If you look to your right you'll see a little map called "India Phase 1" believe it or not, I have now been to all of those places and have completed phase one of my travels here. I'm in Chennai in South India. I arrived here day before yesterday after saying goodbye o the Intrepid Group and my good friend Lisa in Kolkuta/Calcutta.
i was really sick when i left Calcutta, had this horrible cold sweating going on, was unable to hold down food and was experiencing this strange tingling feeling which made me feel like I was trapped in the middle of a cold shiver. Thanks to Ikshwarku my amazing North India tour guide, I have checked into a basic yet reasonably good hotel room with aircon and a TV and slept for the last 2 days.
I'm feeling considerably better today, but still can't be bothered going exploring or adventuring. I think i'm calling a time out and am happy with waiting 2 hours for my lousy room service meals, watching Charlies Angels on tv and reading my book in the comfort of my single (slightly odd smelling) hotel bed.
Tomorrow I go on the next phase of my joruney. I am scheduled to go to an ashram called Dhamma Setu just outside of Chennai for 10 days of silent meditation.
Its a rigerous schedule whch involves more than 12 hours of meditation per day (starting at 4am) and requires you to keep complete 'noble silence; meaning I will not be able to communicate with anyone at all for the next 10 days.
From their website:
Vipassana is one of India's most ancient meditation techniques. Long lost to humanity, it was rediscovered by Gotama the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. The word Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. This truth-realization by direct experience is the process of purification.
For safety sake below is all the contact information for the centre. In case of emergency contact the management there and they will contact me.
The Centre
Vipassana Meditation Centre,'Dhamma Setu',533 Pazhanthandalam Road,Thirumudivakkam,(Via Thiruneermalai),Chennai - 600 044.INDIA.
Telephone (Landline): +91-44-24780953, +91-44-24783311, +91-44-64504142
Telephone (Mobile): +91-9444021622 (Mr. Vinayak)
E-mail: info@setu.dhamma.org
City Office
Meridian Apparels Limited,Meridian House, 121/3 T.T.K. Road,Manickam Avenue, Chennai - 600 018. INDIA.
Telephone (Landline): +91-44-24994646, +91-44-42111000
Fax: +91-44-24994477, +91-44-42111777
After the emditation I plan to fly to Goa for the last 10 days of my trip to meet up wth some great friends I have met along the way and perhaps do a PADI dive course or something while I'm there. I havn't booked anything because I'm not sure how I will feel after all of that meditative 'purification' but I figre after 10 days of silence I will want to speak to some people.
I also seem to have found a fan in Pushkar called Kuldeep Singh (he was the incredibly handsome owner of the hotel I stayed in) who has sent me many emails in teh last few days and is keen for me to return to visit him before I leave India. You never know...
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