tell you how many times I heard "What is your name?" as I walked through town. But that is about it for their English. Only, they are so good natured about it. Smiles and smiles. I feel connected in an odd sort of way. Diu was a vacation. It is nice to be "home" again.

A lot of sugar cane

Dying string everywhere for the upcoming Kite Festival

1/11 and still in Diu: Maykal's Village Karo

So, one more day in Diu. I spent the day with Maykal and his family in their village, about an hour from Diu. We jumped on the back of a share rickshaw headed for Una. Actually it was sort of like a motorcycle pick up truck with the truck bed gate down, and we sat on the gate. I had to be careful every time we hit a bump that my feet didn't hit the ground (Maykal and his brother Ashoka didn't have to worry about this - maybe the only advantage to being so small). It dropped us in Una, where we caught another rickshaw to Karo, his village.

As soon as I arrived, the entire village showed up at his mother's house. I brought two pounds of apples and two pounds of oranges as a gift for his mother, who immediately started cutting everything up and feeding the village.

Maykal in front of his house

They live in a one room mud and brick hut, with a roof made of thatched material and plastic. They have no electricity or running water.

youngest brother, me, Ashoka, Maykal, and mother

Mother and some village boys seeing us off

Maykal's family and I want to thank everyone who contributed so generously: my mom and dad, John and Sylvia, Sheila H and her parents, Liza Z, Suzy J, Candy M, Susan G, Christy L-E, and one anonymous donor. We raised $449.

I will see Maykal one more time tonight for peanuts and roasted corn at our spot on the wharf before I head to Palitana early tomorrow morning.

1/9 and 1/10 in Diu

I've gotten into a little routine here (with all the constant change in my life this year, a little routine feels good). First I go to the omelet wala and get a two-egg chili omelet. Then I go to the chai wala (next door) and get a large cup of chai.

After that, who knows. Sometimes to the beach, or a bike ride, or maybe I have to do some wash or sew something that ripped.
Yesterday afteronoon and evening a wandered along the coast line for about 4 hours until the sun set.

I don't know what time the sun set yesterday. At 6:16 it got lost in the evening haze on the horizon. I guess everything and everyone gets lost sometimes (not just me). Or maybe it's the earth that got lost. I don't know.

The waves started telling me it is time to move off the rock I was sitting on, but I was not ready (I can be a little stubborn at times). So I got a little wet. It's hard to argue with the moon.

Ashoka, Maykal and me this morning

I ran into Maykal at dinner time after the sunset. I took him to a little night stand on the wharf and shared a plate of chili fried noodles. Then we went looking for the peanut and roasted corn wala to bring some peanuts back to his brother Ashoka, but the wala was know where to be found. So I went back to my room where I had a stash of bananas and oranges and I met Maykal and Ashoka at "our spot" the wharf and we ate fruit together. I told them that there are no cows, goats, or monkeys that wander the streets in America. There are even very few dogs, for they need to be leashed. They didn't quite comprehend how this could be so. They asked me about what animals were in the jungles of America. I told them that there were no jungles, but we do have forests and mountains where there are bears, deer, antelope, etc. I tried to explain what a bear was. The look of comprehension came to their eyes. "Godzilla?" they asked. "No, I told them, Godzilla was only in the movies." So then they figured it out. "Dinosaurs!" And I had to explain that there have been no dinosaurs for millions of years. "Why?" they asked. "Did man kill them all?" Even if I knew the reason for the end of the age of dinosaurs, I doubt that I could explain it to them. But somehow they figures out about climate change and the waters drying up (that's as much as I know).

I want to thank Sheila, Lisa Z., Suzy J., Candy, John and Sylvia, and my parents for their generous offers to help Maykal and his family (see previous posting: Maykal's story). I realized last night what a gift it is to me to give a gift to Maykal. It confirms what I am free to do, a blessing for the life I have been gifted. If anyone one else is interested in helping Maykal and his family, please let me know by Sunday 7:30PM West coast time (which is 9AM Monday morning here in Diu). I will check my email one more time before heading to the ATM machine with Maykal, and then heading off to Palitana, unless I stay another day, who knows.

1/9: Maykal's Story

Brothers Maykal and Ashoka

I have been hanging out every day for some time with Maykal. I met him one of my first days here in Diu. One evening at the street stand for roasted peanuts and roasted corn, I bought 10 rupees worth of peanuts. As I was walking down the street, he called me over. So I sat with him and his brother and shared my peanuts. "Peanuts good," he said a few times, and I agreed. The next day I found Maykal again. I showed him a brochure of Gujarat. He was very impressed with the photo of the lion (there is a nature reserve near by with some of the few remaining Indian lions), but had a hard time remembering and pronouncing the word. So he went back to his old standby - "Penile good," he said. It took me a while to realize and correct him. "Peanuts are good."

He is interested in learning English. He has no formal education, so the only way he can beg successfully is by learning English on his own. This morning he decided to look through my photos on his camera. He learned "cat," "goat," and "camel" from the photos. He tried to look through all of my photos, but after 1481 photos he finally admitting to getting tired (only 600 more to go).

