12/19 (I think): Last day in Pushkar

This afternoon, while sitting all alone on the roof top restaurant, I heard a sound at the table behind me, and received a little shock.

This morning's street musician

Ian and Kay from Great Britain. They are veterinarians, volunteering at animal shelters around India. Here they are, eating "banana filters" (supposed to be fritters) at a street cafe last night.

Worshiper at sunset

It's 9AM. The street is sleepy, not quite awake yet. I go to my muesli stand, and the man said, "half an hour." Papu, my alu chat baba, is setting up his stand and not quite ready for me either. So I wander down the main road looking for something open, and I hear a familiar voice out of the speakers from the music shop - Krishna Das chanting "Hari Krishna, Hara Rama." I try to tell the music shop baba that I have seen Krishna Das many times in concert in Seattle, but he can't hear me because he is deaf (only in India - a deaf man running a music shop). He turns off the music and points out the hearing aid in his ear, and another part of it attached to his head. I write him my message about Krishna Das, and he gives me the "thumbs up" sign (universal language), and says, "Krishna Das is very good." So I sit outside the shop and listen to the music. Then, for some reason, the next song, "Ma Durga," brings tears to my eyes. I don't know why: reminiscing, happy thoughts, regrets, or just a beautiful song, I don't know. Sometimes I feel so wide open and totally vulnerable. I will call them happy tears, or cleansing tears, and leave it at that.

Last recipe: Mixed Dahl
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup small green lentils
1/2 cup ground lentils
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon fenugreek
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 inch ginger
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
salt to taste
fresh cilantro

1) Wash the lentils three to four times

2) Mash garlic and ginger together
3) In 4 cups of water, add salt, all the powders, and lentils and boil until cooked
4) Heat oil in another pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds
5) When the seeds change colors, add onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger
6) Wait until the onions are a little brown, add fenugreek, mix everything together, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes
7) Garnish with fresh cilantro