Back At Sherabling, One Year Later

Well, we've arrived at our first destination: Sherabling. We got here around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon via the 2+ hour taxi ride from Dharamsala (Kangra) airport, where we were met by driver Pinku, who lives with his family just down the road from here, and to where we have already been invited to come for tea, and where we already met his smiling father (namaste!) and baby niece.

It's very quiet now, and already cool this first late night as I write, and while Nancy sleeps I'm adjusting to the 9.5 hour time difference and three days of travel involving three flights, a welcomed afternoon hot bath and sleep in a lovely London hotel, a night in a dumpy Delhi hotel, a delicious first meal at the Stupa Guest House (where we're staying) Restaurant, and  a first unpacking in 10 days. We were too tired for anything else today. 

The jet lag is in full swing, with our sleep patterns still off by half a day, in that we get quite tired by mid afternoon and rest or sleep for a couple of hours before dinner, and then stay up probably too late, and I then find it hard to get to sleep, and am up and going by 6AM, or maybe by 2 or 3 AM when I read. Nancy's version is a little different in that she sleeps through the night, and is then up too early for her liking. I'm remembering from last year that it took two weeks to work through this, so I imagine it will be the same now.

FOUR DAYS LATER

The mountains have been shrouded in fog and mist since we arrived, and we're told it has been a long rainy season that is just now beginning to end, although the forecast I looked at is saying rain is likely for the next several days. Nancy is disappointed that she hasn't been able to see the snow peaks yet. Our first night here was actually a bit cold, but it has warmed up again since. View from the balcony

A couple of days ago young Ram, a very sweet 24 year old who works at the restaurant, helped me get set up with a local sim card for our phone. We won't be using this for international calling or texting, but only for the occasional local call we might need to make or receive. Turns out we did already use it for the important task of making plane reservations from Delhi to Bangkok.

Reception up here is spotty, but..........

We've begun to re-connect with other people we know here (see last year's postings from October): the inimitable Amma and Aka, who are still doing pretty well; Tsultrim the thanka maker, who is also well; and Lama Lopsang the monastery office director. Also a couple of days ago we sought him out in order to ask who to talk with about performing a particular Milarepa tsok puja for a very ill old dharma friend of Nancy's in Italy who needs to undergo surgery soon, this at the request of his good friend who Nancy also knows, who will be here in a few weeks time. We were directed to another lama, to whom Nancy explained the request, and were told where to find the retreat master lama because the request included the specific piece that it be the retreatant lamas who should do this ritual. We found him, Nancy set it up, made the requisite offering on the requester's behalf, and presumably this ritual has now, some 48 hours later, been performed.

I hope that monkey isn't getting ready to pounce. Careful Amma!

Yesterday we took our first excursion away from the monastery area to go by taxi to Chauntra, a small town about 12km down a narrow, switch backed, one lane, paved mountain road through forest and villages (for the single purpose of visiting an ATM), then back in this direction to smaller Bir in order to buy some apples and bananas and an electric tea kettle, and, as it turned out, to share some conversation around plates of momos with a young French paraglider, and back to Stupa Guest House by way of our waiting taxi. We've  begun to settle in for our 7 week stay.

Ah....hot tea in our room

 As part of this settling in, dear Nancy has decided to unplug from computer involvement for a month, and start going into retreat mode. It'll also help her "drop down" in preparation for the first of Situ Rimpoche's formal 5 day  teachings, coming up around October 20th. We're not in Kansas any more, Dorothy.