Last night for dinner I went to my roasted corn and peanut stand and had two corns on the cob. Here, they rub chili and lime on the corn - delicious! I found Maykal and asked him if he wanted corn also. "No, peanuts good" he replied, so I bought him peanuts and we met his brother and sat on the wharf and ate our dinners. That is where I learned his story.

Besides he and his brother being dwarfs and the physical ailments that come with it, Maykal had polio as a child and so can not walk. His father died when he was 8 years old (he is now 20, and his brother is 30). The mother, who has 2 younger sons at home in Una, about 10 miles from here, can not find work, though she does manage to get some odd jobs. They have no house, but sleep under a plastic sheet (which now has holes in it that must be fixed before the next monsoon). They had an older brother who also died - electrocuted while working. Maykal has tried to get assistance for his mother from the government, but to no success. She is dependent on Maykal and Ashoka's success as beggars. He came to Diu 7 years ago to beg for his mother. He and his brother sleep together on the wharf to keep warm. He says that Indian people do not give money, so he is dependent on foreigners for support. One foreign person paid the money to buy his hand crank bike, so he has some mobility.

When I see beggars I often give them 10 rupees (about 22 cents), and they are so thankful. There is something so depressing about that. It is just a bandaid, and not a very big one. I have decided to give Maykal and his family 1000 rupees (about $22). For me, there is something more satisfying about giving 1000 rupees to one person rather than 10 rupees to 100 people. It is still only a bandaid, but maybe enough for his mother to buy a new plastic tarp and for Maykal to fix his bicycle.

Again, I am thankful for my health, for my legs that I can walk away on, for my job that helps provide for my family and allows me to travel to places like India, and for the life I was born into.

If anyone reading this is also willing to help out Maykal and his family, let me know ASAP. I will probably be leaving Diu in two days.

Maykal and I

1/7 and 1/8: Still in Diu

It has been an interesting last couple of days. Not much happening here. I spend my days eating, walking, reading, napping, sitting on the beach, taking a few photos, having a few conversations. That's all. It is quiet, relaxing, and a little boring. I have to get back into the mode of doing nothing and expecting nothing.

So I am reminded of something my friend Carla wrote to me: "The day is made up of moments." Every moment something is happening; it just might not be what one expects or desires. There is magic in each moment, we just need the eyes to see it. Or maybe we need to see with our heart to catch a glimpse of the magic.

So instead of thinking about the moment, I become the moment. And then, for just a few breaths, I become my heart, and I become the magic. And in those few breaths there is no heart, there is no magic, there is no moment.

Diu has a few sandy beaches, but mostly the shoreline is covered with this stone-like, reef-like beautiful to look at but painful to walk on kind of stuff.

This was my view when I finally found a place to sit that was comfortable

1/6 in Diu

Diu city is on the eastern tip of the island, so I rented a bicycle to explore more.

I rode to Nagoa Beach in the center of the island.

Then I rode to the western end of the island to Vanakbara fishing village.

fishing net (I just thought the lighting was cool)

Christy sent me a site with 50 travel quotes. These are my favorite"

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” Bill Bryson

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” Anatole France

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” Lillian Smith

1/5 in Diu

Vegetable market near my guest house

With the proper perspective,
you can actually see
the earth turn.

me at sunset

What time does the sun set?
At 6:17, when it touches the horizon?
Or at 6:19, when you can no longer see the sphere of the sun?

1/4 in Diu

January 4th - Nadov's birthday - he would be 21 today, and legal to drink.

Current research shows that, contrary to popular myth, the brain is like a muscle and can continuously grow, no mater how old. Connections occur in pathways - the more pathways, the more connections. When we speak of the heart versus the brain, I wonder if this is just another illusory dichotomy that doesn't really exist, attempting to simplify, but actually creating separation. When we talk about "opening one's heart," maybe what is actually happening is creating more connections in the brain, for love is a connection, and when everything is connected to everything else, then we truly feel (and not just know) a larger Truth.

Sitting here drinking coffee at an outdoor stand on the water front, I just made a connection of my own. As a math teacher, teaching a subject that is not universally loved, I constantly get the question, "Why do we have to learn this?" (By the way, I think it is essential for all teachers to be able to answer this question.) I have often wondered myself about the very same question. I have told my students that there are many types of intelligences, and abstract, linear thinking, though just one type of intelligence, is an important one. Mathematics helps exercise the brain to make connections, and thus, identify patterns (isolating the variable, determining relevant versus irrelevant information, using the appropriate mental "tool" or strategy to solve a problem). Thus, in my mind, the most important thing that math has given the world is pattern recognition

Maybe this type of intelligence is not so different than our intuitive intelligence that leaps and understands connections instantaneously. The more we see connections, the closer we come to peace (bot internally and externally, at micro and macro levels), love, and that deeper Truth of Oneness.

