Elephant adventure- moon day
No yoga, Tuesday, because there is a full moon. So we decided to have our own field trip, while we are in the middle of South India, to get out of Mysore, see the country side,and hopefully, to see some elephants!
As we are driving now in a taxi, with a driver whom we met at the Green Hotel- where we stayed earlier in out trip, I am reminded of the landscape we saw in Bali, 20 years ago. We are seeing lush greenery, palm trees, goats and cows,junky looking ramshackle shacks and familiar looking concrete shopping malls. Children, some in uniforms, are getting into school buses, men milling about along side the road, and our driver is constantly honking his horn. I guess he is trying to pass the car in front – now it’s a bus- why are we in a hurry? I’m over being in a hurry in my life! Over it!!
If You Can’t Say Something Nice, Go To Your Room. My mantra?
Before my past life regression with Kumar, I was talking about my childhood- the animal hospital saga where I saw that my father was killing stray dogs and cats and no one helped me deal with my sadness over that- I was told- just don’t go in there – and at another time being told – if you can’t say something nice, go to your room – I was also told – if someone says how are you, you should say FINE – no matter what is going on. So – the day after my regression, which is aimed at finding a cure of my issue – dry mouth – I didn’t feel better – I felt depressed – because it didn’t work! Guess I am looking for a miracle.
A girl from Lima, Peru went thru her regression yesterday, Monday afternoon. Her main issue in life is that she is unable to make decisions about anything in her life- what to eat- what to wear- what to do- with her career- all that and it makes her crazy. Turns out her father deciced everything for her- said she should be an engineer- and she didn’t have a clue about what to do so she went to engineering school. Then she got an engineering job but she doesn’t like it. She is 27, quit her job and came to India to do yoga.
{Yes! – our driver has stopped for coffee!!! Wow- that was a treat!}
I call her Lima because I can’t pronounce her name and she comes from Lima. The first image In her regression- she was by herself in a wooden boat In the ocean! She was a BOY-barefooted, wearing shorts. As her story unfolded, she/he-was living in a town, going to school, having friends- and the father became sick and the family moved to live in the jungle. He quit school and lived a simple but boring life, in the jungle, climbing trees, gathering leaves and berries to eat. Years passed and he had enough of the boring life, living with his parents and he decided to take the family boat and go for an adventure all alone, and without many provisions. And this is where he had begun his journey- at the beginning of the regression. He drifted on the ocean for about 10 days, having a peaceful time. And then, loosing track of where land was, he panicked and eventually came to an island,where he spent the rest of his life, hunting and gathering. And he had built his own little house -he even hunted tigers- with a stone tied to a stick- I thought it was a fascinating story. At the end of his life, he had moved into a cave, covered the floor with animal skins and before death, made a special tea that he drank to help him die. Wow!
Cool story! Loved it
Now we are driving back to Mysore, after seeing the elephants and a monastery.
Loved the Elephants!!!! The place was lovely. A river scene with rafting- looked so out of place to see rubber Western style rafting boats. There were lots of boats but no boaters today- no rapids either. We got in a boat that carried us across the river to what I will call Elephant Island .It’s real name is Dubare Elephant Camp. It was quite a simple picturesque scene with a hill rising up from the river bank, that the elephants had to carefully traverse down – to take take their baths.
I saw two men who were riding on top of an elephants back, going down to the river. I watched as they all went into the water. When one of the men wanted to get off the elephant, he held onto the top, slid down and the elephant picked up his front foot, bending his knee, which made a step stool for the guy who easily stepped down. At the river bank I loved watching these massive creatures lol around in water. They looked happy.
Elephant ride. I did it! I rode an elephant! But it was much easier than I’d thought it would be- it wasn’t just me up there- I was with others, sitting in a structure, roped onto the elephants back. We walked up a ladder to the top of an elevated platform, the height of an elephant, waited our turn and then stepped into this basket thing( metal) and sat down. I could see how the bare footed driver, – sitting just behind his head, dug his heels into a place behind the elephants ears- to guide him . I was relieved it was a very short ride. It was a little bumpy; I was only concerned that the elephant might decide to give me a big heave, and toss me out of the basket. But I made it ok and we enjoyed our day away in the company of such magnificent creatures.
On to lunch
and the Tibetan Monastery. I think I’m let Allynn tell you about that.
