Arambol
Part II

I just have to get this off my chest.
Last night we met a homeopathic healer, self named Krishna. He is from Germany and in his 60s. Chaitra really loves Krishna and fully believes in him. She said that Krishna has really helped to heal her - and when you speak with Chaitra you tend to believe every word she says (in an oracle like manner).

So Krishna told me and Sian that our Chakras weren't open. So apparently he opened our chakras. He did a number of other things that were uncannily scarily true (and maybe some that i was skeptical about). We then ate dinner of him.

It's all sounding really good, right? Yeh, I thought so - until Krishna then casually dropped the following phrase:

"Abraham was the incarnation of Evil - the most evil man in the world. Worse
that Hitler"

Well talk about the elephant in the room. Why i hear you all asking? Because Abraham introduced circumcision - yessir Abraham is the root of all evil because he started a tradition of circumcision.
How does this follow you ask? (and let me just say that he knew i was Jewish and Krishna, Chaitra and Flavio all believe this)
Now, you must - when reading this explanation - imagine a German or Italian accent.

When the child is a born, it is in natural state. Why is disturb him in his natural state? When they cut him, they change him. Then the baby boys, they is feeling trauma. trauma from birth, and then they mothers do not save them. then the boys they grow up, they become aggressive, sexual monsters (monsters is my word). I know because i see this. I see this Israeli, this Muslim.

Beyond disbelief at this point. However, you must wait to here how they came to this conclusion. They all learned as disciples of this Buddhist person here in India (Pune). This Indian person then went to do talks in Israel. There he decided that Israelis were Aggressive.
Israelis.
Aggressive.
In Israel.

Interesting concept.
I at this point exploded (probably the most animated I have been this whole trip as far - but don't worry i didn't scream or anything). I said to them -

"You think that all of this is because of circumcision? You don't think
that perhaps because Israel is situated in the middle east, surrounded by most
neighbours who don't want them there. They go to the Army for 3 years and then
spend the rest of their lives trying to survive through every peace talk and
war. You dont think that this trauma, aggression might just have come from their
situation?
"and are you trying to tell me that if no one was circumcised that there
would be no bloodshed in the world? is this what you are trying to tell
me?"

I was met with blank faces. I was told that i didn't understand what they were saying. I was told that it's true, and that I am just too young - they have more knowledge than me.
I'm still trying to work out if there is something i am not getting...


Okay well that is all I have time for.

Arambol.
part I

You'll love this. We spent our first night in Arambol in a little shack away from the beach. I was having a little problem with blisters on my feet (i need you all to know i am harbouring much hate towards the Birkenstock man in Glenhuntly road, who - it seems - has managed to injure my feet permanently. Every time i walk i feel my blood boil and imagine how the negligence case would pan out in court.)
Anyways sian decided to patch up my feet good and proper, and whilst she was bending over them i caught, in the corner of our room, along the roof, a glimpse of the shadow of a Rat and it's disgusting little tail glimmering in the fluorescent hut light.

We were unusually calm.
Suffice it so say that the next day we moved. i was having serious '1984' flashbacks from year 10.

I also must make a confession. you know how i said that my Birkenstocks were not going well?
I resorted to something. something terrible. something awful, ugly but (and i say this as a convert) terribly comfortable.
crocs.
yes crocs.

What do we do in Arambol?

Hang out with 55 yr old hippies from Europe. it's quite incredible some of the people who live. we also gossip about the tourists here.
Flavio (a Swiss man in his 50s with a very relaxed face) told us a story of how a Russian man last year got drunk in ARambol. He climbed the cliff edge to where there was a Christian temple and proceeded to knock off the cross. The local Indians then came and through him off the cliff onto the rocks and started stoning him. He was taken away by Indian p0lice but Flavio thinks he died.

I'm also undergoing a 7 step program to cure me from dogs. I walk with Chai-tra (~50 yr old Swiss woman who has been living in India and Sth America her whole life) across the beach to hang out with a pack of dogs. I think the final step is to get one particular dog (who has very sharp teeth) to allow me to put my hand in it's mouth. or maybe the final step is getting one particular me (who is very scared) to allow me to put my hand in it's mouth...

A Post with No Name

MEL - DBX

So sian and i are sitting waiting at gate 11, when we notice that the flight is Dubai via Singapore. which totally freaked me out as little Tobin at flight centre led me to believe that it was a direct flight.

anyhoo, our flight to singapore was fine. There were a few funny little incidents. including the one where our female flight attendant slid her finger across her throat at me, and then pointed at a male flight attendant. sian thinks it was sexual tension but i was slightly scared.

then, the guy sitting next to me had the audacity to steal my pillow. like right in front of my face. can you believe?

The real highlight was when we stopped in Singapore, sian found a foot massager and just whipped off her little shoes and stuck her (thankfully) socked feet into them. trying to keep the bile from rising in my throat, i pointed out the possible other feet that had touched those massagers (keep in mind that they looked like really so old that the Formica was rubbing off, and the 'meant to be black' foot hole was a slight faded grey.)
however sian was intoxicated by the massage and only after she stepped out did she decide that perhaps it wasn't okay. we then checked through to re-board (where a security woman asked me about my baby-wipes and i replied "well you know how it is") sian decided she need hand sanitizer to sanitize her feet.
I just need you all to picture her on the floor sockless, sanitizing.

BOM

We arrived in Mumbai. Sian and I promptly agreed that we couldn't handle Mumbai's strong grasp and so we had a little tuktuk experience. - where we went with a man to buy tickets to Goa that ended up being way too expensive and then we ended up back at the airport. We then went into Mumbai.
Suffice it to say that the next day we were in Goa, in Arambol...

(at the time all of that happened there was sooo much to write about - like the American and 2 Israeli girls we shared a taxi with, like the flight delay, like Masala corn. But i truly can't be bothered...)

so, about to leave.

check vege meals.
check ipod.
check copious amounts of hand sanitizer.
on the issue of sanitizer, check sanity. yep, still here.

oh yes.

it's back.

i love you porgy.

and yes they are taking me.

back to india.

stay tuned.