As I look back on these journal entries, I remember so much that was left out: female students dancing with Indian women at the Temple of Durga; sharing a prantha with Lama Pema; early morning mists over the Himalayan foothills; hair-raising car rides; the search(es) for a Bank of India ATM, since they didn’t charge any fees; fierce-looking Sikh guards, armed with swords and knives; children doing acrobatics in the roadway to earn money when cars were stopped at lights . . . Undying appreciation goes to my indefatigable roommate Jeannette for never complaining about my snoring or other personal quirks not worth mentioning here. And big hugs to all the students from Loyola University New Orleans who went on this incredible adventure and made it so memorable. I love you my Tibetan learning partners, Y— and D— and wish you good health and safety in your travels. I love you Tsering and Chokey! I am especially grateful to our (literally) fearless leaders: Michael Smith, Marcus Kondkar, Lama Tsering, Scott Mayer. And I will always remember doing yoga on rooftops around India with instructor-par-excellence Pema Chime. (Hope to see y’all in Nepal someday!) 28 July 2016 (or maybe 29 July)
We’re in the air heading home! There were so many near disasters averted it’s not worth mentioning. . . Some students said they wanted to stay, a few said they were sad. I said I wanted to go home. . . Today was more or less mellow: packing, students trying to complete twenty journal entries in twenty minutes (or so), loading up to go to the Toilet Museum, which we got to but then since time was running out, did not visit. Instead, we spent the last few hours in New Delhi in the Ashok Resort, where we hung out at a swimming pool. . . I swam a bit and mostly stayed in the water, which may explain why I have a bit of a cough tonight. Hoping a glass of red wine will help that. Well, things are quiet and dark as we hit cruising altitude. I will try to stay awake for a bit and watch some movies: Greek Wedding, Part II; Hail, Caesar; other stuff. So I figured out what I want for dinner when I get home: a big green tossed salad, with tuna fish. Have not had any lettuce since I left the U.S. urine, mainly human, but occasionally bovine
shit, mainly bovine or canine, but sometimes human incense coal being burned auto exhaust onions, curry, ginger, and other spices green! People have been generally very friendly, especially wanting to practice their English or—for whatever strange reason—wanting to have their picture taken with you. On the way back from Taj Mahal, on the outskirts of Delhi, we saw literally dozens of uncompleted high rise luxury apartment buildings. Tens of thousands would be housed in them (sort of like Hong Kong). But what was so strange was the fact that they were mainly concrete shells, 20 or 30 stories high. I did see a sign that advertised buying an apartment, so I wonder if a certain number of sales must be made—50%? 75%? 90%?—before they move toward completion. Dan said they looked rather dystopian and I agreed. 27 July 2016 Yesterday was spent sorting out our visa problem. The worst part was sitting and waiting with nothing to read. I was pretty philosophical, however, so tried to meditate while hanging out in a virtual sauna. We left immigration around 3:30, with Tsering and Dan planning to stay and sort things out. They did, so we’re not “illegals” any more. Their success also meant that we could go to the Taj Mahal today. Well worth it! There are many interesting things about the Mughal Empire, not least of which is the depiction of people in images [despite Quranic prohibitions against this]. The calligraphy in drawings and on the Taj Mahal itself is amazing, especially since on the latter it is done in black onyx (it that’s not redundant). [Traditional Taj Mahal Photo of Kelsey and Joanna—ALL tourists do it, except for me.] Everyone was a bit cranky: getting up to leave by 5:00 a.m. (we left at 5:30), the fast food service at the “truck stop” was not to people’s liking, the peddlers at T.M. were very aggressive, lunch was expensive and people were short of cash. We were supposed to stop and look at some stone carvings on the way home, but Tsering correctly gauged the mood of the group and we came straight home. |
Author Rebecca Moore is Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. She is currently Reviews Editor for Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions and Co-Director of The Jonestown Institute. Archives
December 2021
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