1/2 and 1/3: Leaving Junagadh and Arriving in Diu

1/2: Leaving Junagadh
I stopped at this little restaurant for dinner. Well, it wasn't really a restaurant, but it wasn't a street stand either - something in between, though it did have a menu. Unfortunately, the menu was all in Hindi script. So I asked what they served and the cook/owner took me behind the counter to show me the food. When I finished, the cook/owner asked me how I liked it. I told him it was very good. So I asked how much I owe, and he said, "You have already paid. You are my guest."I don't think that has ever happened to me before.

I wanted a banana for dessert (India has really tasty bananas), so I found the banana cart with the boy sitting on the cart with the bananas. I asked how much for one banana. "Five rupees," he replied. As I was leaving, his father came over from the other cart. I could tell from his tone he didn't like what just went on. He pulled off another banana from the bunch and handed it to me.

This was a strange but wonderful evening to end a very good day.

An Earlier Conversation Revisited:
I want to share one more conversation I had with the Israeli healer a couple of months ago (posted on 10/25), which I have been thinking about lately. When I met her, I was sitting on my favorite steps next to my favorite chai wala. She joined me on the step for chai and we went through the normal introductions that travelers do. She told me she was waiting for the night bus to Delhi. "Long trip," I responded. And she replied, "Everything's a trip."

1/3 Diu: On the road from Junagadh to Diu, we passed a camel pulling a cart. A bearded man sat cross-legged on the cart. He wore a white turban and was covered in a brown shawl, and he was talking on his cell phone.

After 5 1/2 hours and two buses (all for $2), I arrived in Diu, an island on the southern coast of Gujarat. I walked around the island. It is different here. There is the Portuguese influence in the architecture and all the churches (I passed three on my walk today). It is hotter during the day, and more pleasant at night (only need a t-shirt). And then I realized the biggest difference - there is very little traffic. It is so nice to be walking about without the constant honking or having to always be cautious about being run over.

I went to lunch at a place where there are a lot of street stands set up and chairs and tables right on the water. I ate a delicious tuna biriyani. There was a dog and a goat roaming under the tables cleaning the scraps.

View from my guest house room

lunch view

Church

beach

Another beach (this is a nice place to spend January)

1/2: Walk up Mount Girnar

After a week in Gujarat and not one conversation more than "What is your name?" or "Where are you from?" (though I did see three other non-Indians during the week), I finally had a few conversations (so I still remember how). I met a couple from Arizona, a German man living in Denmark, and an Indian young man who accompanied me up the mountain.

I climbed the 5,500 steps (no, I did not count - they are painted every 50 steps) to the temple at the top of the mountain. My knees are good for 5,500 up and 3,500 down.

Just constructing the walk way is a feat in itself

The little temple at the top

Some people travel this way

My friend Ketan who walked with me

1/2: Temple Complex on Mount Girnar

There is a temple complex at about 3800 steps. I entered, but turned around, not wanting o deal with the minor hassle of taking off then putting back on my sweaty socks. Then a priest ran after me, saying that I must see the temple. I am so happy he did that. It was one of the most amazing temple complexes (unfortunately, no photos from the inside), and built two thirds up this mountain, no less.

As I was sitting outside the temple complex drinking chai, I ran into the Arizona couple from yesterday. They did the same thing as me (when in then turned around), so I got to play the role of priest and tell them they most go inside. I saw them later up the mountain, and they were so happy they went back in as well.

Temple complex with Junagadh far below

1/1 and 1/2 in Junagadh

Tombs of the Babi Kings

I wandered down an alley way to these dilapidated tombs (view from my roof top yesterday). There is no lock on the gate. There is no guard or entry fee. It turns out these are the tombs of the rulers of Junagadh.

This is the tomb of the First Nawab Sher Khan Salabat Khan (ruled from 1748 to 1758). The Babi kings originally came from what is now Afganistan, as vassals to the Mughals, but gained control of Junagadh in 1748 when the Mughal power was in decline

This is the main mosque in Junagadh. I love the flow of the stairway up the tower.

Mahabat Maqbara: This was built in 1893 over the grave of Nawab Mahabat Khan II (ruled from 1852 to 1882). The architecture is a synthesis of Islamic, Hindu and European influences.

Spice

I just really liked these pictures and I couldn't decide which to edit

1/1 from Junagadh

7:30AM: Driving east towards Junagadh
I caught the 7AM bus. The sun is a few degrees above the horizon. The haze in the air allows me to see the sun so clearly, like a huge, orange moon. What an amazing thing.

Maybe what makes some moments special is appreciation - when we do not take for granted the miracle of this existence.

Is it possible to take a break each day for just one moment, and appreciate it for what it is?

What inspires appreciation. A unique or out-or-the-ordinary experience is one thing, like right now I am watching a man on his cart being pulled by a camel on this fairly good highway. But there is also a choice of blessing - choosing to view this moment with an understanding of the miracle that life is. Choosing to be part of the moment with the totality of our being - all our senses, our total presence, right here right now. Just for a moment.

Junagadh street scene

View of the village behind the fort

View from the rooftop of my guest house

Entrance to the fort

Temple in the fort

P.S. I added pictures to my previous post